The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team secured a decisive 98-71 victory over CSU Bakersfield on Thursday night at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. With this win, the Rainbow Warriors improved their season record to 14-4 and maintained a tie with UC Irvine for first place in the Big West standings, both holding a 6-2 conference mark.
This game followed a double-digit loss to UC Santa Barbara five days earlier, which was only the team’s second defeat in their last eleven games. The Rainbow Warriors responded strongly, controlling the contest from start to finish and notching their eighth consecutive home win. Their overall home record now stands at 12-1 for the season.
Dre Bullock opened the scoring with a dunk on UH’s first possession and achieved a double-double by halftime. He finished with 17 points and matched his career high with 12 rebounds. Bullock also reached a personal milestone when his three-pointer early in the second half brought his Division I career total to 1,000 points.
“Congratulations @Quandre_3 on reaching 1K career points! #ManaOhana x #GoBows,” stated Hawaii Basketball (@HawaiiMBB) via social media on January 23, 2026.
Five other players scored in double figures for Hawai’i. Isaiah Kerr contributed a season-high 16 points off the bench, while Isaac Johnson added 12 points. Harry Rouhliadeff and Gytis Nemeiksa each had 11, and Yacine Toumi finished with 10. All ten active players scored as UH surpassed the 90-point mark for the fourth time this season.
Both teams spent significant time at the free throw line during a foul-heavy first half. Dailin Smith led CSU Bakersfield (8-13, 2-7) with a game-high of 28 points, making an impressive 20 out of his 25 free throw attempts—setting a new record for most free throws attempted by an opponent against UH.
UH established control early by scoring ten of the game’s first twelve points and building its lead to as many as twenty-one before halftime. At intermission, they led CSUB by eighteen points (48-30). In addition to strong defense that limited CSUB to just twenty-nine percent shooting in the opening period, Hawai’i capitalized on offensive rebounding and second-chance opportunities throughout the game.
After struggling from beyond the arc in the first half—making only one out of nine attempts—the Rainbow Warriors found success after halftime by converting six three-pointers and shooting fifty-one percent from the field overall after intermission.
UH dominated inside play by outscoring CSUB forty-six to twenty-eight in paint points and held a commanding advantage on rebounds (53-26), including seventeen offensive boards that resulted in twenty-six second-chance points compared to six for CSU Bakersfield.
This marks Hawai’i’s fifth straight home victory over CSU Bakersfield. The Rainbow Warriors will conclude their homestand against CSUN on Saturday, January 24; tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. HT.
