Johnson, Buggs spark Hawai'i past Cal State Fullerton 68-60

Mar 4, 2018, 03:30 pm

FULLERTON, Calif. -- Gibson Johnson and Drew Buggs scored 15 points apiece and teamed up for back-to-back 3 pointers to break open a tense game and Hawaii held off Cal State Fullerton 68-60 in a regular-season finale Saturday night.

The Rainbow Warriors (17-12, 8-8 Big West Conference) led by five at the break, but the second half was a battle with four lead changes and two ties.

Kyle Allman scored four straight points for Cal State Fullerton (17-11, 10-6) to close a seven-point gap and take a 49-48 lead with 8:24 remaining. Allman led the Titans with 18 points. Buggs broke the final tie four minutes later with a pair from the line to give Hawaii a 54-52 lead and then he and Johnson broke it open when they wrapped 3-pointers around a Cal State Fullerton miss at 2:05.

The start of the second half was delayed 55 minutes to replace a broken piece on one of the backboards, possibly caused by a Michael Thomas dunk late in the first half.

Both teams will learn their seeding to the Big West Tournament after a late Saturday game. The tourney begins March 8 at Anaheim, California.