DAVIS, Calif. >> Justin Webster scored 17 points and James Jean-Marie added 11 and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Hawaii to a 73-68 win over UC Davis on Friday as the Rainbow Warriors clinched a quarterfinal spot in the Big West tournament next week in Las Vegas.
Hawaii (11-8, 9-8 Big West) can finish no worse than sixth in the league standings. thanks in part to Cal State Northridge losing to UC Riverside on Friday night. The top six teams by percentage earn spots into the quarterfinals on Thursday. The teams that finish seventh through 10th play each other starting on Tuesday, with the winners of the play-in games filling the last two spots in the quarters.
The Rainbow Warriors took the lead midway through the first half and never relinquished it. They led 60-47 on a basket by Mate Colina with eight minutes, 29 seconds to go in the game. But poor shooting and turnovers by Hawaii kept the Aggies in it. The Rainbow Warriors turned the ball over 21 times and shot just 38.7 percent (12 of 31) in the second half.
UC Davis had a chance to tie the game down three late after a bad pass by JoVon McClanahan was tipped away and eventually stolen by Elijah Pepper with 18 seconds left. After a timeout, Kennedy Koehler got a 3-pointer off, but it hit off the rim and was rebounded by Junior Madut. He was then fouled and made two free throws for the final margin.
The Rainbow Warriors were dominant on the boards, outrebounding the Aggies 42-22, including 15 offensive rebounds. Jean-Marie was one of several keys, according to Hawaii coach Eran Ganot.
“James has really set the tone there,” Ganot said. “He made his biggest plays late. Two rebounds short of a double double in 18 minutes.”
Webster said rebounding has been an emphasis of Ganot and his staff.
“Our coaches have been telling us to crash and the people who are crashing to crash harder,” Webster said
Webster was six of nine from the floor, including four of seven from 3-point range. He also pulled down seven rebounds and had three assists.
“You take it for granted because he does stuff like this all the time,” Ganot said. “And he makes big plays and wants to take big shots. I’m happy for his success.”
Webster missed a game against Cal State Northridge when he was sick. In his three games since, he has scored 16, 14 and 17 and has 17 rebounds.
“I feel pretty good,” he said. “When I got sick and had to sit out and relax and catch my breath, it really helped with this stretch.”
The win was the 100th in Ganot’s coaching career. He is now 97-64 at Hawaii after having gone 3-2 as an interim coach at St. Mary’s in 2013-14.
“It’s not something you think about until it hits you,” he said. “The thing with all these, it’s hard to talk about it because it’s an individual accomplishment.
“We’ve had tremendous people. We’ve had that from day one — players, coaches, support staff. It’s a credit to them. If there’s one thing I’ve done well, it’s bring the right people with us.”
The first 10 minutes of the game were a tight affair. Ezra Mangin found Christian Anigwe underneath for the Aggies on their first possession. Damion Squire scored on a drive with 11:09 left in the first half to give UC Davis a 16-15 advantage – its final lead of the game.
Biwali Bales buried a 3-pointer to cap an 8-2 run to give Hawaii the lead for good. Madut’s stepback 3-pointer late in the half made it 37-28. Caleb Fuller scored at the other end late for the Aggies to make it 37-30 at the break.
“For the first 35 minutes, they were the aggressor, they were more physical, they competed harder,” UC Davis coach Jim Les said. “I let our team know it after the game.”
It’ll be one last quick turnaround for the teams, which will battle again today (2 p.m. Hawaii time tipoff). Then, it’s on to the Big West Conference tournament in Las Vegas.
“It’s a quick turnaround,” Ganot said. “It’s a mental thing. “League play is a battle. The second time you play is a battle. That’s usually with a month or so in between.”
