Field Level Media
Nov 28, 2019
TJ Haws scored 20 points, including 13 straight over a tear in the middle of the second half, and BYU beat Virginia Tech on Wednesday 90-77 to claim third place at the Maui Invitational at Lahaina, Hawaii.
Haws' individual outburst keyed a 17-2 Cougars run, turning a narrow Virginia Tech lead into a double-digit BYU advantage.
The Cougars (5-3) set the tone when they made nine first-half 3-pointers, three of which came courtesy of Jake Toolson. The senior guard scored 11 points on the night to go along with seven rebounds and eight assists. Alex Borcello added 13 points and knocked down three 3-pointers.
BYU's Dalton Nixon scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor. Kolby Lee scored 10 points on 5-of-5 field-goal shooting, and he dished out four assists.
The Cougars' torrid, 17-of-34 shooting from behind the arc matched a program record for most made from long range in a single game. The deluge from deep extended BYU's lead to as many as 18 points.
Virginia Tech (6-2) shot well from 3-point range in its own right, hitting 11 of 22 from outside. Every time the Hokies threatened to cut into the lead, however, BYU provided an answer.
Landers Nolley II closed out an outstanding individual tournament with 22 points on Wednesday, giving him 59 over the three days. P.J. Horne scored 13 points, and Wabissa Bede chipped in 11 points and seven assists.
The Hokies cut the gap to 10 points with two minutes remaining on a Nahiem Alleyne 3-pointer, but that was as close as Virginia Tech got.
Both teams played a clean game, limiting turnovers and fouls. BYU committed just six giveaways, and Virginia Tech had eight. There were just three combined free throws attempted between the teams with 11 minutes left in the game.
Virginia Tech opened the Maui Invitational with a 71-66 defeat of No. 3 Michigan State but leaves the island 1-2 for the tournament. BYU used a similar run as it produced on Wednesday night in a Monday victory over UCLA, then dropped its semifinal matchup with the eventual Maui Invitational champion, No. 4 Kansas.
--Field Level Media