SALT LAKE CITY — After trailing almost the entirety of Wednesday night’s rivalry game against the BYU Cougars, Utah rallied in incredible fashion to defeat BYU 102-95.
The Utes withstood a standout performance by BYU forward Yoeli Childs in his return from a nine-game NCAA mandated suspension, powered by career nights from sophomore Timmy Allen and freshman Rylan Jones.
Here are three takeaways from the Utes’ win over the Cougars.
- Allen was the best player on the floor for Utah. The forward finished with a career-high 27 points on 12 of 20 shooting. He was impactful in other ways as well, finishing with five rebounds and five assists. Allen was particularly effective late, scoring 11 points in the final six minutes of regulation. He wasn’t the only strong performer in red, either. Jones had a breakout performance, finishing with career-best 25 points. Jones hit the game-tying 3-pointer to send the game into overtime and then scored eight points in the game-deciding extra period.
- Despite a host of struggles early, particularly on the glass and from behind the arc, Utah never went away. A 10-0 run to close the second half cut a 16-point BYU lead in half, and a 10-2 run midway through the second half had Utah as close as four points. With just under six minutes remaining, the Utes pulled within a point of the Cougars and the game remained tight the rest of the way, until the Utes pulled away for the victory.
- Childs showed absolutely no signs of rust in his season debut. He started the game with five consecutive makes, including three 3-pointers, scoring 13 of BYU’s initial 20 points. He put the Cougars on his back to start the second half, too, scoring 11 of the team’s first 13 points. At one point, in just 18 minutes played, Childs had 25 points and seven rebounds. When it was all said and done, the forward finished with a game-high 29 points and seven boards.
Up next
BYU
Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. UNLV (at Vivint Arena), 1 p.m. MST
Tuesday, Dec. 10 vs. Nevada (at Marriott Center), 7 p.m. MST
Saturday, Dec. 14 vs. No. 25 Utah State (at Vivint Arena), 6 p.m. MST
UTAH
Saturday, Dec. 7 vs. Central Arkansas (at Huntsman Center), 3 p.m. MST
Saturday, Dec. 14 vs. Weber State (at Vivint Arena), 2 p.m. MST
Wednesday, Dec. 18 vs. No. 8 Kentucky (at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas), 9 p.m. MST