ISLA VISTA, Calif. — The University of Hawaiʻi men’s basketball team fell to UC Santa Barbara 81-61 Saturday at the UCSB Events Center.
The ‘Bows struggled to keep pace with the Gauchos starting from the beginning of the first half. The gap between the two teams was as big as 23 points as they finished the first half down 46-26.
Hawaiʻi could not keep up with UCSB in the second half as well. The double-digit gap did not narrow and the smallest difference was 15 as the game ended.
Noel Coleman led UH with 15 points, 13 of which came in the first half. JoVon McClanahan added 11 points and five assists.
Five UCSB players scored double-digit points. Miles Norris (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Andre Kelly (12 points, 10 rebounds) each scored a double-double.
UH could have tied for first place if they won this game, but finished its regular season in fifth place for the Big West Conference (13-7, 22-10 overall).
Hawaiʻi plays conference fourth place Cal State Fullerton in the quarterfinals of the Big West Championship on Thursday, March 9 at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada. Tipoff is at 12:30 p.m. HST.