Seasiders Defeat Fiji

Laie, HI—The Brigham Young University Hawaii men’s basketball team defeated the Fijian National Team tonight, 96-53, in the American Money Group Asia-Pacific Tournament.  The Seasiders led 47-21 and were never seriously threatened in their opening game of the international friendship tournament held annually in the Cannon Center on the BYU–Hawaii campus.

In what could aptly be termed a basketball Whippy reunion, Seasider junior forward Marques Whippy snared 13 rebounds, scored 12 points, handed out three assists, and came up with two steals to help BYU–Hawaii dominate the national team coached by his father, Paul Whippy, and led by three of his brothers and two of his cousins.

Jet Chang led all scorers for the Seasiders with 19 points, Rory Patterson added 13, Garrett Sandberg and Cory Chase each tallied 12, and J.R. Buensuceso dropped in 11 for BYU–Hawaii.  Buensuceso also added six assists and Patterson came up with nine rebounds in the win.

Frank Saketa, one of Marques Whippy’s cousins, scored 17 points to lead Fiji.  Joshua Whippy, a younger brother added 14.  Another younger brother, Jared Whippy, scored seven, while older brother Leonard and cousin David each scored three to give the Whippy clan all but nine of the Fiji points.

The tournament will continue tomorrow and the Seasiders will face China University of Mining and Technology at 8:00 pm, preceded by the BYU–Hawaii women’s team taking on D.One, a team of ex-collegians, at 5:30 pm and the Fijian National Team meeting Hawaii Select at 3:00 pm.

Box Score