Instant Takeaways From BYU’s Bounce Back Win Over Oklahoma State
Jan 14, 2025, 9:50 PM | Updated: Jan 15, 2025, 3:01 pm
PROVO, Utah – The BYU basketball team bounced back in conference play with a win over Oklahoma State 85-69.
BYU blew a 27-point lead but surged late in the half to get the win which snapped a three-game losing streak.
Here are my takeaways from the Cougar win.
Starting lineup change for BYU basketball
For the second consecutive game head coach Kevin Young made a change to the starting lineup.
Mawot Mag got the start in place of Kanon Catchings. Egor Demin, Richie Saunders, Trevin Knell, and Keba Keita started as well.
Trevin Knell with his 30th career game with three or more 3-pointers.#BYUHoops #GoCougs
— BYU Game Notes (@BYUGameNotes) January 15, 2025
Young has been searching for a more balanced starting group since Demin returned from injury. I’m not sure this starting group yielded the results he was looking for, however.
The starting group only scored four points in the first three minutes of the game.
It wasn’t until Dallin Hall and Fousseyni Traore came in at the 17:15 mark that things drastically changed. BYU went on a 14-2 run over the next four minutes to take control of the game.
One thing is clear, Young is finding more playing time for his experienced players. Saunders led all players with 30 minutes played.
The only freshman to play double-digit minutes was Demin. He was second in minutes played behind Saunders.
Catchings only played seven minutes. He was in foul trouble in the first half, which limited his play.
How Catchings responds after seeing his playing time go down will be something to monitor as conference play continues.
BYU veteran players led the way
Regardless of talent, experience remains paramount for success in college basketball.
BYU’s experienced players led the way. Trevin Knell had a bounce-back game after struggling against TCU. He led all scorers with 18 points. Most of his damage came in the first half.
However, the strongest, and most important performance of the night came from Hall. He had a season-high 14 points while making all three of his three-point attempts.
Oklahoma State went on a huge 20-2 second-half run to get within one possession midway through the half. The Cougars once led by 27 points, but the Cowboys found themselves only down three points 51-48.
#BYU head coach Kevin Young on the play of his PG's:
"Dallin and Egor's leadership is the reason we won the game. They were composed."#BYUhoops
— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) January 15, 2025
Hall made back-to-back triples that gave the Cougars some much-needed breathing room after that big surge from the Cowboys.
His emotion after making baskets, and buckets from teammates, was reminiscent of Hall at his best last season.
Whether he starts or comes off the bench, BYU needs Hall to make a tournament push.
Egor Demin second half success
It was a tale of two halves offensively for the talented freshman.
Demin was held scoreless in the first half, missing all three of his field goal attempts.
However, he did pull down four rebounds and dished out five assists. It was encouraging to see him engaged in other parts of the game when his shot wasn’t falling.
Egor Demin for three! That was only his second three of Big 12 play.
Demin is coming alive on the offensive end in this second half against Oklahoma State.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 15, 2025
The second half saw Demin pour in 10 points. He made a three-point shot that brought a loud applause from the Marriott Center faithful.
Demin finished with 10 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. He committed three turnovers but improved in that area after struggling to handle the ball against TCU.
Perhaps this is a turning point for Demin as he looks to find consistency post-injury.
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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