FULLERTON, Calif. — Deshon Taylor scored a game-high 20 points and Braxton Huggins added 13 points this afternoon to help Fresno State pull away from Hawai’i, 79-64, for third place in the John Wooden Legacy men’s basketball tournament.
A sparse crowd of about 250 at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Gym watched Sam Bittner add 11 points as the Bulldogs improved to 3-2. Jack Purchase scored 14 points and Zigmars Raimo added 13 points to lead the Warriors, who fell to 4-3. Drew Buggs and Brocke Stepteau each contributed 10 points for UH.
The Warriors started strong and led, 21-18, after Raimo’s layup with 7:40 remaining in the first half, but Huggins banked in a short fadeaway shot in the key to ignite a 12-2 run capped by Noah Blackwell’s 3-pointer from the left corner four minutes later to put Fresno State ahead, 30-23.