Posted at 9:21 p.m., Tuesday, November 23, 2004
UH wins basketball opener over Mississippi Valley
Associated Press
Matt Gibson scored 22 points and Chris Botez added 15 points and 16 rebounds as Hawai'i opened its season tonight with a 71-58 victory over Mississippi Valley State.Botez scored six points during a 12-3 Hawaii run to start the second half that put the game out of reach for the Delta Devils.
The Delta Devils (0-2) tried to rally behind the 3-point shooting of Solomon Forbes, closing to 60-50 with four minutes left in the game.
But Botez and Gibson added baskets for UH, and MVSU got no closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
Forbes led MVSU with 22 points, including five 3-pointers, while Jeffrey Price added 11.
Hawaii rallied from a four-point deficit midway through the first half behind three consecutive 3-pointers from Gibson, taking the lead for good at 18-17 on his third shot.
Hawaii then closed the final five minutes of the half on a 13-6 run to lead 31-23 at halftime.
