Hawaiʻi men's basketball falls to Texas Christian Horned Frogs
'Bows finish fourth place overall in Diamond Head Classic
There won't be a Christmas miracle this year.
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After winning the Diamond Head Classic a year ago, the University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team fell to the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs on Sunday at the Stan Sheriff Center, 65-51. This means UH will finish fourth place in the 2023 Diamond Head Classic.
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Noel Coleman led UH and all players with 19 points overall on 6-for-12 shooting. The next closest was nine points from Juan Munoz -- all from 3-point range.
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Jameer Nelson Jr. led TCU with 13 points on 3-for-6 shooting. Trevian Tennyson was next with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting.
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From the start, UH came out flat while TCU came out lava hot. UH only led for 12 seconds while TCU nailed basket after basket. UH tried everything, but up-close baskets were not honored.
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TCU's 3-point shooting was effective, as they went 5-for-7 from long-range to UH's 3-for-11.
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Coleman gave the Stan Sheriff Center crowd a "Merry Christmas" with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer of his own to end the first half. Unfortunately, UH was down three possessions, 36-27.
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"I don't think we deserved it," Munoz said. "I don't think we played with the same fight."
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"If we're passive, we have no heart and toughness," Head Coach Eran Ganot said.
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The second half got no better for UH. Another slow start plagued any chance they had of pulling off a significant run like they did against Georgia Tech.
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Ultimately, UH was held to just 24 points scored in the second half to TCU's 29 for the final arithmetic. UH also had a season-high 19 turnovers as well.
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"We had the wind knocked out of us because we weren't making shots in the paint or open threes, and that can't happen," Ganot added.
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UH will begin Big West Conference play next Saturday night on Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. against Cal State Fullerton at the Stan Sheriff Center. You can watch the game on Spectrum Sports or listen to the game on ESPN Honolulu.