LIHU‘E — The Hawai‘i men’s basketball team was topped 83-65 Friday night, by former conference rival Brigham Young at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu. BYU (3-0) was led by Jimmer Fredette, who finished with 20 points on 9 of
LIHU‘E — The Hawai‘i men’s basketball team was topped 83-65 Friday night, by former conference rival Brigham Young at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.
BYU (3-0) was led by Jimmer Fredette, who finished with 20 points on 9 of 14 shooting.
The Warriors (2-2) had four players score in double figures, Hiram Thompson scoring a team-high 15. Petras Balocka had a double-double, scoring 12 points and hauling down 10 rebounds.
Roderick Flemings, typically the team’s go-to offensive weapon, had 12 points.
Adhar Mayen played an efficient 23 minutes, finishing with 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting, adding three rebounds and two assists.
Each team got off to quick starts and shot better than 50 percent in the first half, but BYU managed to build a 41-31 lead at halftime.
The Warriors’ shooting cooled off considerably in the second half, dipping to just 31 percent on 9 of 29 from the field. They managed to knock down 14 of 18 free throws, keeping the margin within striking distance.
But BYU would not relent on the offensive end, finishing the night shooting 55.7 percent (34 of 61) from the floor.
UH won the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Cougars 37-27, but it was the extra possessions they gave up that came back to haunt them. They committed 20 turnovers, which led to 32 BYU points.
The Warriors will have a week off before getting back on the court for four home games in their next five contests.
They will host New Mexico at 8:05 p.m. on Friday, before heading to the Mainland to face UC Irvine on Dec. 2.
They then come back to Honolulu and have three straight at home against Lamar, Chaminade and Chicago State.
They will then be hosting the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, which tips off Dec. 22.
