Hawaii men’s basketball suffers first loss of season at Utah

Branden Carlson scored 17 points and reserve point guard Hunter Erickson added 15 points and two dazzling assists to Keba Keita to lift Utah to a 79-66 basketball victory over Hawaii today at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

It was the first loss for the Rainbow Warriors, who won their first five games. The Utes improved to 5-2.

Carlson was one of two 7-foot starters for the Utes, who are the NCAA’s tallest team with an average height of 6-7 1/2. Carlson found points on drives, hooks and a 3-point shot.

Erickson, a senior who began his career at BYU, scored 12 of his points after the intermission. He also fed a trailing Keita on an over-the-shoulder pass and, later, on a drive-and-dish move. Keita hit all six of his shots.

The Utes scored 18 of the game’s first 24 points. But the ”Bows went on a 21-8 run to take a 27-26 lead on Juan Munoz’s slip pass to Harry Rouhliadeff with 8:16 left in the first half.

The Utes regained control with an inside-outside attack.

UH guard Noel Coleman scored all but one of his team-high 14 points in the first half. Munoz contributed 12 points.

The ’Bows completed the 11-day road trip at 2-1. They play host to Central Arkansas on Sunday.