The University of Hawaii at Manoa men’s basketball team has advanced to the Big West Championship game on Saturday.
Hawaii Men Advance After Fullerton Win
The men’s team took to the court late Friday night against California State University, Fullerton, after coming in as the second seed, securing the double bye. The team looked refreshed in the first half. They then looked resilient in the second half as the Titans charged a comeback.
“We knew it was gonna be tough. It was kind of back-and-forth early. Obviously, we got off to a great start. We challenge our team with the adversity to get our identity back,” said head coach Eran Ganot.
The ‘Bows would pull away with the help of center Isaac Johnson, who put on a show in the desert.
“The standard on this team is you gotta do what it takes to win no matter what position you are, you have to box out and get back on defense, you have to play smart,” said Johnson.
Wahine Win in Overtime
The Rainbow Wahine also took to the court and had a dramatic finish in overtime. UH guard Bailey Flavell drained a three to tie the game with seven seconds left against the top-seeded UC Irvine.
“The coaches put us through those moments in training every week and we’re always working on that so I definitely felt prepared,” said Flavell.
The ‘Bows have won two games in two days, both in overtime to extend their win streak to 10.
“I’m not surprised that we’re sitting here today,” said head coach Laura Beeman. “I could not have had two overtime games, but I’m not surprised at the way they love each other, play for each other, celebrate for each other and they execute when they need to.”
Support From the Stands
The Hawaii fan support helped push the ‘Bows to the end.
“When you’re traveling and you’re this far away from home and you’ve got a really young team, it means something to have the crowd behind you,” said UH fan Danielle Lum.
Beeman said in the post-game press conference that this win was for Hawaii. With the severe weather that has hit the islands, she wanted to dedicate this one to the entire state.
Championship Games Await
- The Wahine will play UC San Diego.
- The Men’s team will face the number one seed University of California, Irvine.
The University of Hawaii at Manoa men’s and women’s basketball teams have both advanced to the Big West Championship game on Saturday.