“We’ve got to find it. We’ve got to figure it out. This is kind of a turning point for us. We’ve got to decide how this season’s going to go. … We have some things to fix and address and we’re going to do it. We’re going to turn it around. – BYU guard Tyler Haws
PROVO — Midway through the West Coast Conference schedule, BYU senior guard Tyler Haws says his team is at a crossroads.
The Cougars (15-7, 5-4) lost at San Diego last Saturday, 77-74. They find themselves stuck in a two-game losing streak, and they sit in the middle of the pack in the WCC standings.
Not exactly what BYU had in mind going into the season.
Against the Toreros, the Cougars shot 36 percent in the second half and hit only 3 of 15 3-pointers for the game. They allowed San Diego to grab 13 offensive rebounds, score 16 second-chance points, and drop in too many easy shots inside.
As BYU prepares to return to the Marriott Center after three consecutive road games, it’s back to the drawing board.
“We’ve got to find it. We’ve got to figure it out,” said Haws, who scored 20 points at USD. “This is kind of a turning point for us. We’ve got to decide how this season’s going to go. … We have some things to fix and address and we’re going to do it. We’re going to turn it around.”
At this point, it appears the Cougars may need to win the WCC tournament in Las Vegas the first week of March to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Currently, BYU is in a three-way tie for third place in the WCC, along with Pepperdine and Santa Clara. The Cougars, Waves and Broncos are three games behind second-place Saint Mary’s. Santa Clara defeated Pepperdine Saturday night, 60-57.
Since beating Portland, San Francisco and Santa Clara in impressive fashion after falling to Gonzaga in the WCC opener, BYU has lost three of its last five games.
“There’s still a lot of fight in this team,” said coach Dave Rose. “It’s just that right now we’re not clicking like we were earlier.”
The Cougars host San Francisco Thursday (9 p.m. MST, ESPNU) and Santa Clara Saturday (7 p.m. MST, BYUtv).
“We need to find a way to get home and finish right,” Rose said. “There’s a lot of season left to play. We need to get home and get to practice on Monday and get better.”
BYU squandered a nine-point lead in the second half against San Diego. As a team, USD shot 50 percent over the final 20 minutes.
Forward Thomas Jacobs (19 points, 13 rebounds), a 6-foot-6 senior, and senior guard Johnny Dee (18 points on four 3-pointers) led the Toreros.
Saturday marked the first time all season that Jacobs did not start. Well, the benched starter enjoyed a career day.
Asked to describe what it felt like to upset the Cougars, Jacobs told the San Diego Union-Tribune, “Incredible, incredible.”
Why?
“It’s BYU,” Jacobs said. “That’s like asking, ‘Why do you like Sunday?’”
Prior to Saturday’s win, USD had lost three straight games and four of its previous five.
Now, it’s the Cougars that own a losing streak.
“Thank goodness we can go home and have a couple of home games next week,” said BYU guard Anson Winder. “We can go back to our gym, our crowd, and hopefully get back on the right track and prepare ourselves for the next opponent.”