BYU vs. Pacific Box Score

BYU vs. Pacific Postgame Notes

PROVO, Utah – BYU pulled away late to beat Pacific 69-59 and win its third-straight game Saturday night at the Marriott Center.

“I really thought we were engaged in our execution on defense,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “We made them take tough shots. We also had guys come off the bench and give us a tremendous lift tonight.”

Yoeli Childs led the Cougars with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Connor Harding came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers and add 13 points.

BYU trailed by as many as six points early on but Gavin Baxter’s lay-in halfway through the first half got the Cougars within one point at 15-14. A 3-pointer by Harding and a Childs bucket gave BYU a 19-17 lead with 7:52 on the clock.

The Cougars held a narrow lead until a Tiger 3-pointer tied the game at 30-30 with a couple minutes left in the period. Harding buried a 3 from the corner on BYU’s second-to-last possession to make it a 33-30 lead going into the locker room.

At the half, Childs and Harding led the Cougars with 11 and eight points, respectively.

Five minutes into the second half, BYU and Pacific were tied at 41-41. A few minutes later, with the score tied at 45-45, Harding knocked down his third 3 of the game to put the Cougars back on top.

For the first time since halfway through the first half, Pacific took a lead by going up 52-51 with 9:32 on the clock. The Cougars answered when Baxter found Harding cutting for an open layup to give BYU a one-point lead. On the next possession, Nick Emery made a 3-pointer for a 56-52 advantage.

The two teams exchanged leads over the next few minutes. Another Emery 3 provided a cushion with 4:25 left in the game, as the Cougars went up 63-57. From there, BYU extended its lead and went on to win 69-59.

The Cougars travel to play at San Diego on Thursday at 6 p.m. PST. That game will be streamed on TheW.tv with radio broadcasts on BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2) and KSL (1160 AM/102.7 FM).

BYU Game Notes

Coming off a dominant performance in Portland, BYU men’s basketball returns to Provo to host Pacific Saturday at 7 p.m. MST in the Marriott Center. The Cougars opened West Coast Conference play with a 90-87 win at Pacific on Jan. 3. BYU is 15-10 overall and 7-3 in the WCC while the Tigers are 13-12 and 3-7.
 
Saturday's game will be televised live on BYUtv. The game with also be broadcast live on the BYU Sports Network on BYU Radio – Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2 and KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM.

BYU Storylines

• BYU’s 19-point halftime lead vs. Portland (40-21) is tied for its second-largest halftime lead of the season. The largest was 22 vs. Alabama A&M. The Cougars also led Utah State by 19 at the break. The 21 points scored by Portland in the first half are the fewest BYU has allowed in any half this season.
• BYU’s 83-48 win vs. Portland was its largest margin of victory of the season – 35. It was BYU’s second-straight game holding its opponent to fewer than 50 points – LMU scored 49 in BYU’s 67-49 win on Feb. 2. It marks the first time the Cougars have held opponents to fewer than 50 points in back-to-back games since Jan. 13 and 16, 2010 (a 67-49 win at Air Force and a 91-47 win vs. Colorado State).
• Nick Emery made his first start of the season at Portland, totaling eight points, four rebounds and five assists. 

BYU Cougars (15-10, 7-3 WCC)

• Head Coach: Dave Rose
• Alma Mater: Houston, 1983
• Division I Career Record: 344-132 (14th)
• Record at BYU: Same

Pacific Tigers (13-12, 3-7 WCC)

• Head Coach: Damon Stoudamire
• Alma Mater: Arizona, 2008
• Career Record: 38-52 (3rd)
• Record at Pacific: Same

Game Information

• TV: BYUtv
• TV Talent: Dave McCann (play-by-play), Blaine Fowler (analyst), Spencer Linton (courtside)
• Live Video: BYUtv.org
• Radio: BYU Sports Network, BYU Radio Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2, FM 100.3
• Radio Talent: Greg Wrubell (play-by-play), Mark Durrant (analyst)
• Live Stats: BYUcougars.com

Series Information

• Series Record: 11-6
• Last Meeting: BYU won 90-87, 01/03/19
• H/A/N: 5-2/5-3/1-1