FULLERTON, Calif. >> A 3-point shot at the first-half buzzer gave Hawaii the jolt it needed to subdue one of the Big West Conference’s contenders in the regular-season’s final game.

Drew Buggs’ 3-pointer ignited a second-half surge that enabled the Rainbow Warriors to defeat Cal State Fullerton, 71-59, Saturday night in front of 1,369 at Titan Gym.

With the victory, UH (18-12, 9-7) secured the fourth seed in the Big West’s upcoming tournament by finishing fourth in the conference standings. The ’Bows will face fifth-seeded Long Beach State in Thursday night’s first round at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Brocke Stepteau scored a game-high 21 points and made all eight of his free throws to establish a program record for converting the most successive foul shots, 34. Stepteau surpassed Zane Johnson’s record of 29, set during the 2011-12 season.

“I didn’t know I broke it until after the game, but it’s a cool accomplishment,” Stepteau said. “As a point guard, you need to knock down free throws at a consistent rate because you’re the one with the ball in your hands the most. I take pride in my free-throw shooting — just sticking to my routine, taking my time, shooting with confidence and knocking them down.”

Stepteau set the stage for Buggs’ dramatics. Fullerton (14-16, 10-6) — which built a 7-0 advantage in the first 2 minutes, 44 seconds — held a 34-27 lead when the senior made a 3-point shot with 10.3 seconds left in the first half. Then the Titans’ Austen Awosika charged into Zigmars Raimo for an offensive foul that enabled the ’Bows to inbound the ball with 2.9 seconds before halftime.

Jack Purchase rolled the ball to Buggs, who let it roll before picking it up just inside the timeline. After dribbling for about 10 feet, Buggs launched a one-handed teardrop shot that sank through the net as time expired. That basket narrowed UH’s halftime deficit to 34-33.

“That was a huge shot for momentum and confidence,” Stepteau said. “We felt like we had all the momentum in the locker room. Everyone was excited. I think we knew we could feed off of that. When we get a little bit of momentum, we’re pretty good at just feeding off of that. That fueled us in the second half.”

Once he picked up the ball, Buggs had to process information quickly.

“I saw Kyle Allman coming to pick me up,” Buggs said about Fullerton’s leading guard. “When I picked up the ball, he reached a little bit, trying to steal it. So that gave me a little gap that I needed to go by him. I looked on the clock to see if I had time to pass it ahead for an easier shot if a teammate was open. I didn’t really see anyone open so I just rose up, shot it, tried to hold my follow-through and knock it down.”

When the second half began, Sheriff Drammeh made another 3-pointer and Stepteau added two free throws to put the ’Bows ahead, 38-34, in the first 1:19.

“The first three minutes of the game, we weren’t ready to go,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “A 7-0 deficit, we can’t have that. You could tell our guys took that to heart with the way they started the second half.”

When the Titans drew within 40-39, UH embarked on a 9-0 blitz that extended the lead to 49-39 with 14:06 to play. Raimo led the spree with four points — two more than he had in the entire first half.

“I was just flipping up shots in the first half,” said Raimo, who finished with 12 points. “I don’t usually do that and I was kind of mad at myself. In the second half, I took my time more and I was looking for my teammates, too. They put me in a really good position so I just have to take more time and finish it easily.”

The Titans, meanwhile, collapsed offensively. Allman, the conference’s fourth-leading scorer at 18.1 points per game before Saturday night, missed all six shots he took in the second half and finished with 10 points. Teammate Khalil Ahmad, right behind Allman at 18.0 points per game, scored just 11.

“They were getting comfortable shots in the first half,” Stepteau said. “In the second half, we did a better job with our defensive scheme. We made them take the shots we wanted, which were tough shots, contested shots. If they make some of those, we can live with it, but they’re not going to make them at an efficient rate.”

Leland Green played a critical defensive role while playing a season-high 30 minutes. Green compensated for the loss of Eddie Stansberry, who missed his first game of the season because of an undisclosed medical problem.

“Leland Green did a great job defensively,” Ganot said. “Without that, we don’t hope to get this done. He was on Allman; he was on Ahmad. Those are tough matchups.”

With Fullerton at bay, Buggs made another big play by leaping to tip Raimo’s missed shot into the basket with 3:09 remaining to give UH a 63-54 lead.

“He loves to throw his body around,” Ganot said. “That’s a big play for your point guard to tip that in and, basically, create the final blow.”

On the play, Buggs fell to the floor hard. He briefly left the game, then returned but limped as he ran. Ganot said the medical staff will monitor Buggs’ condition.

“I’m a little banged up but I’ll be fine,” Buggs said. “I have no problem sacrificing my body for the team, doing whatever it takes to win.”

Buggs and Stepteau each grabbed seven rebounds, one less than their respective career bests, with Stepteau establishing a season high. Purchase added six rebounds, all in the second half, as UH outrebounded the hosts, 39-24. Jackson Rowe led four Titans in double figures with 16 points.