As usual, it certainly was no day at the Beach, but Noel Coleman scored a season-high 25 points and Samuta Avea added 17 points Saturday night to help Hawai’i hold off visiting Long Beach State, 79-70, in frantic Big West Conference men’s basketball action.
A vocal, pumped-up crowd of 4,198 in SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center watched JoVon McClanahan add 15 points and Kamaka Hepa contribute 11 points and 14 rebounds as the Warriors improved to 13-4 overall and 4-1 in league play. Hawai’i, which has won eight of its last nine games, is now tied for third place the BWC, behind only UC Irvine (5-0) and UC Riverside (5-1).