Led By Yoeli Childs, No. 23 BYU Upsets No. 2 Gonzaga On Senior Night

PROVO, Utah – BYU senior Yoeli Childs led the No. 23 ranked Cougars to an upset victory over the No. 2 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs.

The Cougars hosted the Bulldogs at the Marriott Center on Saturday, February 22.

One of seven seniors honored before tip-off, Childs made sure his last game at the Marriott Center would be one to remember.

Childs led the BYU with a game-high 28 points on 12-19 shooting as the Cougars defeated Gonzaga 91-78.

DOWN GOES NO. 2 GONZAGA!!!!#GoCougs #BYUHoops pic.twitter.com/kelCeLjKy5

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 23, 2020

Special Seniors For BYU

“Sometimes you try and speak things into existence,” said BYU head coach Mark Pope after the win. “It doesn’t always happen but when it does, it’s pretty special.”

After deciding to return to BYU for his senior season, Childs has suffered through the ups and downs on an NCAA suspension as well as injury this season.

Saturday night’s upset victory made Childs’ fight through ups and downs worth it.

Yoeli Childs for @BYUbasketball vs. No. 2 Gonzaga tonight:

28 pts
10 reb
3 ast
.632 FG%

The last player to reach all of those numbers in a game against a team ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the AP Poll was Dwyane Wade during his triple-double in the 2003 NCAA Tournament vs. Kentucky.

— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) February 23, 2020

Childs finished the game with 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block to lead BYU.

YOELI PUTS A PUNCTATION MARK ON THE WIN #BYU @kslsports pic.twitter.com/U2dUBEvwD9

— Zak Hicken (@zakhicken) February 23, 2020

Fellow Cougar seniors Jake Toolson and TJ Haws did their part in making the upset happen.

Toolson scored 17 points on 5-11 field goals including 5-9 from three. He added 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals.

HOW YOU FEELIN JAKE?? @jtoolgoinham #MadeItRain #BYUhoops pic.twitter.com/jPejXwpuku

— The ROC (@byuROC) February 23, 2020

Haws poured in 16 points on 7-16 shooting including 2-6 from downtown. He added 4 rebounds, 8 rebounds, and a steal in the win.

Zigged The Zags

BYU started the game well and took a 46-38 lead at halftime. The Cougars maintained their advantage throughout the second half despite a forceful run by the Zags late in the game.

The Cougars finished the game shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from beyond the arc.

MAKE IT RAIN ☔️ pic.twitter.com/9yjun11X8Y

— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) February 23, 2020

BYU limited Gonzaga to 41.7 percent shooting including 20.0 percent from distance.

The Zags were carried by Killian Tillie’s 18 points on 5-10 field goals. Corey Kispert and Filip Petrusev scored 16 points and 14 points respectively.

What It Means

BYU head coach Mark Pope collected his 100th career victory as a college basketball head coach with the win.

Saturday’s victory snapped a six-game losing streak for the Cougars against the Bulldogs. It was Gonzaga’s second loss this season. The defeated snapped a 40 game winning streak by the Zags in the West Coast Conference and was their first WCC loss since falling to Saint Mary’s on January 18, 2018.

STREAK SNAPPED 🚨

No. 23 BYU upsets No. 2 Gonzaga and ends the Zags’ regular season 40-game WCC win streak! #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/wlEzHyGMP1

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) February 23, 2020

The last time BYU defeated Gonzaga was February 25, 2017. The Zags were ranked No. 1 in the country entering that game.

With the loss, Gonzaga moved to 27-2 on the season and 13-2 in conference play.

BYU improved to 23-7 overall and 12-3 in WCC games.

#BYU defeats Gonzaga 91-78 in one of the best atmospheres you’ll ever see in college basketball. #BYUhoops @kslsports pic.twitter.com/dyEYmd2gjh

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 23, 2020

Up Next

The Cougars travel to Malibu, California to place the Pepperdine Waves on Saturday, February 29 at 4 p.m. (MDT). The game will broadcast on KSL News Radio 1160 AM and 102.7 FM. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

BYU defeated Pepperdine 107-80 in the first meeting of the season.