When Kevin Nixon is on his game, BYU is a different basketball team.
As in better. As in good enough to finally hand an 85-71 thumping to a Hawaii team that had given them fits this season. As in good enough to do that despite a ragged first half and a 44-percent shooting performance."Can you imagine where this basketball team would be this year with a healthy Kevin Nixon?" asked BYU coach Roger Reid after the oft-injured senior forward had scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Nixon, who achieved near-legendary status with his halfcourt shot to beat UTEP in last year's WAC Tournament, said it's not so much the event that's motivating him as the imminent end of his career.
"I'd just hate to go out with a fizzle," he said.
During the 24 minutes when Nixon was on the court Thursday at the Delta Center, the No. 25 Cougs (24-7) outscored Hawaii by 14. When he was on the bench, the score was dead-even, 31-31.
"He (Nixon) can take control of a ballgame, and he did tonight," said senior center Gary Trost.
Trost was no stiff, either. Playing like he intends to make his third straight WAC all-tourney team, he scored 17 points on 6 of 11 from the field, with nine rebounds.
BYU's other senior regulars also figured prominently - guard Nick Sanderson scored 17 points, and forward Jared Miller totaled 12 points, three blocked shots and 10 rebounds, contributing to BYU's 51-37 dominance on the boards.
"The guy I'd like to draft from that team is Miller," said Hawaii coach Riley Wallace. "He's my kind of guy."
Wallace acknowledged that BYU just wore his team down. "We were heavily outmanned on the floor," he said. "They have a lot of big guys, and they know what to do with the ball when they get it inside."
Nevertheless, Hawaii did a good job of denying the Cougar big men for a half. With defensive schemes that disrupted BYU's offense, the 'Bows limited the Cougs to 11 points in the first nine minutes. The problem was, Hawaii was shooting dismally itself, making just two of their first 13 shots.
Still, Hawaii trailed by just four at halftime, despite having been behind by as much as nine and shooting 36 percent from the field.
As has been the Cougars' season-long pattern, however, they simply wore down the Rainbows in the second half. Nixon, Miller and guard Kurt Christensen started the period, instead of Russell Larson, Mark Durrant and Randy Reid (foul trouble), and before the first substitution was made the lead was nine (52-43).
Midway through the half, with BYU still ahead by nine (62-53), the Cougs scored seven straight points - the last on a steal and racing layup by Reid - that finished the 'Bows. BYU led by as much as 20 before coach Reid threw in the subs and Hawaii scored the last six points of the game.
Trost said one key was a defensive adjustment made at halftime to keep the Hawaii guards from penetrating and passing. "They were driving a lot in the first half," he said. "They were getting too many layups."
Wallace said the game was over when his players became "leg-weary."
"They're too good, too deep and too well-coached to beat here in Utah, especially with Nixon back," the Hawaii coach said.
For the Rainbow Warriors, who finished the season a disappointing 11-16, Chris Walz and Fabio Ribeiro were the high scorers, with 16 each.
BYU's next opponent, at 6:30 p.m. today, is the New Mexico Lobos, who tuned-up Thursday with a 72-48 blowout of Fresno State. It's a rematch of last Saturday's game in Albuquerque - a three-point win for UNM.
"They're hot right now," Reid said. "They can shoot the outside shoot, and they have some inside people that can play."
Funny, that sounds a lot like BYU, especially when Nixon's healthy.
GAME NOTES: BYU's 51 rebounds is a WAC Tournament record. The previous high was 49, set by San Diego State against Utah in 1986 . . . As Nixon comes on, Larson's playing time continues to dwindle. He played 11 minutes . . . Christensen had five assists . . . Durrant was 0-for-6 from the field.