Men's Basketball - Mon, Dec 22, 2008
LAEI, HAWAII - Playing its third game in four nights and second in a row against a nationally ranked foe, Menlo College was no match for BYU-Hawaii in an 86-52 loss on Saturday at Hoop N Surf Honolulu.
The Oaks finished the tournament 1-1, beating NAIA Div. II No. 5 Rio Grande 71-56 for the program's first victory over an opponent ranked in the top five of a national poll before falling to NCAA Div. II No. 6 BYU-Hawaii in a true road contest.
Menlo struggled all game to contain 6-foot-9 Brazilian Lucas Alves. Alves finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds as the Seasiders had a 45-25 edge on the glass. BYU-Hawaii shot a blistering 61.9 percent from inside the 3-point line and 50 percent from long range for the game.
Ari Goldman led the Oaks with 11 points while Julian Harris - coming off a career-high 26 points in Friday night's upset victory - added nine. 10 other Menlo players netted at least two points.
Menlo shot just 30 percent from the field, allowed the first 15 points of the game, and trailed 48-28 at halftime. The Oaks defense did manage to force the highly ranked Seasiders into 25 turnovers.
The Oaks are 3-7 overall - 2-1 in the California Pacific Conference - and play at Fresno Pacific (8-3, 2-0) at 7 p.m. on Dec. 30. BYU-Hawaii is 5-1 overall.