HONOLULU – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (11-7) are back in action as they head to Simplifi Arena to take on the Rainbow Warriors of Hawai'i. The Gauchos have won the last three games over the Rainbow Warriors, scoring a last-second bucket in Honolulu for the 65-64 win before earning a 20-point victory in The Thunderdome on the Gauchos' Senior Night last season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos went 1-1 last week as they took on the CSUN Matadors and the Cal State Fullerton Titans. In the first game of the week, UC Santa Barbara had one of their best games of the season as they dominated the Matadors on their home court with a 97-69 win. From there, it was a quick turnaround as the Gauchos took on the Titans in The Thunderdome. Even though UC Santa Barbara battled in the second half to close the 10-point halftime deficit, it wasn't enough as the Gauchos dropped this home game 69-73.
WRANGLING THE RAINBOW WARRIORS
Hawai'i is coming into this game on a two-game losing streak as their road trip to Long Beach State and UC San Diego ended with losses. Their two Big West wins this season came at home against UC Riverside and on the road against Cal State Bakersfield.
The Rainbow Warriors have been efficient from beyond the arc this season. They are currently second in The Big West when it comes to made three pointers as they average 8 per game.
The trio of seniors in Noel Coleman, Justin McKoy and Bernardo Da Silva are the offensive weapons for Hawai'i. All three of them have accumulated over 200 points so far this season. Coleman leads the way averaging 12.9 points per game while McKoy and Da Silva are close behind, averaging 11.1 and 10.6, respectively. McKoy and Da Silva also lead the Rainbow Warriors in rebounds as Da Silva averages 6.8 per game while McKoy is close behind, averaging 6.1 per game.
WHEREABOUTS
This game between the Gauchos and Rainbow Warriors will take place at Simplifi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of the University of Hawai'i. Tip-off will be at 9 p.m. PT with a live stream available through ESPN+.
