Hawaii pulls away late to hand Aggies fourth straight loss, 78-70, in Big West men's basketball

Aggies finish at home against UC Irvine and UC San Diego, then head to Big West Tournament

HONOLULU - Hawaii led from start to finish to hand UC Davis its fourth straight loss, a 78-70 setback in Big West men's basketball action Saturday night before a crowd of 5,088 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Both teams entered the game trying to end three-game losing streaks, but Hawaii pulled away down the stretch to drop the Aggies to 9-9 in Big West play with two games remaining in the regular season.

Hawaii is now 7-11.

If there was a ray of good news for the Aggies it was that despite the loss, UCD has now qualified as one of the eight teams who will participate in the Big West Tournament March 12-15 in Henderson, Nevada.

The Aggies had hoped to be in the top four and earn a bye into the quarterfinals, but that dream is now gone.

UC San Diego leads the league at 16-2, followed by UC Irvine at 15-3.

Cal State Northridge at 13-5 and UC Riverside at 12-6 are likely to round out the top four seeds, with UC Santa Barbara, 11-8, and the Aggies at least assured of a spot in the field.

Hawaii, Cal State Bakersfield, 7-12, and Cal Poly, 6-12, are still battling for the final two spots.

Cal State Fullerton, 1-17, and Long Beach State, 3-15, have been eliminated.