Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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CSUN extends UH’s basketball woes

STEVEN ERLER / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER

Hawaii guard Brocke Stepteau drove past CSUN forward Tavrion Dawson, left, Micheal Warren and guard Terrell Gomez at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Hawaii basketball team reached another low, losing 77-71 to Cal State Northridge tonight at the Stan Sheriff Center.

UH (13-10, 4-6 BWC) lost its fifth straight game, including a third to a team in the bottom half of the Big West standings, before a crowd of 4,061. CSUN (6-19, 3-8) snapped a five-game losing streak after UC Riverside ended a 10-game slide at UH’s expense on Wednesday.

The only Big West team without a conference win at the Sheriff shot a sizzling 65.1 percent to end that distinction. The Matadors’ Tavrion Dawson and Micheal Warren combined for 44 points on 17-for-25 shooting.

The Rainbows got a season-high-tying 17 points from point guard Drew Buggs, while forward Mike thomas added 14.

UH trailed by six at halftime despite shooting 64.7 percent in the first half; it committed all but one of its 12 turnovers in the period.

CSUN used a 9-0 run late in the first half to take an eight-point lead. UH got the last basket of the half, a Jack Purchase elbow jumper, but still trailed 37-31 at intermission.

UH got within three early in the second half but Tavrion Dawson sank three straight buckets to extend that back to 48-39 with about 14 minutes to play.

Buggs ended that with his third 3 of the night.

CSUN made five straight shots, capped by a layup, to go up double digits for the first time with under nine minutes remaining.

Sheriff Drammeh fouled Warren on a corner 3 with 4:11 left. He made all three for a 14-point lead and fans started streaming for the exits not long afterward. The margin reached 16 before UH’s reserves closed the gap in garbage time.

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