UH loses at Bakersfield, Big West Tourney chances become slim
Hawai'i entered Thursday night with a clear objective: win and clinch a spot in next week's Big West Tournament. But after a promising start, the Rainbow Warriors faltered down the stretch, falling 76-64 to Cal State Bakersfield on the road.
UH (15-15, 7-12 Big West) jumped out to a 7-0 lead and carried a four-point advantage into halftime. However, turnovers proved costly in the second half, as the 'Bows finished with a minus-eight turnover margin that fueled the Roadrunners' surge.
Bakersfield (14-18, 8-12) was led by a dominant performance from Jemel Jones, who poured in a game-high 29 points.
Hawai'i's Gytis Nemeiska paced the Rainbow Warriors with 21 points, while Tanner Christensen added 12 points and seven rebounds in the losing effort.
With the loss, Hawai'i's path to the Big West Tournament has become significantly more challenging. The 'Bows now must either upset third-place CSUN on the road Saturday or hope Cal Poly—one of the league's hottest teams—falls to Long Beach State, which has just three conference wins. Either scenario would be considered a major upset.
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