They kept coming back at us. We were able to respond every time, and that's a sign of a team that's playing really tight together as a group, executing well. – Dave Rose
LAS VEGAS — Saturday’s West Coast Conference quarterfinal game between BYU and Loyola Marymount was a physical affair, evidenced by the thick claw marks on Cougar forward Eric Mika’s right arm.
A week after knocking off Gonzaga, formerly the nation’s No. 1 team, on the road, BYU didn’t suffer a letdown against the Lions. But the Cougars found themselves in a battle at Orleans Arena.
“It was a really hard-fought game,” said BYU coach Dave Rose.
A deeper LMU team attacked the Cougars with ferocity and kept things close most of the way.
But in the end, No. 3 seeded BYU survived with an 89-81 victory over No. 6 LMU and advanced to Monday’s semifinal game against the winner of Saturday’s late matchup between No. 2 Saint Mary’s and No. 10 Portland.
The Lions' aggressive style was aimed to wear down the Cougars.
“It’s a team that plays a lot of players. They pick you up full-court or three-quarters court or half court,” said Rose. “They contest every pass, every catch, every rebound. Our guys were prepared for that. They did a good job and then it got pretty physical in the middle of the game. How we dealt with their pressure overall for 40 minutes was pretty good.”
BYU (22-10) relied heavily on its starters for scoring. The Cougars were led by Mika’s 25 points while four other starters scored in double figures — Nick Emery (21), Elijah Bryant (15), TJ Haws (14) and Yoeli Childs (13). BYU’s only point off the bench was from Davin Guinn.
Still, Guinn, Steven Beo and Corbin Kaufusi played a key role against LMU, plugging holes as BYU dealt with foul trouble. The reserves helped the Cougars “weather the storm,” Rose said.
The Lions, who finished their season with a 15-15 record, had nothing to lose. They fell behind 9-2 early on, but took the lead moments later in the first half after knocking down a flurry of 3-pointers.
In the second half, BYU jumped out to a 65-51 advantage with a little less than 13 minutes left, but LMU fought its way back thanks to an 11-0 run that pulled it to within two points, 69-67, with 6:30 remaining in the game.
“At no point of the game did we feel like we couldn’t win,” said Lion guard Brandon Brown, who scored 22 points. “We kept fighting, running our offense and doing what we needed to do as a team. We didn’t come out with the win but we played a really good game.”
“Our guys couldn’t have played harder or had better pushback. It was representative of the entire year,” said LMU coach Mike Dunlap. “We feel we have a little bit of advantage because of our quickness. We play in space and press. In order to play that way, we compare it to lines in hockey. We’ve got a lot of confidence in guys seven through 11. There were pivotal moments where we felt like conditioning became a factor. We were able to push back and to within two.”
As the Cougars saw their lead shrink, they continued to go inside for layups or to draw fouls. Over the final four minutes of the game, BYU went 12 for 12 from the free-throw line to seal the victory.
Plagued by foul trouble, especially in the first half, the Cougars had to grind it out.
“They did a really good job of isolating us and attacking us off the dribble,” Rose said. “We got ourselves in foul trouble so we adjusted and went to a couple of two or three zones that we have to control the penetration. … We were in a tough, tough spot with a lot of guys with fouls.”
Emery, for example, picked up his third foul midway through the first half. But he hit four 3-pointers on the day.
Saturday’s win should provide BYU some additional confidence moving forward.
“They kept coming back at us,” Rose said of LMU. “We were able to respond every time, and that’s a sign of a team that’s playing really tight together as a group, executing well.”