by HONOLULU — The Hawai’i men’s basketball team concluded the 2022 calendar year on a high note with a 57-48 win over Cal Poly on New Year’s Eve at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. The win capped a perfect 6-0 homestand in the month of December as UH improved to 11-3 overall and 2-0 in the Big West.
The ‘Bows did it again with stellar defense, holding the Mustangs (7-7-, 1-1) scoreless for the first nine minutes of the game and racing out to a 16-0 lead. UH never trailed in the game, though they did have to hold off a resilient Cal Poly squad that closed within four points late in the game. UH beat the Mustangs for fifth straight time overall and for the ninth straight time in Honolulu.
UH was led offensively by Noel Coleman, Kamaka Hepa, and JoVon McClanahan who each scored 12 points. Hepa also added nine rebounds and a team-high three assists.
The ‘Bows put on a defensive clinic early on. The Mustangs missed their first 11 shots and UH bolted out to a 16-0 lead. Cal Poly though weathered the rough start by hitting nine of their next 13 shots and holding UH without a basket for the final three minutes of the first half to cut the deficit to 27-22 going into the locker room.
UH built its lead back up to 11 points after the break and held the Mustangs at bay for the better part of the half. A Kobe Sanders bucket made it a 52-48 game with 2:14 left. But despite playing their fifth game in the last 10 days, the ‘Bows didn’t wither and held the Mustangs scoreless the rest of the way. The 48 points was a season low for a UH opponent.
UH shot just 37 percent from the field and made just one of their 11 three points attempts. However the Bows were stellar from the free throw line, going 24-of-30 to help seal the win.
