Big West Conference Tournament Recaps

Anaheim, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Roderick Bobbitt netted 14 points with six assists as the fifth-seeded Hawaii Rainbow Warriors upset the top-seeded UC Davis Aggies, 65-58, in the semifinal round of the Big West Conference Tournament at the Honda Center.

Isaac Fleming chipped in with 13 points for Hawaii (22-12), which advances to the Big West title game on Saturday to face the third-seeded UC Irvine Anteaters. Aaron Valdes added 12 points with five boards in the win.

Corey Hawkins scored 22 points to pace UC Davis (25-6), which dropped its first contest in the last five games. Avery Johnson and Josh Fox each added eight points in the loss.

Hawaii connected on 37.5 percent of its first-half field goal tries, and made 5-of-13 from beyond the arc to take a 26-23 lead into the intermission. UC Davis hit on just 36 percent of its attempts in the frame, including 3-of-8 from distance.

The Rainbow Warriors improved to 46.4 percent shooting in the second half, and made 12-of-16 from the free-throw line to keep their advantage. The Aggies buried 45.5 percent of their shots, and couldn’t overtake Hawaii down the stretch to advance.

Hawaii held a 22-16 advantage in points scored in the paint, and held a 36-30 edge on the glass in the victory.

Final Score: UC Irvine 72, UC Santa Barbara 63 (OT)

Anaheim, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Will Davis II tallied an 18-point, 15- rebound double-double to lead his third-seeded UC Irvine Anteaters past the second-seeded UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, 72-63, in the semifinals of the Big West Conference Tournament Friday at the Honda Center.

Mamadou Ndiaye also chipped in with 18 points, and added four blocked shots for UC Irvine (20-12), which advances to the Big West title bout Saturday to take on the fifth-seeded Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Luke Nelson added 14 points and seven assists in the win.

Alan Williams tallied a double-double for UC Santa Barbara (19-13) with 24 points and 15 rebounds. John Green contributed 14 points in the loss.

UC Irvine connected on 46.4 percent of its first-half field goal tries to take a 34-27 lead into halftime. UC Santa Barbara netted just 30.4 percent of its attempts in the opening frame, including a 1-of-5 mark from 3-point range.

The Gauchos improved in the second half to 40.6 percent shooting to make the comeback. The Anteaters connected on 36.4 percent of their shots in the period, and went 1-of-6 from distance to allow Santa Barbara to tie it at the end of regulation, 59-59.

But it was all UC Irvine in the extra session. The Anteaters hit on 4-of-6 shooting in the overtime period, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, while the Gauchos went just 1-of-10 from the floor to allow UC Irvine to advance.

The Anteaters held a 24-10 scoring advantage in the paint, and owned a slight 15-10 edge in bench scoring in the win.

Categorized in: NCAA Basketball