UH tops CSUN 75-68, advances to Big West semifinals

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Justin McKoy scored 16 points to help the third-seeded University of Hawaii men’s basketball team defeat No. 7 seed CSU Northridge 75-68 on Thursday night in the Big West Conference quarterfinals at Dollar Loan Center.

The Rainbow Warriors advance to face second-seeded UC Davis in today’s semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Hawaii time.

McKoy shot 4 for 13 (3 for 7 from 3-point range) and 5 of 7 from the freethrow line for the Rainbow Warriors (20-13). Bernardo da Silva scored 14 points and added nine rebounds, and Noel Coleman added 12 points and three steals.

De’Sean Allen-Eikens led the way for the Matadors (19-15) with 22 points and nine rebounds. CSU Northridge also got 18 points from Dionte Bostick. Keonte Jones had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

UH got off to a miserable start in its second meeting with CSUN in a week, missing eight of its first nine shots and committing three turnovers less than five minutes in. The ‘Bows fell into an early 10-3 hole, but chipped away and eventually took a 24-23 lead on a JoVon McClanahan layup at the 6:20 mark. UH led by as many as eight before taking a 36-30 lead into the locker room.

UH did not relinquish that lead in the second half, though the game remained close.

The Rainbow Warriors got a big boost from their bench, which outscored the CSUN reserves, 22-6.

UH and UC Davis (1912) split their regular-season series, with each team winning by double digits on their home floor.

In the Big West women’s semifinals, the top-seeded Rainbow Wahine (20-9) — who received a double bye — will take on fifth-seeded UC Davis (19-13) today at 9 a.m. Hawaii time. The teams split their regular-season series, with the Aggies pushing UH to overtime before eventually losing at the Stan Sheriff Center on Feb. 29.