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HONOLULU, Hawaii — Chase Fischer scored a game-high 26 points to lead five BYU players in double-figures to help the Cougars take down Northern Iowa, 84-76, on Friday in the fifth-place game of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.
Fischer used a personal 8-0 run to give BYU a 65-54 lead with 6:34 left in the game as the Panthers made a run, and BYU (9-4) made 19-of-21 free throws to hold on down the stretch and earn perhaps its biggest non-conference win of the 2015-16 season.
The senior from Ripley, West Virginia, scored 71 points during the three-day tournament, including a single-game tourney record 41 Wednesday against New Mexico. The Cougars shot 50 percent from the field Friday.
"Those guys were competitive," said BYU forward Jamal Aytes, who had six points and three rebounds against the Panthers. "They worked hard on every ball screen, and I tip my hat to them. They're a good team."
Aytes played in his third-straight game after missing five an ankle injury.
"It feels amazing. I'm just happy to be back and help my team," Aytes told KSL's Greg Wrubell. "I'm probably about 85-90 percent. Still trying to get the foot going. But I'm playing, so that's good."
Kyle Collinsworth collected a career-high 17 rebounds to add to his 12 points and six assists for the NCAA all-time leader in triple-doubles. Freshman Zac Seljaas scored 12 points, including three 3-pointers, his first game in double figures since scoring a career-high 25 points against Central Michigan on Dec. 18.
Over the past three games, Seljaas has converted on 70 percent of his 3-point attempts. He also had three rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes off the bench Friday.
Kyle Davis had 10 points, nine rebounds and two assists for the Cougars, and Nick Emery supplied 11 points and three boards. BYU outrebounded the Panthers 39-23, including 32-19 on the defensive glass. Both teams only collected 17 total offensive rebounds as they shot a collective 45 percent from the field.
Collinsworth and Davis combined for 25 of the Cougars' rebounding total.
"He's just a bull, and I love playing with him," Aytes said of Davis. "Whenever I get with him, we just crash the boards. It's good to end it with a win."
Matt Bohanon led Northern Iowa (8-5) with 21 points and four rebounds and teammate Jeremy Morgan added 19 points and four boards . Wes Washpun had 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Panthers.
"It's good how we deal with adversity," Aytes said. "We came together as a team, and I think it made us closer going into league play."
Contributing: Greg Wrubell
