UH men score 2nd straight big win, rout UC Davis 87-70

For the second time in three nights, the University of Hawaii men’s basketball team took down one of the top teams in the Big West Conference as the Rainbow Warriors defeated UC Davis 87-70 Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Rainbow Warriors (14-11, 6-7 Big West) used a scorching first-half performance to build a double-digit halftime lead then put on the defensive clamps in the second half to secure their fourth win in the last five games, which included an overtime victory over UC San Diego on Thursday.

UC Davis (15-9, 10-3) entered the game holding its opponents to a Big West-low 30 percent shooting from the 3-point line, but UH scorched the Aggies behind the arc, including a 9-of-11 showing in the first half. For the game, UH shot 12 of 20 — a season-best 60 percent — from deep and picked up its fifth straight win over UC Davis in Honolulu.

Bernardo da Silva led UH with his sixth double-double of the season, notching 19 points and 12 rebounds and adding four assists. Noel Coleman poured in 18 points while Justin McKoy finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds for his second UH double-double. Freshman Tom Beattie contributed 11 points, one shy of his season high, in 32 minutes off the bench.

Elijah Pepper, the league’s leading scorer, finished with 27 points for UC Davis but shot just 8 of 25 from the field including 3 of 13 on 3-pointers. UH held the Aggies to just 26 percent shooting in the second half and denied them an opportunity to move into a tie for first place in the Big West standings.

Earlier Saturday in Davis, Calif., the UH women’s basketball team saw a double-digit lead dissolve into a 61-51 loss to UC Davis.

The Rainbow Wahine (13-9, 10-3 Big West) took a 31-21 lead into halftime and built a 13-point cushion early in the third quarter before the host Aggies charged back to tie the game late in the period. UC Davis (1310, 9-4) then raced away in the fourth quarter with a 9-for-12 shooting performance from the field over the final 10 minutes to snap UH’s four-game winning streak.

Imani Perez led the Rainbow Wahine with 14 points and seven rebounds. Lily Wahinekapu finished with 12 points and Daejah Phillips added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Tova Sabel led UC Davis with a game-high 17 points and guard Victoria Baker scored all 12 of her points in the second half to spark the Aggies’ comeback.

UH next plays Cal Poly on Thursday and UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, the women at home and the men on the road.