Hawaii Pacific, TCU call off game after player’s death

FORT WORTH (AP) — A matchup between Hawaii Pacific and TCU has been canceled following the death of a Hawaii Pacific player who collapsed during a game.

The basketball teams were scheduled to play Friday in Honolulu but chose to cancel the contest after 21-year-old Emil Isovic died at a hospital Wednesday.

The 6-foot-4 guard from Sweden collapsed on the bench during a first-half timeout on Dec. 18 as the Sharks played Southern Nazarene. He was taken to a hospital but never regained consciousness. Authorities have not released a cause of death.

A statement from TCU says “it was not appropriate to play the game.”

TCU defeated Indiana State on Christmas Day to win the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The team was planning to play Hawaii Pacific before returning home.

No. 11 Texas Tech eases past Texas Rio Grande Valley, 71-46

LUBBOCK (AP) — Jarrett Culver scored 19 points, first-time starter Deshawn Coprew had 13 points and 10 rebounds and No. 11 Texas Tech pulled away from Texas-Rio Grande Valley for a 71-46 victory Friday night in the Red Raiders’ final tuneup before Big 12 Conference play.

Culver and the Red Raiders cranked up their signature defense in the second half, turning a close game into a rout with 12 minutes to go as Texas Tech bounced back from its first loss of the season, 69-58 to top-ranked Duke in New York eight days earlier.

The Raiders (11-1) open their Big 12 season Wednesday at West Virginia.

Terry Winn led the Vaqueros (8-7) with 17 points.

Texas Tech led 38-31 at halftime but didn’t play the same level of defense that has been a staple this season. Rio Grande Valley shot 46 percent (12 of 26) before halftime against the Red Raiders, who came in leading the country in fieldgoal defense at 33 percent.

Things changed early in the second half. The Vaqueros missed 11 of their first 12 shots in the period, which allowed Tech to extend the lead.

Brandone Francis made two straight baskets, Culver knocked down a jumper and on the next possession grabbed a rebound of his missed 3-pointer and zipped a pass to Coprew for a backdoor layup.

That series of events pushed the Raiders’ lead to 52-35 and prompted a timeout by Rio Grande Valley. The Vaqueros shot 17 percent (4 of 23) in the second half and finished the game at 33 percent.

Tech had threatened to blow the game open late in the first half, stretching the lead to double digits on the strength of a 13-4 run. But the Vaqueros didn’t flinch and drew within 38-31 at the break.

There were seven lead changes and four ties in the initial 7:14.

Rio Grande Valley made seven of its first nine shots.