Hawaii’s dominance on the backboards powered the Rainbow Warriors to a 76-53 bounce-back win over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at Titan Gym in Fullerton, Calif.
Hawaii’s dominance on the backboards powered the Rainbow Warriors to a 76-53 bounce-back win over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at Titan Gym in Fullerton, Calif.
The ’Bows grabbed 18 offensive rebounds to build a 20-1 advantage in second-chance points and UH (4-4, 2-4 Big West Conference) snapped a four-game losing streak a day after enduring an 83-67 loss to the Titans (4-5, 3-5).
UH guard Junior Madut led a balanced UH offense with 14 points and helped spark a renewed defensive effort for the ’Bows. Forward James Jean-Marie finished with 13 points and guard Justin Webster and forward Casdon Jardine contributed 12 each.
Center Mate Colina led the UH rebounding effort with 11 and the’Bows finished with a 48-21 advantage on the boards overall. UH also outscored Cal State Fullerton 36-26 in the paint while shooting 47% from the field to the Titans’ 42%.
Cal State Fullerton pulled away on Friday in the opener of the two-game series led by Tray Maddox Jr.’s 23 points. The Titans, who had four players in double figures on Friday, managed just one today with Maddox finishing with 12 points.
UH took a 35-28 lead into halftime and took control with a 12-3 run to open the second half. The ‘Bows held the Titans to 7-for-24 shooting in the second half and their lead didn’t dip below 13 over the final 10:31.
UH returns home next week to face league leader UC Irvine at SimpliFi Arena.
