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Hawaii tops Cal State Fullerton 78-63 in Big West semifinal, will play UC Irvine for championship

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Isaac Johnson scored 19 points and Harry Rouhliadeff added a double-double to propel Hawaii to a 78-63 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Friday night in a Big West Conference Tournament semifinal.

No. 2 seed Hawaii (23-8) will play No. 1 seed UC Irvine in the championship game on Saturday with a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line.

Johnson made 6 of 15 shots with a 3-pointer and all six of his free throws for the Rainbow Warriors. Rouhliadeff totaled 16 points and 10 rebounds. Dre Bullock had 11 points and Hunter Erickson pitched in with 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

Christian Williams made 6 of 10 from 3-point range and scored 21 to lead the third-seeded Titans (18-16). Bailey Nunn sank three 3-pointers and scored 11 off the bench.

Johnson had seven points in a balanced first-half attack to help Hawaii take a 29-21 lead into the break. Erickson hit a jumper to give the Rainbow Warriors a 46-44 lead with 12 minutes remaining and they pulled away from there.

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Florida center Rueben Chinyelu is coming back for his senior season

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida center Rueben Chinyelu decided Thursday he will return for his senior season to run it back with a stacked frontcourt that helped the Gators win a national championship in 2025. Chinyelu formally removed his name from the NBA draft to play another year with fellow big men Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh. Coach Todd Golden's roster is expected to cost roughly $25 million in 2026-27. Chinyelu went through the NBA pre-draft process and had until May 27 to decide whether to return to school or stay in the draft. The 6-foot-10, 265-pound Nigerian became the first Florida player in 50 years to average a double-double, totaling 10.9 points and 11.2 rebounds a game last season. The Gators were 19-0 when Chinyelu recorded a double-double.
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