NORTHRIDGE, Calif. >> If Hawaii’s appeal to the NCAA to become eligible for postseason men’s basketball succeeds, the past two games could provide the turning point for the Rainbow Warriors’ chances.

For the second successive time, UH needed critical plays late to rally for a 76-72 victory over Cal State Northridge at the Matadome on Saturday night, 48 hours after defusing UC Riverside’s attempt to surmount a 20-point halftime deficit.

UH (11-11, 5-4 Big West), used its fifth victory in seven games to move within half a game of third-place Northridge (10-13, 6-4) in the conference standings. Seven teams are within two games of first place.

Noah Allen scored 34 points for the second time in three games to match his career best. The transfer from UCLA made 11 of 17 field-goal attempts — including four of seven from 3-point range — while adding eight rebounds and two steals. Allen is averaging 23.4 points and 6.9 rebounds in his past seven games after averaging just 2.6 points in his previous five contests.

“He never wavered,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “He never gave up. He has such a great attitude. The big thing is that he’s a student of the game. He figured out other ways to get back in the game. He’s our leading rebounder and one of our better passers.

“The biggest thing in terms of scoring is that he’s used his versatility. Before, maybe he settled for too many perimeter shots. That’s always there for him, but he’s attacked the rim, he’s gone into the post and he’s gotten to the foul line. When you have those four things, it’s tough to take them all away from you.”

Perhaps Saturday night’s biggest accomplishment, however, was the ’Bows’ ability to remain poised while overcoming a five-point deficit in the final 8 minutes, 46 seconds.

“It’s surprising for such a young team,” Allen said. “We’ve played 20-something games now, so we’re a veteran group together. We know where everyone should be on the floor. That’s a confidence builder for us.”

Ganot sees his team’s confidence building even under pressure.

“You can feel it in the huddle,” Ganot said. “The reality is that they’ve all been thrown into the fire at the same time. Now, they’ve had a lot of reps for a young group, and they’ve played a lot of close games. What helps late is when you can take care of the ball and make your free throws, and that’s what these guys are doing.”

The Matadors, who held a 52-47 lead with 8:46 to play, were maintaining a 57-53 advantage when the ’Bows made their move.

Allen made a 3-point shot with 6:56 remaining. Gibson Johnson then converted a turnover into a lay-in 53 seconds later to put UH ahead, 58-57. Johnson began UH’s next possession with a rebound, and Matthew Owies finished it with a reverse lay-in that gave UH a 60-57 lead with 5:27 left.

A one-handed teardrop jumper by Darin Johnson narrowed the margin to 60-59. Then Brocke Stepteau took command.

With 4:41 to play, Stepteau drove the lane and banked a lay-in off the glass. With 4:27 remaining, the 5-foot-9 Stepteau secured the rebound of Tavrion Dawson’s missed lay-in. With 4:05 left, Stepteau made a 6-foot jumper that extended the ’Bows lead to 64-59.

Yet the sophomore from Dallas had yet to make his biggest play. That came with 3:18 to go.

Stepteau drove the lane while triple-teamed and tried to make a lay-in. When he missed, Stepteau dived on the floor to wrestle the rebound away from an opponent, then called a timeout.

“He’s been steady for us all year,” Allen said. “It’s crucial for a basketball team to have a steady point guard who can keep everybody poised.”

When play resumed, Allen missed a jumper with 3:13 remaining. But eight seconds later, Allen made a steal that Owies converted into a driving lay-in that gave the ’Bows a 66-59 advantage with 2:45 left.

The Matadors closed within 68-64 and Owies missed a 3-point attempt with 44 seconds to play. But Johnson grabbed the rebound and passed to Stepteau, who got fouled and made both free throws in the double bonus with 33.3 seconds left. UH converted all eight foul shots from there, with Stepteau making four of them to finish with nine points.

Freshman Leland Green missed his first game of the season because of illness and remained in the team’s hotel. Sheriff Drammeh replaced Green in the starting lineup and scored just two points in 20 minutes while committing four fouls.

Johnson finished with a career-high 27 points for Northridge. Kendall Smith added 15 points and six assists, while Dawson finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. The Matadors lost 6-foot-8 Rakim Lubin 15 seconds into the second half with an unspecified ankle injury.