Roderick Flemings added some late drama to an otherwise depressing ESPN BracketBusters game.

In a game reminiscent of last season's ESPN BracketBusters event, Cal Poly of the Big West Conference outlasted the Rainbow Warriors 102-89 before a crowd of 2,669 last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Flemings poured it on, though, fouling out with a career-high 39 points in the final minute. It was the fourth-best scoring output in UH history and the highest by a UH player in the Sheriff.

The Mustangs (10-16) jumped on the slumping Rainbows (9-17) with a barrage of 3-pointers in a 51-point first half and handled UH's best shots in the second period. Once UH made it a free-throw contest in the final minutes, CP put up a season-high in points, shot 61.5 percent, and galloped away with whatever late-season momentum the 'Bows hoped to attain.

Petras Balocka added a career-high 23 points and 16 rebounds off the bench, but it couldn't halt more than a month of losing. UH was defeated for the eighth straight time, the most consecutive in a season since it dropped 10 straight in 1987-88—Riley Wallace's first year.

It was the first 100-point game allowed by UH since New Mexico State put up 106 in 2008 and the first at the Sheriff since San Diego State scored 103 in 1996.

Flemings passed the indefinitely suspended Dwain Williams for the highest scoring output by a UH player this season. Flemings' previous career high was 37 last season.

Perimeter-oriented Poly was unintimidated by the Rainbows on their home court. The Mustangs won for the fifth time in 13 road games this year, while UH fell to 9-10 at the Sheriff.

Eight points from Flemings keyed an 11-0 run to bring UH within 63-56 with 13:50 left. But the 'Bows' momentum played out about the time a Flemings fast-break layup lipped off the rim during a 7-0 Poly counterpunch.

Poly became the BracketBusters reincarnation of UC Irvine, another struggling Big West team that torched the Rainbows in the early going of the annual event last year.

Senior guard Lorenzo Keeler led the Mustangs with 31 points.

The Mustangs wasted no time shredding the Rainbows' zone defense. They opened up going 5-for-6 on 3-pointers to jump ahead 21-11.

Two more treys during a 10-0 run pushed the lead to 33-18 with 6:49 left in the half.

Another bomb from Hanson made it 40-21 at the 3:44 mark.

Poly put up its best first half of the season, taking a 51-30 lead at the break on 67 percent shooting in the period, including 8-for-12 from long range. UH, meanwhile, struggled against the zone to the tune of 34.6 percent shooting.

UH will attempt the improbable on Thursday: try to end its slide vs. WAC leader Utah State, which won its 12th straight game yesterday.

Hawaii dropped to 3-5 in BracketBusters games, including 1-3 at home. Poly was UH's fourth straight Big West opponent in the event—following Long Beach State, UC Riverside and UC Irvine—against whom the Rainbows are also 1-3.

Poly evened the all-time series record with UH to 1-1.

Red honored

Legendary UH coach Red Rocha, who led the “;Fabulous Five”; in the early 1970s, was honored before the game with a moment of silence. The UH coaches wore red shirts and the Rainbows players red socks in his honor.

Rocha's service was yesterday in Corvallis, Ore. He died on Feb. 13 at age 86.