Instant Takeaway’s From BYU Basketball’s Loss Against Utah
Jan 18, 2025, 10:34 PM | Updated: Jan 20, 2025, 2:50 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The BYU basketball team lost a heartbreaker in overtime against the Utah Utes 73-72.
Trevin Knell had a chance to win the game from the free throw line in the final moments, but he missed the front end single bonus opportunity.
Let’s get some takeaways from another missed opportunity for the Cougars on the road.
Late game execution failed BYU
Offensive execution in the clutch has been a struggle for BYU this season. It failed the Cougars in the 265th rivalry meeting.
There were multiple chances in the final moments of the game to secure the first road win for Kevin Young.
BYU had the ball with a one-point lead, but Richie Saunders turned it over with 30 seconds left, which led to Hunter Erickson drawing a foul to give Utah the lead.
On the ensuing possession, Dawson Baker had a floater deep in the paint with eight seconds left, but it rimmed out.
Lawson Lovering knocked the ball out of play, giving BYU life.
Final: Utah 73, BYU 72 (Overtime)
Utah improves to 3-3 in Big 12 play, BYU falls to 2-4. pic.twitter.com/cON9TXR5rm
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 19, 2025
Knell drew a foul setting a screen on the inbound pass, but he missed the front end of one-and-one situation.
BYU had one final chance after Utah left the door open with two missed free throws, but Egor Demin was unable to get a quality shot and Utah survived.
“We have to find a way to win close games,” said head coach Kevin Young. Time is running out for BYU to turn things around.
Battle of the boards costly for BYU Basketball
BYU is the top rebounding team in the Big 12 in terms of rebounding margin. They outrebound opponents by 10 per game. Some of it is due to a soft non-conference schedule, but the point remains true. When the Cougars rebound well, they are hard to beat.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case against Utah. The Utes won the battle 47-44.
Utah is dominating on the glass to open the second half.
BYU is (-7), 9-2 on the glass.
Utes are on a 12-2 run, eight straight from Ezra Ausar. He has 12 points already in the second half.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 19, 2025
The Cougars narrowly outrebounded the Utes in the first half 23-20, but the second half was a different story.
Lovering and Ezra Ausar, who had a career high 21 points in the win for Utah, feasted on the glass.
BYU remains winless this season when they lose the battle of the boards.
Richie Saunders continues his stellar play
Saunders finished with 16 points, which was tied for the team high along with Fousseyni Traore.
He’s the most consistent player on the team. He’s also playing the best basketball of any player on the Cougars roster currently.
Richie Saunders feels like an #NBA player. The way he's playing is at an elite level. #BYU #BYUhoops
— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) January 19, 2025
His shot selection is an underrated part of his game. Saunders never forces it. His shot wasn’t falling in the second half, but he still made an impact.
He made a big reverse lay-up in overtime, but his ensuing turnover will be a moment from this game that he’ll want back.
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 @baiamontematt here.
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