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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaii’s Noah Allen drove to the basket as CSU Northridge guard Darin Johnson followed in the first half.
Leland Green’s corner 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left sent the Hawaii basketball team to its second straight heart-stopping comeback victory, 80-77, over Cal State Northridge tonight at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Noah Allen scored 30 points, a new career high coming off his previous-best 25 in an overtime win over Long Beach State on Saturday night. He notched his third double-double of the season with 12 rebounds.
Allen put UH up 77-76 with two free throws with 41.1 seconds left. CSUN’s Tavrion Dawson drove and got fouled with 29.6 seconds left and went 1-for-2, tying the game up.
UH did not take timeout. Point guard Brocke Stepteau (11 points, seven assists) drained the clock from the top of the arc until about five seconds remained, drove into the key then kicked out to the right corner to an open Green. His shot found all net as the Sheriff crowd went ballistic.
It was the last off 22 lead changes. There were 14 ties.
Allen, the reigning Big West player of the week, stepped into the starting lineup for guard Sheriff Drammeh, who missed his first game of the season with an undisclosed ailment.
UH (8-9, 2-2 Big West) committed 12 turnovers to six for CSUN (7-11, 3-2). The Rainbow Warriors shot 16-for-18 at the free-throw line compared to 25-for-34 for the Matadors, who remained winless at the Sheriff in Big West play at 0-5.
CSUN committed only three first-half turnovers but UH shot 52 percent in the period to take a one-point halftime lead.
The eye test tells me that the UH basketball is improving. An improvement as the season progressed happened when Riley Wallace was the coach.
The opposite happened when Gibb Arnold was the coach as the team got tired and worse.
I don’t know how they do it, but I always find the UHMBB games very exciting and entertaining! Thanks UH Athletics for the 24-hr sale on $5 tix! With parking and snacks, a $20 nite…but well worth it! #GoBows
Great game!! Congratulation to the Bows for another hard fought game, keep it up!!
Go ‘Bows!