BYU guard Alex Barcello,left, and Gonzaga guard Andrew Nembhard go after the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. Young Kwak, Associated Press
Brandon Judd
By Brandon Judd

No. 1 Gonzaga had little trouble downing BYU on Thursday at the Kennel, beating the Cougars 86-69 in Spokane, Wash.

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Here are three takeaways from the game from BYU’s conference opener, made possible by a schedule change this week:

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  • The Zags (11-0, 2-0) West Coast Conference) put the Cougars away early, building a 30-7 lead as Gonzaga shot over 60% in the game’s opening 10 minutes. BYU (9-3, 0-1 WCC) eventually whittled the lead down to 39-26, on a 10-2 Cougars run, but the Zags responded with a 13-0 run of their own in taking a 52-29 lead into halftime.
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BYU coach Mark Pope speaks with an official during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga forward Corey Kispert dunks during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against BYU in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga forward Drew Timme shoots near BYU guard Brandon Averette, left, and forward Caleb Lohner during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs (1) shoots in front of BYU center Richard Harward (42) and guard Spencer Johnson (20) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU forward Gideon George shoots during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs (1) shoots next to BYU guard Brandon Averette (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU forward Gideon George, left, shoots in front of Gonzaga guard Joel Ayayi, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs, left, grabs a rebound next to BYU center Richard Harward during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU forward Caleb Lohner (33) shoots over Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU guard Alex Barcello, right, passes the ball past Gonzaga center Oumar Ballo, left, and forward Anton Watson during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021.(AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU forward Matt Haarms (3) shoots over Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU center Richard Harward (42) shoots in front of Gonzaga forward Pavel Zakharov (10) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (2) grabs a rebound between BYU guard Connor Harding (44) and center Richard Harward (42) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga guard Andrew Nembhard (3) shoots over BYU guard Brandon Averette (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga forward Corey Kispert gestures after scoring a basket during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against BYU in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga coach Mark Few shouts to his players during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against BYU in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU forward Gideon George, left, and Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs, center, and forward Drew Timme go after a rebound during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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Gonzaga forward Corey Kispert, right, shoots over BYU forward Kolby Lee during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
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BYU forward Matt Haarms shoots during the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) | Young Kwak, Associated Press
  • Gonzaga forced BYU into 16 turnovers, and turned that into 25 points off the giveaways. The Cougars forced eight turnovers and had seven points off those. The Zags also held a 16-2 advantage in fastbreak points.
  • Corey Kispert paced all scorers with 23 points, as the Bulldogs shot 49.2% from the field and made 7 of 20 3-points, better than BYU’s 4 of 16 effort from beyond the arc. The Zags also had 19 assists to the Cougars’ 10 — Joel Ayayi had six of those assists and three Gonzaga players had four or more. Gideon George scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds in a losing effort for BYU.
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