HENDERSON, Nev. — E.J. Anosike was named the Big West Conference Newcomer of the Year, but there was nothing novice about the way the Cal State Fullerton senior forward created space after corralled rebounds against Hawaii on Friday night.

Anosike’s powerful elbows and 236-pound frame cleared the way for the second-seeded Titans to defeat third-seeded Hawaii, 58-46, and advance to the Big West Tournament championship game.

The 6-foot-7 Anosike recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds and senior guard Damari Milstead had a game-high 18 points in the semifinal win. The Titans’ physical play set the tone and it led them to a 28-14 advantage in points in the paint.

Anosike put the game away with a 3-pointer that stretched Fullerton’s lead to 52-43 with 1:46 left. The big man transfer from Tennessee flashed three fingers at his teammates on the bench as they sensed the program’s first appearance in the Big West title game since 2019.

Fullerton (20-10) will square off with top-seeded rival Long Beach State (20-11) on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at Dollar Loan Center Arena (ESPN2). LBSU got a long, buzzer-beating 3-pointer from freshman forward Jadon Jones to defeat fifth-seeded UC Santa Barbara, 67-64, in the first semifinal.

Fullerton lost at Long Beach, 71-61, last month in their lone matchup of the regular season. The other scheduled matchup between the conference foes was canceled.

Center Mate Colina had a team-high 12 points and seven rebounds for Hawaii (17-11). Junior Madut had seven points and a team-high 10 rebounds for the Warriors.

Madut hit a 3-pointer to trim the Titans’ advantage to 42-38 with 4:37 left. But Fullerton quickly responded with a 7-1 run to take a 49-39 lead after Milstead’s 3-pointer with 2:58 left.

The Titans led for most of the first half and went into the locker room with a 28-21 advantage. Anosike had 10 points and seven rebounds in the first half. Cal State Fullerton was able to hold the lead in the opening half by shooting 36% from the field and going 7 for 8 from the free-throw line.

Junior guard Tory San Antonio made a 3-pointer to open the second half and extended the Titans’ lead to 31-21.

More to come on this story.