Heading into the final day of the regular season with a spot in the Big West Tournament hanging in the balance, Hawai’i needed a win or some help. 

They got neither. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team saw its season end on Saturday evening, failing to qualify for the Big West Tournament after falling at Cal State Northridge, 82-73. Coupled with Cal Poly’s victory over Long Beach State earlier in the day, UH was eliminated from tournament contention and will miss the end-of-season conference tournament for the first time since joining the Big West. 

The loss also marked the first time Hawai’i (15-16, 7-13 Big West) had been swept by CSUN (22-9, 14-6 Big West) in the home-and-home regular season series. The Matadors were led by Marcus Adams Jr., who poured in a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds in 37 minutes of action. 

Gytis Nemeikša paced Hawai’i with 20 points, his sixth 20-point outing of the year and second straight, as he returned to the starting lineup for the first time since January 25 against UC Irvine. Sophomore Akira Jacobs added 14 points and three boards off the bench in the loss. 

Hawai’i looked up to the challenge in the first half, taking a one-point lead into the break behind an aggressive Marcus Greene, who drilled three of his four 3-pointers to lead the Rainbow Warriors with nine points in the opening 20 minutes. Tom Beattie chipped in with a 3-pointer of his own as UH drained seven triples during the first stanza.

The Matadors’ offense awoke after the halftime break, shooting a blistering 59% from the field over the final 20 minutes to overpower the Rainbow Warriors. Tyler Beard added nine of his 19 points in the second half, knocking down two of his four 3-pointers after the break and put UH back down double figures each time. 

Shooting and turnover woes appeared again for Hawai’i, shooting under 40% from the floor and committing 9 of the team’s 14 giveaways over the last 20 minutes of action. Nemeikša’s strong start to the second half helped the Rainbow Warriors keep within one possession with 14:37 to play, but a sudden 4+ minute scoring drought by Hawai’i coupled with a 12-0 scoring run by CSUN put the game out of reach for Hawai’i. 

PJ Fuller scored 16 points for the Matadors, who finished with the fourth seed in next week’s Big West Tournament as they look to continue one of the best seasons in the school’s history. Scotty Washington added 13 points in the victory, knocking down 5-of-10 from the floor in 38 minutes of work. 

Tom Beattie finished with 13 points, five rebounds and a pair of steals, turning it over four times as the Matadors forced the sophomore guard to create. Marcus Greene finished with 12 points and four assists to close his college career while Tanner Christensen turned in eight points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks in his final game for the Rainbow Warriors. 

With no bid to the Big West Tournament, Hawai’i finishes the year under .500 for the first time since Eran Ganot’s second season – a year in which the program was hampered by NCAA sanctions after violations were found to have been committed under former head coach Gib Arnold. The 7-13 record in Big West play is the worst finish by Hawai’i under Ganot, previously never finishing below .500 in conference across nine seasons. 

The offseason looms large for Hawai’i as Ganot enters the final year of his current contract and the Rainbow Warriors look to fill at least five spots with the graduation of Christensen, Nemeikša, Greene, center Jerome Palm and wing Ryan Rapp. Hawai’i currently has the commitment of standout Rosemary Anderson (OR) guard Hunter Carter as the lone member of the 2025 recruiting class. The 6-foot-5 playmaker signed with the Rainbow Warriors back in November.