Roderick Bobbitt scored a game-high 21 points and Aaron Valdes added 19 points tonight to help Hawai’i pull away from visiting Cal Poly, 86-73, in the Big West Conference men’s basketball opener for both teams.
A vocal crowd of about 5,885 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched Stefan Jankovic add 19 points and grab 13 rebounds and Isaac Fleming contribute 12 points, five assists and three rebounds off the bench as the Rainbow Warriors improved to 12-2 overall. The Mustangs fell to 6-8.
After a physical first half that ended up tied at 39-39, David Nwaba sank a short jumper to put Cal Poly up, 39-37, but that would be the Mustangs’ final lead of the evening, as Bobbitt’s 3-pointer broke a 42-42 tie with 17:25 remaining to give UH the lead for good.