Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors @ UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
HAW | 36 | 40 | 76 |
UCSB | 33 | 31 | 64 |
Valdes hits key bucket, Hawaii beats UC-Santa Barbara 76-64
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Aaron Valdes scored 18 points and Hawaii shook off UC Santa Barbara 76-64 on Thursday night, rebounding from its first conference loss this season.
Valdes made a layup to start an 8-0 run to build a 10-point lead that put UC Santa Barbara away for good.
The Gauchos upset UC Irvine, previously undefeated in conference, on Saturday and were seeking to make it two upsets in a row. The Rainbow Warriors (17-3, 6-1 Big West) missed the chance to take sole possession of first in the Big West, losing to Long Beach State last Saturday. UC Irvine is 7-1.
Four players reached double figures as balanced Hawaii rebounded -- Stefan Jankovic added 16 points, Quincy Smith 15 and Michael Thomas 11.
UC Santa Barbara (9-12, 3-5) closed to 56-54 with 7:46 left, but Valdes answered to start the 8-0 run.
Michael Bryson led the Gauchos with 16 points.
Game Information
Santa Barbara, CA
Referee:Michael Reed
Referee:Rick Batsell
Referee:Deldre Carr
2025-26 Standings
| Big West Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Irvine | 15-5 | - | 23-12 |
| Hawai'i | 14-6 | 1 | 24-9 |
| UC San Diego | 12-8 | 3 | 23-11 |
| Cal State Northridge | 12-8 | 3 | 20-14 |
| Cal State Fullerton | 12-8 | 3 | 18-16 |
| UC Davis | 11-9 | 4 | 19-14 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 11-9 | 4 | 18-14 |
| Cal Poly | 10-10 | 5 | 14-19 |
| Long Beach State | 6-14 | 9 | 10-22 |
| UC Riverside | 5-15 | 10 | 10-22 |
| Cal State Bakersfield | 2-18 | 13 | 8-24 |
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