Fresh off a buzzer-beating statement victory over conference-leading UC Irvine, University of Hawai’i men’s basketball heads to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Thursday in pursuit of its ninth win in its last 10 games.
On Saturday against the Anteaters, the ‘Bows pulled off a dramatic victory thanks to a clutch free-throw line fadeaway jumper at the horn from graduate guard Hunter Erickson.
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Hawai’i maintained the No. 2 spot in the Big West standings with the win, sitting at 4-1, just behind UCI at 5-1.
But in order to extend their recent hot streak, the ‘Bows will need to contain a potent Cal Poly Mustang offense on the road Thursday.
Cal Poly (3-3 in the Big West) ranks second in the Big West in points per game, first in three-point makes per game and boasts three of the top nine leading scorers in the conference in sophomore forward Hamad Mousa and sophomore guards Cayden Ward and Peter Bandelj.
Mousa has made a very compelling case for Big West Player of the Year through the early portion of the season.
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Shooting 45% from the field, the Qatar native ranks first in points per game in the Big West at 21.8, a full three points ahead of anyone else in the conference, second in three-point field goals and sixth in rebounds per game with 6.5.
For the Mustangs, Thursday’s contest represents an opportunity to stay afloat in the conference standings.
Despite their dynamic offensive attack, Cal Poly has an up-and-down start to its conference schedule, securing victories over formidable opponents like UC San Diego while also being the only team to lose to conference bottom-feeder UC Riverside.
On Thursday, The Mustangs’ sharpshooting trio will have to contend with a stifling ‘Bows defense that ranks first in points allowed, three-point percentage allowed and defensive rebounds.
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Anchoring the stout Hawai’i defense is 7-foot senior center Isaac Johnson.
A transfer from Utah State, Johnson has been dominant around the rim for the ‘Bows, averaging a team-high 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.
Johnson additionally leads the team in scoring at 12.9, while the pair of senior forward Harry Rouhliadeff and graduate guard Dre Bullock carry the load of Hawai’i’s perimeter scoring attack, averaging 11.8 and 11.7 points per game, respectively.
While the ‘Bows are not quite the offensive juggernaut the Mustangs are, their ability to limit Cal Poly’s perimeter scoring and control the glass will be the keys to victory on Thursday night.
