2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Men's Basketball Championship Semifinals - No. 2 seed Hawai'i 78, No. 3 seed Cal State Fullerton 63

Box Score | UH Presser | CSF Presser 
HENDERSON, Nev. -- No. 2 seed Hawaii (23-8, 14-6 Big West) secured a 78-63 victory over No. 3 seed Cal State Fullerton (18-16, 12-8 Big West) at Lee's Family Forum on Friday night in the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Championship semifinals. The Rainbow Warriors dominated inside over the Titans with a 53-26 rebounding advantage, 18-8 second-chance opportunities edge, 25-7 free throws upper hand and 42-22 points in the paint. 

Hawai'i will now face top-seeded UC Irvine in the championship final on Saturday, March 14 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. 

The Rainbow Warriors started strong and led by as much as 11 points in the opening stanza. Hawai'i had a 25-16 rebounding advantage in the first half, with five steals and forcing 10 Fullerton Turnovers for an eight-point lead at halftime, 29-21. 

The Titans started the second half on a 13-4 run and took the lead, 34-33, on a 3-pointer from Christian Williams with 16:33 remaining in the game. With the score tied 44-44 with 11:13 remaining, the Rainbow Warriors went on a 17-3 run to take a 61-47 lead with a little under six minutes left on the clock. Hawai'i grabbed its biggest lead of 18 points, 73-55, with 2:16 left and ultimately prevailed 78-63. 

Isaac Johnson had 19 points to lead four Rainbow Warriors in double figures. Harry Rouhliadeff recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Dre Bullock and Hunter Erickson added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Erickson dished out a team-high five assists and added two blocks and two steals. 

Cal State Fullerton made 10 shots from beyond the arc. Williams emerged as a standout player for the Titans, delivering an impressive performance with 21 points, including making 6-of-10 on 3-point attempts, and also added three steals. Bailey Nunn pitched in 11 points.