BYU Scores More Than 100 Points For First Time This Season In Win Over Waves

PROVO, Utah – Winners of nine straight games in the Marriott Center, the BYU Cougars defeated the Pepperdine Waves 107-80.

This was the Cougars’ first time scoring over 100 points this season.

It would have been easy for the Cougars to look ahead to Saturday’s matchup versus St. Mary’s, but BYU locked-in from the opening tip. 

“We’re a really veteran team,” said senior forward Yoeli Childs, who finished with 21 points and nine rebounds. “Everyone was really locked in about this game. That’s why we haven’t dropped two in a row. That will never happen with this team.”

COUGS WIN!!#BYUhoops #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/Pus45pDFmC

— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) January 31, 2020

The game was tied at five early, but BYU jumped all over Pepperdine with a massive 23-2 run early in the first half. The highlight of the run was a beautiful pass from Jake Toolson to Conner Harding for a one-handed slam dunk, giving BYU a double-digit lead at 28-7.

Pepperdine fought back in the first half with a 16-0 run of their own to cut the halftime lead to eight. BYU led it 46-38 at the break. 

In a game where both teams had massive runs of 10+ points, it was BYU who jumped out fast in the second half with a 20-5 run to reestablish a double-digit point lead, and the Cougars never looked back.

✅ 100+ points
✅ 16 3s
✅ 60% shooting@BYUBasketball | @WCChoops pic.twitter.com/UX53u9CgxW

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) January 31, 2020

“When know this is a game of runs,” said BYU guard Jake Toolson. “Teams are going to make runs, we’re going to go on runs, I think we just need to stay together.”

BYU lit the nets on fire in the second half, scoring 61 points on 63% shooting. The Cougars poured in 17 made threes for the game, which tied the season-high set earlier in the year vs Virginia Tech at the Maui Invitational. 

BYU ties the school record for made threes in a game with 17 (!) as they roll on their way to a 107-80 win. @BYUBasketball | @WCChoops pic.twitter.com/WfnUzess2F

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) January 31, 2020

It was a masterful offensive showing from the Cougars who entered the game as the third-best three-point shooting team in the country, but head coach Mark Pope wasn’t entirely happy with the performance.

“We shot the ball really well, but our attention is on the other side of the ball,” said Pope. “February needs to be an angry month. It’s not supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be, we come out with a real determination to get stops on every single possession.”

Coach Mark Pope wasn’t pleased with the defensive lapses tonight: pic.twitter.com/r1ye2j2lzR

— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) January 31, 2020

Jake Toolson lead all scorers with 25 points. He was red hot from long distance, making seven of ten threes. It was his 11th game of the season with three or more made three-pointers. 

“I get my misses out early,” Jake Toolson said jokingly. “I know the rest of the game, they’re in trouble. I usually like to see one miss, then I can adjust, and I know the rest are going in.”

Toolson set a new career-high for three’s made in a single game with seven. He was 7-10 from beyond the arc vs Pepperdine. 

“He’s a star,” said Coach Pope. “He’s an all-American player. He’s one of the premier shooters in the country.”

Pepperdine star Colbey Ross was held in check, only scoring 16 points and serving out seven assists. Both stats were below his season average. 

Kameron Edwards led the Waves in scoring with 20 points. 

Up Next

A rematch with the St. Mary’s Gaels on Saturday night. This time around, Yoeli Childs will be available and ready to go.

Three Interesting Stats: 

1. This BYU basketball team is hard to beat when they shoot the ball as they did versus Pepperdine, making 61.2% of their shots. The Cougars are 14-2 this season when out-shooting their opponents.
2. BYU is now 8-0 this season when coming off a loss. This is a really meaningful statistic. Coach Pope has this team focused. Their ability to put a loss behind them quickly is an important characteristic of getting back to the big dance. 
3. Jake Toolson has scored in double figures 19 times this season. He’s been outstanding the past three games, averaging 23 points per game during that span. He’s been so consistent for the Cougars this season. Without Toolson, I don’t think BYU could have survived the Yoeli suspension and remained in the hunt for an NCAA appearance.