BYU Hammered In First Big 12 Loss Of Season At No. 14 Houston
Jan 4, 2025, 2:10 PM | Updated: Jan 6, 2025, 2:43 pm
BYU tipped off the 2025 calendar year with a Big 12 road loss at No. 14 Houston.
The All-Cougar matchup was all Houston from start to finish.
Final: No. 14 Houston 86, BYU 55.
Biggest margin of defeat for a BYU team since a 33-point loss to Gonzaga in 2022.
BYU falls to 10-3 overall, 1-1 in Big 12 play.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 4, 2025
Houston crushed BYU 86-55 inside the Fertitta Center. The victory was Houston’s 30th consecutive win on their home floor. BYU’s 31-point defeat is the largest for the Cougars since a 33-point setback against Gonzaga in Provo three years ago.
BYU struggled against the nation’s No. 1 defense. Houston forced BYU into 15 turnovers, and the Cougars in blue were outrebounded by 13 (37-24).
Kelvin Sampson’s Houston squad knocked down 16 three-pointers led by Emmanuel Sharp, who was 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and had a game-high 18 points.
BYU’s leading scorer was Trevin Knell, who scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three. Knell was the only BYU player who reached double-figures in scoring.
Heralded freshmen Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings combined for nine points.
First Half
15:23 – The physicality of Houston’s defense was on display in the opening minutes as BYU had a shot clock violation and an offensive foul in their first two possessions.
Egor Demin had a beautiful reverse layup to begin the scoring for BYU. An interesting defensive decision to start the game was Demin guarding Houston’s LJ Cryer.
Houston’s Emmanuel Sharp, who was dealing with a foot injury recently, opened the game with five points and drew a foul on Keba Keita before the first media timeout. Houston 7, BYU 4
12:27 – Turnovers were an issue for BYU early in the game. Through the first seven minutes, BYU committed five turnovers. One of the five turnovers was an aggressive double team from Houston’s Tugler and Roberts on BYU center Fousseyni Traore. They extended Traore to the three-point line, and he tossed a cross-court pass out of bounds.
Houston has capitalized on the BYU turnovers, scoring 11 points. Houston 16, BYU 6.
Houston's defense is frustrating BYU in the early going. BYU has five turnovers in the first seven minutes of action.
BYU only has seven field goal attempts to Houston's 11.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 4, 2025
8:00 – Trevin Knell knocked down two threes with a quick release. However, BYU left some opportunities on the court for additional points. Dawson Baker had two open looks that were off and Knell had an attempt from the corner that was wide open but slightly missed. Houston 19, BYU 12.
3:10 – Along with turnovers, allowing offensive rebounds to Houston was an issue for BYU. Houston was all over the offensive glass. BYU had a few defensive stops that generated offense. Kanon Catchings had a block that got Richie Saunders downhill, leading to a fastbreak layup. But those moments were few and far between. UH 32, BYU 19.
HALF: Houston 39, BYU 22
#BYU 🏀 is down 17 at the break against Houston and the Houston Cougars have 17 points off turnovers.
No flow or rhythm at all for the Provo Cougs.
— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) January 4, 2025
BYU finished the first half with more turnovers (10) than field goals made (8). Houston outrebounded BYU, who entered the game as the Big 12’s number-one rebound margin team, 20-12. The Coogs had a 10-3 margin in the first half in offensive rebounds.
Houston capitalized on BYU’s mistakes, scoring 17 points off turnovers.
Trevin Knell was BYU’s leading scorer with nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from three.
All eight Houston players who played in the first half scored points. Terrance Arceneaux and Emmanuel Sharp scored nine points each.
Second Half
15:39 – BYU’s offense showed some life as Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders knocked down a pair of threes. However, BYU couldn’t get the stops on the defensive end. Houston’s Emmanuel Sharp was in the game with three fouls, knocking down two threes, while BYU was in a 2-3 zone. UH 46, BYU 29.
14:42 – Coming out of the media timeout, Houston’s J’Wan Roberts grabbed an offensive rebound and scored a bucket at the rim. Egor Demin then missed a contested shot, resulting in a one-and-done for BYU’s offense. Houston’s LJ Cryer then rose up from the top of the arc to bury Houston’s third three of the second half. Kevin Young called an early timeout. UH 51, BYU 29.
12:32 – BYU rolled out a lineup out of the timeout with Keba Keita and Fousseyni Traore on the floor together. Houston continued to do their thing as Milos Uzan and LJ Cryer knocked down threes, forcing Kevin Young into another timeout. UH 57, BYU 32.
We're getting a glimpse of Keita and Fouss on the floor together.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 4, 2025
11:09 – Season-high deficit for BYU at 29 points. The previous high was at Providence when they trailed by 25 with three minutes remaining in the game. Houston 63, BYU 34.
7:58 – Houston knocked down seven of its first 10 three-point attempts in the second half. BYU has no answers for the Houston attack on both ends of the floor. UH 70, BYU 39.
5:01 – For the first time in the game, BYU has more field goals made (16) than turnovers (15). UH 78, BYU 44.
Final: No. 14 Houston 86, BYU 55
Up Next for BYU Basketball
BYU returns to the Marriott Center to host the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Tuesday, January 7. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. (MST) on ESPN+ and KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM).
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
