With both teams’ postseason hopes at stake Thursday night, Cal State Bakersfield did its part to control its own destiny. Hawai’i did not.
The Roadrunners (14-18 overall) overtook the Warriors not just in the second half but also in the tenuous Big West standings, winning 76-64 to close out their regular season at 8-12, taking UH’s former spot at seventh place. The Warriors dropped to 15-15 overall and 7-12, tied for eighth place with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (13-18, 7-12).
Only the top eight teams after the regular season finales on Saturday will advance to the Big West Tournament set for March 12-15 in Henderson, Nev.
Hawai’i plays at Cal State Northridge, a team it lost to, 83-60, on Jan. 16. Cal Poly plays at Long Beach State, which is 7-24, 3-16 and already lost to Cal Poly, 78-69, on Jan. 25.
The Warriors can still punch their ticket either by beating the Matadors (21-9, 13-6), or via a loss by Cal Poly.
Of course, UH could have clinched the tournament berth by beating Cal State Bakersfield, and things looked promising when the Warriors took a 37-33 halftime lead and were up, 42-35, two minutes into the second half after Tom Beattie’s 3-pointer.
Unfortunately for Hawai’i, that would be its last 3-point make of the game as the Warriors went ice cold from beyond the arc, missing its final 12 attempts.
That played a big part in the Roadrunners’ reversal of fortunes, as they responded to that seven-point deficit with Jemel Jones’ short jumper which ignited a stunning 19-4 run capped by CJ Hardy’s two free throws for a 54-46 lead with 11:47 remaining in the game.
The closest UH got after that was 60-56, after Beattie’s fast break layup with 7:31 left. But Marvin McGhee answered with a 3-pointer just 23 seconds later, and the Warriors could not get inside of a five-point margin thereafter. Nmeiksa’s two free throws cut it to 67-62 with 4:31 on the clock, then Bakersfield closed out the game with a 9-2 run.
Jones poured in a game-high 29 points and grabbed five rebounds, Hardy added 19 points and six boards, and McGhee contributed 16 points. All three are guards.
“Very disappointing,” Hawai’i coach Eran Ganot said in a postgame radio interview on ESPN Honolulu 1420AM. “Jones really hurt us, he got to the rim at will. Hardy, too. And the missed shots hurt us.”
After shooting 50 percent (14 of 28) from the field in the first half, the Warriors sank to 35.7 percent (10 of 28) after the break.
Nmeiksa finished with 21 points and five rebounds, Tanner Christensen added 12 points and seven boards, and Beattie contributed 11 points and four rebounds.
Big West Conference Standings
- UC San Diego 17-2
- UC Irvine 16-3
- Cal State Northridge 13-6
- UC Riverside 13-6
- UC Santa Barbara 11-8
- UC Davis 9-10
- Cal State Bakersfield 8-12
- HAWAI’I 7-12
- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 7-12
- Long Beach State 3-16
- Cal State Fullerton 1-18
NOTE: Only the top eight teams at the end of the regular season will qualify for the Big West Tournament set for March 12-15 in Henderson, Nev.