LIHU‘E — The University of Hawai‘i Warriors are now squarely behind the eight ball after falling to Boise State, 82-63, Thursday night in Boise, Idaho. The loss puts Hawai‘i (10-19, 3-12) in a position where it now must defeat Idaho
LIHU‘E — The University of Hawai‘i Warriors are now squarely behind the eight ball after falling to Boise State, 82-63, Thursday night in Boise, Idaho.
The loss puts Hawai‘i (10-19, 3-12) in a position where it now must defeat Idaho in Saturday’s regular season finale just for a chance of making it into the Western Athletic Conference tournament.
The Warriors have yet to win a conference road game this season, as Saturday’s contest will be played at Idaho.
A victory alone does not guarantee Hawai‘i a spot, as UH must then get help, including wins by San Jose State at Boise State and Nevada over Louisiana Tech, to qualify for the tournament.
Holding a 38-37 lead early in the second half, Boise State went on an 18-6 run to create separation and never let the Warriors back into contention.
Robert Arnold had team highs of 19 points and seven rebounds for Boise State (14-16, 4-11), which clinched a spot in the WAC tournament with the win.
The WAC tournament will consist of the conference’s top eight teams and is scheduled to be played from March 11-13 in Reno, Nev.
Leroy Lutu led the Warriors with 12 points on 6 for 8 shooting, followed by 10 points from Adhar Mayen.
Center Paul Campbell had nine points and nine boards, while Petras Balocka had eight points and five rebounds.
Leading-scorer Roderick Flemings was limited to just six points on 2 for 6 shooting, but did dish out seven assists in his 32 minutes of action.
Ike Okoye and Daequon Montreal each added 13 points for Boise State, while Paul Noonan chipped in 11.
Perimeter defense was the achilles heel for the Warriors, as they allowed Boise State to knock down 11 3-pointers, the most they have given up this season.
Hawai‘i played tight in the first half and trailed 33-30 at intermission.
Despite shooting 13 for 25 (52 percent) in the second half, the Warriors were buried by the long ball as Boise nailed 8 of 15 threes over the same timeframe.
The season finale at Idaho will begin Saturday at 5:05 p.m. PT (3:05 p.m. HT) at the Cowan Spectrum.
