HENDERSON, Nev. – UC Riverside left it all on the floor in Thursday night's quarterfinal matchup with third-seeded Hawaii, falling 68-67 to the Rainbow Warriors at the Dollar Loan Center. 
 
The setback caps off the Highlanders' third straight winning season with a bright future ahead for a program well on the rise. 
 
"These guys got a whole community behind them at UC Riverside, as you saw at those home games toward the end of the season. We're very proud of that. They've rallied the Inland Empire, and especially UC Riverside. There's a brand of basketball that these guys put out there that everyone can be proud of." 
 
Dominick Pickett wasted no time showing off his range, as the two-time Big West Best Hustle Player opened going 3 of 3 from the three-point line. UCR started four of five from three to start the evening, with Flynn Cameron draining the Highlanders' fourth triple. 
 
The Highlander defense held Hawaii 0 of 4 from the field for a good four minutes while Pickett drained his second three of the evening. On the other end, UCR started 5 of 9 from the field at a 56 percent clip through the game's first seven minutes, forcing Hawaii to burn its first timeout. 
 
Jhaylon Martinez scored three buckets on four UCR possessions, giving the budding freshman six points for the first time since February 1. 
 
Hawaii enjoyed a burst of offense to cut UCR's lead to four, but Pulin, recently named All-Big West Second Team, scored the bucket and the converted free throw to give the Highlanders a more comfortable 27-20 lead with just three minutes until the halftime break. Out of a Hawaii timeout, Pullin pulled down a rebound and went coast to coast for the jumper. 
 
Both teams traded buckets in the four minutes out of halftime with Pullin accounting for three of UCR's eight points up to the under-16 media break and three of the Highlanders' first four field goals of the half. 
 
UC Riverside and Hawaii's back-and-forth nature carried well into the second half, as Callum McRae got the inside bucket followed by a three from Pullin, who has now turned in 23 points in back-to-back contests. 
 
Flynn Cameron got the hot hand at exactly the right time in the second half. The Kiwi drained three straight threes in a minute to put UCR up 61-60, finishing the night with 17 points while going 5 of 9 from deep, including 4 of 6 in the second half. 
 
Cameron and Pullin combined for 26 of the Highlanders' 36 points in the second half.