Isaac Fleming scored 22 points off the bench and Stefan Jankovic added 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocks tonight to help Hawai’i hold off UC Santa Barbara, 65-57, in Big West Conference men’s basketball action.
A vocal crowd of 6,323 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the Rainbow Warriors improve to 13-2 overall and 2-0 in the Big West, despite playing without starting wing Aaron Valdes for all but four minutes due to an injured toe. The Gauchos fell to 6-8 and 0-1.
After trailing 28-27 at halftime and 30-27 after Michael Bryson’s jumper from the right elbow 30 seconds into the second half, UH responded with an 11-2 run ignited by Fleming’s back-to-back 3-pointers from the left and then right corners and capped by Jankovic’s jumper which gave the Rainbow Warriors a 38-32 lead with 16:44 remaining.