The Cal Poly basketball team used a second-half surge to run away to tonight’s 79-63 victory over Hawaii in Mott Athletic Center in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

The Rainbow Warriors, who had won the last nine meetings between the teams, took a 55-54 lead on Gytis Nemeiksa’s baseline jumper with 9:20 to play.

But the Mustangs would control the rest of the game. The Mustangs scored the next 11 points to seize a 65-55 lead. Owen Koonce, a 6-foot-5 graduate student who missed his three first-half shots, hit a 3 from the top of the key, scored off a stutter-step move, and arced a jumper over 6-foot-10 Harry Rouhliadeff during that 11-0 run. Koonce scored all 20 of his game-high points after the intermission.

The Mustangs scored 25 of the final 32 points. They converted all eight of their final field-goal attempts.

“Disappointed,” UH coach Eran Ganot said in a radio interview. “Give them credit. I thought they were great. They came out (in the second half) and out-hustled us, out-scrapped us.”

The Mustangs parlayed UH’s eight second-half turnovers into 16 points. The ’Bows did not produce any points off turnovers in the second half.

The ’Bows fell to 13-10 overall and 5-7 in the Big West. They are in seventh place. Eight of the 11 Big West teams qualify for the league’s postseason tournament in Henderson, Nev. They continue their two-game road trip against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. Hawaii time.

The Mustangs improved to 9-15 and 3-9 with their third victory in the last four games.