BYU-Hawaii advances to NCAA Division II Final Four after beating Bloomfield (NJ) 96-89

SPRINGFIELD, MA - The Brigham Young University Hawaii men’s basketball team shot 60.9 percent (39-64) from the field and defeated Bloomfield (NJ) 96-89 on Wednesday night at the NCAA II Elite Eight to advance to the Final Four.

The Seasiders, now 21-8 for the season, hit eight first-half three-pointers to establish a 44-37 halftime lead and never let the Deacons get closer than four points in the second half to advance to a semifinal matchup against top-ranked and undefeated West Liberty (WV) on Thursday night.

BYU-Hawaii used a balanced attack, with significant contributions from eight of the nine players who saw action, to answer each challenge raised by Bloomfield.

When Pacific West Conference Player of the Year Marques Whippy went to the bench with two fouls early in the first half after hitting his first three shots of the game, Gary Satterwhite came off the bench to spark the Seasiders by matching his entire season’s output of three-pointers by nailing two in the opening period.

Jet Chang exploded for 16 points in the second half as the Seasiders shot 21-30 (70 percent) after the break.

Chang finished the night with 22 points, five rebounds and five assists to lead the Seasiders. Jake Dastrup tallied 16 points, including four three-pointers as the Seasiders finished 11-19 (57.9 percent) from long range.

Whippy scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds while Satterwhite also finished with 12 points, a new career high, and was a perfect 5-5 from the field.

Rory Patterson and Junior Ale each hit two three-pointers and finished with 10 points each, giving the Seasiders six players in double-figures for the game.

Heath Gameren added six points, seven assists, three blocks and four steals for BYU-Hawaii, while Cory Chase led the Seasiders on the boards with seven rebounds to go with his eight points.

Gage Daye had 34 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists to lead Bloomfield, but also had seven turnovers for the Deacons.  Bloomfield, a seventh seed in the tournament just as BYU-Hawaii, finishes the season with a 21-12 record.

The Seasiders will face West Liberty (33-0) Thursday at 8:30 pm EDT in the second semifinal matchup. West Liberty defeated Anderson (SC) 113-95 in the quarterfinals.

The first semifinal game will pit 12th-ranked Minnesota State Mankato against second-ranked Bellarmine (KY).

The Seasiders, with their seventh seed in the NCAA II West Regional Tournament, are the only team in the Final Four that was not a top seed in a regional tournament.