BYU Gets Big Home Win Over Saint Mary’s
Jan 24, 2019, 11:13 PM
Brigham Young Cougars guard TJ Haws (30) dribbles the ball while guarded by St. Mary's Gaels guard Tanner Krebs (0) at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. (Silas Walker, Deseret News)
(Silas Walker, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – The BYU Cougars played a nearly perfectly clean ball game en route to a big 71-66 win over Saint Mary’s.
After taking an 88-66 beating at Saint Mary’s on Jan. 5, the Cougars got their revenge in a five-point victory at home.
In the win, the Cougars committed just two turnovers while forcing the Gaels into 15 giveaway, including 10 in the second half. The Cougars scored 17 points off the turnovers and that was the difference as they got the win and leapfrogged the Gaels in the West Coast Conference standings.
Cougs win!!
BYU 71 – 66 SMC#BYUhoops #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/RRWQJCPXAl
— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) January 25, 2019
Cougars Get Revenge
In the first half, BYU took a five-point lead at 27-22 with 5:48 remaining in the first half after a 10-0 run after Saint Mary’s built its largest lead at 22-17.
The Cougars ended the first half on a strong 16-4 run with a buzzer-beating jumper by Yoeli Childs to give BYU a 33-26 lead at the break.
Fadeaway buzzer-beater ✅@yochilds22 gives BYU a 33-26 lead heading into the half!#BYUhoops #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/lTjI7VMBaH
— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) January 25, 2019
BYU maintained its lead over Saint Mary’s for the majority of the second half, thanks to a bevy of turnovers by the Gaels. But with six minutes remaining, Saint Mary’s made its move, going on a 10-0 to whittle BYU’s lead down to two with 3:44 remaining. The Cougars rebuilt the lead to eight with 35 seconds remaining after turning up the defensive pressure on the Gaels.
Saint Mary’s played the foul game and made a 3-pointer at the end, but the game ultimately went the Cougars’ way.
Key Stats
One of the top 3-point shooting teams in the nation, Saint Mary’s missed its first 13 attempts from downtown. They made 5-of-7 to end the game, but the slow start from beyond the arc really hurt the Gaels.
Childs finished with yet another double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
¯_(ツ)_/¯#BYUhoops #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/cRi7ujjp0S
— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) January 25, 2019
TJ Haws contributed 17 points with seven assists.
Malik Fitts led the Gaels with 19 points.
Next Up
BYU will next host the class of the West Coast Conference, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, next Thursday at 9 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
