Riding a 5-0 start to the 2023-24 season, the University of Hawaiʻi men's basketball team could not overcome two slow starts and fell to the Utah Utes at the Delta Center, 79-66, on Thursday.

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Noel Coleman led the way for UH with 14 points. Juan Munoz was next with 12, and Justin McKoy and Harry Rouhliadeff were the last double-digit scorers with 11.

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Branden Carlson led Utah with 17 points. Hunter Erickson was next with 15 points, followed by 11 from Keba Keita and 10 from Cole Bajema.

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Utah scored the first three points at the free throw line, but UH's JoVon McClanahan tied it up with a triple of his own. Utah reeled off seven unanswered to take a lead they would not let go for a while.

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Hawaiʻi did not fold though. After the gap ballooned to 12 points, UH uncorked a 14-3 run and eventually found themselves in front, 27-26, with 8:17 remaining.

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Unfortunately, Utah responded and outscored Hawaiʻi, 12-8, from then on. It was 37-34 originally, but an eleventh-hour foul on McClanahan resulted in two more made free throws by Rollie Worster, and Utah took a 39-34 lead at the break.

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The second half saw another slow start from the 'Bows. McKoy hit his first triple of the game 23 seconds in, and the gap was trimmed to five, but that was the closest the 'Bows could get. Utah reeled off the next eight points to keep a double-digit gap they would never relinquish.

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Hawaiʻi tried what they could, but the lucky shooting was not there. Despite being outrebounded by 10 in the first half, UH did better in the second half with 18 rebounds to Utah's 17.

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The 'Bows will return to the islands to take on Central Arkansas at the Stan Sheriff Center on Sunday, Dec. 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. HST. You can listen on the radio on ESPN Honolulu, or watch the game on Spectrum Sports.