Hawaii men’s furious rally falls short in Big West Tournament

HENDERSON, NEV. >> UC Davis held off Hawaii 68-65 in tonight’s semifinal round of the Big West Tournament at the Dollar Loan Center.

The ’Bows, down by 19 points early in the second half, closed to 66-62 in the final minute. Reserve point guard JoVon McClanahan drove the lane and, off a spin move, banked in a short jumper while being fouled by Ade Adebayo. McClanahan’s free throw cut the deficit to 66-65 with 27.8 seconds to play.

Then UH’s Noel Coleman leaped to intercept Ty Johnson’s pass at midcourt with 22 seconds to go.

UH got the ball to McClanahan, who worked the clock down and then attempted a pull-up jumper from about 12 feet. The ball did not fall, and UH’s Justin McKoy grabbed the reboung, but only after fouling Elijah Pepper with 1.2 seconds left. Pepper sank both free throws to complete his 17-point second half.

UH’s inbounds pass was deflected and then caught out of bounds with less than a second remaining. UCD then inbounded to end the game — and the ’Bows’ season.

UH, which started league play at 2-6, won nine of the next 12 to secure the tournament’s third seed. The ’Bows beat Cal State Northridge in Thursday’s second round to advance to the semifinal.