PROVO — It wasn’t always pretty Thursday night inside the Marriott Center, but most of the time it was incredibly so, much to the delight of the BYU Cougars. Back home after a difficult road trip, the Cougars bounced back in a big way and defeated previously red-hot Pepperdine 107-80.
1 of
2 of
3 of
4 of
5 of
6 of
7 of
8 of
9 of
10 of
11 of
12 of
Here are three takeaways from the Cougars’ win over the Waves.
- It was largely a game of runs. BYU went on a 17-0 run early in the first half, powered by incredibly hot shooting. The Cougars’ shot 75% from the field and 86% from 3-point range through the opening 10 minutes of the first half. They also forced seven turnovers during that stretch, a run that at the time appeared to spell doom for Pepperdine. The Waves answered with a 16-0 run, though, all in a two and a half minute stretch in the final moments of the first half. BYU then kicked off the second half with another run, this of the 10-0 variety. BYU’s strong play continued this time around, however, and the Cougars ultimately outscored the Waves 61-42 in the second half.
- The trio of Jake Toolson, Yoeli Childs and TJ Haws were difference-makers for BYU. The trio combined to score 58 points and all came up big at different moments in the game. Toolson was key in the first half, where he scored 14 points (he finished with 25). Childs, meanwhile, picked the Waves apart in the second half, en route to a 21 point, nine rebound, six assist performance. As for Haws, the senior was solid throughout and finished with 12 points and six assists.
- Save for a four minute stretch during the first half, BYU shot the ball extremely well from behind the arc. The Cougars’ made 17 of 28 attempts from 3-point range, shooting 61% from distance. Seven different BYU players made at least one 3-pointer, led by Toolson, who made 7 of 10 attempts. Alex Barcello made three 3-pointers, while Haws and Connor Harding made two apiece. Zac Seljaas and Taylor Maughan each added a 3-pointer as well.
Up next
Saturday, Feb. 1, vs. Saint Mary’s, 8 p.m. MST
Thursday, Feb. 6, at Portland, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 8, vs. San Francisco, 7 p.m.