Three Observations From BYU’s Loss At Gonzaga
Jan 8, 2021, 10:36 AM
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 07: Corey Kispert #24 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs controls the ball against Matt Haarms #3 of the BYU Cougars in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center on January 07, 2021 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
(Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – The BYU Cougars suffered their first WCC conference loss on the road to Gonzaga 86-69.
The Bulldogs jumped all over the Cougars to start the game opening up with a 23-2 run.
BYU wasn’t able to dig themselves out the early hole. It wasn’t all bad however, as the Cougars outscored Gonzaga 40-34 in the second half.
Final. pic.twitter.com/nhnVR0nJJK
— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) January 8, 2021
That will be something head coach Mark Pope can build on heading into their next conference matchup at St. Mary’s.
Here are my three observations.
1. Bench play
The Cougars bench outscored the starters 39-30. That’s not a recipe for long term success, but it’s encouraging that BYU is getting consistent bench play from Richard Harward and Caleb Lohner.
Those two guys combined for 25 points and nine rebounds. They are making a strong case for more minutes going forward.
Gideon George had a breakout game as well off the bench. He scored 11 points while pulling down five rebounds. His playing time as been spotty over the last month, but that will change going forward after a strong performance against the nation’s best basketball team.
ɢɪᴅᴇᴏɴ ɢᴇᴏʀɢᴇ is heating 🆙 on @espn @BYUbasketball | #WCChoops pic.twitter.com/i8ECck2E8G
— WCC Basketball (@WCChoops) January 8, 2021
The starters have to play better if the Cougars want to make the tournament. Outside of Matt Haarms, the other four starters only scored 17 points. That’s not good enough to compete with Gonzaga.
2. Turnovers
The Cougars committed twice as many turnovers as the Bulldogs, coughing it up 16 times.
Gonzaga scored 18 more points off those turnovers than BYU, winning that category 25-7. Quite simply, that was the biggest difference in the game.
Those turnovers helped Gonzaga get easy looks at the basket in the first half. The Bulldogs scored 14 fast break points and 26 points in the paint.
BYU was much better in those categories in the second half, even beating Gonzaga with eight more points in the paint, but it was too little too late.
3. Wyatt Lowell injury
Wyatt Lowell went down in the second half with a non-contact injury. He had to be helped off the court.
The transfer from Utah Valley University was set to play a big role this season, but suffered a labrum injury in the summer.
He was cleared to play before the season began, but Coach Pope kept his minutes light. Lowell was averaging six minutes played in the eight games he appeared in.
Mark Pope on Wyatt Lowell's injury he suffered against the Zags tonight: "We're not optimistic."#BYU #BYUHoops @kslsports
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 8, 2021
It’s heartbreaking to see a player go through a serious injury, only to occur an even more serious injury months later. I’m hoping it’s not as bad as it looked on TV, but I’m guessing this injury will end the season for Lowell. It’s likely going to impact his 2021-2022 season as well. It’s a horrible situation.
You can hear Matt Baiamonte every Saturday on KSL Newsradio for Cougar Sports Saturday from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. or you can find him on Twitter here.
