LAHAINA, Hawaii — Coming off a heartbreaking double-overtime loss against No. 15 San Diego State some 14 hours earlier in the Maui Invitational, BYU drowned its sorrows Tuesday afternoon by burying Division II Chaminade beneath a tidal wave of 3-pointers.
Leading the way was guard Chase Fischer, who set a school record with 10 3-pointers — nine in the first half — to break Jimmer Fredette’s mark, and tying the tournament record.
The junior from Ripley, West Virginia, finished with a game-high 30 points as BYU overwhelmed the Silverswords, 121-85 at the Lahaina Civic Center Tuesday afternoon.
The Cougars (4-1) set a new school record with 17 3-pointers as a team, eclipsing the old record of 15.
Fischer also broke a school record by hitting his first eight 3-point attempts — the Cougars made their first 12 — all in the first 10 minutes of the game.
School records were falling almost as quickly as the 3-pointers for BYU. The Cougars also tied the school record for most first-half points with 66.
BYU coach Dave Rose never could have imagined this kind of performance from his team.
“With the quick turnaround,” he said, “you kind of wonder what you’re going to get from your guys. I was just really impressed with how focused they were, how dialed in they were.”
BYU will meet Purdue (4-1) Wednesday (3 p.m. MST, ESPN2). The Boilermakers routed Missouri in Tuesday’s first game, 82-61. The winner will claim fifth place in the Maui Invitational.
How did the Cougars put Monday night’s disappointment behind them?
“Coach Rose set that tone last night. We had a pit in our stomach and we could feel it (Monday night),” said Fischer, who was 10 of 14 from 3-point territory. “He came in and said, ‘There’s nothing we can do about it. That’s life. All we can do is look forward to today and play our hearts out today,’ which we did. I think that shows a lot of maturity to bounce back.”
“It’s a pretty bittersweet feeling. It hurt to go home after a loss like that (to SDSU),” said guard Anson Winder, who scored 18 points, on 7-of-11 shooting, and grabbed eight rebounds against Chaminade. “But to know we’re going to play again (Tuesday) was an exciting feeling. It was exciting to know that you can bounce back from a loss like that.”
As for breaking Fredette’s record, which was set in 2009 at Arizona, Fischer said, “It means a lot because I respect Jimmer so much as a player. I kind of idolized him my junior and senior year (of high school). That’s how I was trying to play. The redshirt year (last year at BYU) was big for me for my confidence and to get my swagger back. It’s a great feeling. But I’d trade in a heartbeat for a win versus San Diego State, though.”
While fans around the country may have been stunned by Fischer’s shooting performance, his teammates and coaches certainly were not.
“It’s nothing new to us,” said center Nate Austin. “When Chase was redshirting, it was a daily occurrence. He was on the practice squad and he’d kill us. Maybe for our fans, it’s a new thing, but it’s something we expect, and we’re used to.”
Guard Tyler Haws played just two minutes in the first half after picking up a pair of quick fouls and hitting one 3-pointer. But in the second half, Haws made up for his absence, finishing with 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor. As a team, the Cougars shot 62 percent in the first half and 55 percent for the game.
Fischer airballed his first 3 attempt early in the second half — “It kind of sailed on me,” he said — but drained the record-breaker with about 13 minutes left. He was taken out of the game moments later.
While Fischer was draining 3's, he said he wasn’t aware of the record.
“I had no clue. I didn’t really know what was going on,” he said. “I knew that when I heard the 10th one in the second half, there was a louder applause. I didn’t know what happened. Maybe it was because I got 30 points.”
Chaminade coach Eric Bovaird felt helpless watching Fischer and the Cougars knock down a flurry of 3’s.
“We’re a record-setting team one way or the other,” he said. “We either give up records or sometimes we break them. Yeah, obviously, when you shoot the ball 14 for 18 from the 3-point line in the first half, it’s a tough road to go down after that. They shot the ball incredibly.”
No doubt, Fischer was feeling it Tuesday.
“In our offense, it could be anyone’s night like that,” he said. “Luckily, it was me. If I had a little bit of space, I was letting it go.”
TIP-INS: The 121 points BYU scored were the most in 10 years under Rose. The previous highest scoring game came last year (112) against Stanford. … The school record for points in a game is 128 against Sacramento State in 1993. ... Skyler Halford played 10 minutes Tuesday after sitting out Monday with a hip injury. ... Chaminade made 10 3-pointers against BYU.
BYU (4-1) vs. Purdue (4-1)
Wednesday, 3 p.m., MST
Lahaina Civic Center
TV: ESPN2
Radio: 1160 AM, 102.7 FM