Cougars rally to defeat Aggies in second half

BYU vs. USU Notes and Quotes

BYU vs. USU Box Score

LOGAN, Utah – Tyler Haws, Kyle Collinsworth and Anson Winder combined for 72 points to defeat in-state rival Utah State 91-81 on the road on Tuesday night.

"The guys are really excited about the win," BYU basketball coach Dave Rose said. "It was a good team win even though we had two or three guys who really stepped up. We didn't shoot the ball very well from the perimeter, and we were a little bit scattered defensively, but what we really did well is find other ways to impact the game."

BYU (6-2) last won at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Jan. 8, 2000, when Terrell Lyday scored 35 points.

The Cougars outrebounded USU (3-3) 46-33 with 17 offensive rebounds and ended the game with an 87.2 free-throw percentage going 34 of 39, including 24 straight in the second half. BYU also scored 18 points off USU's turnovers and outscored the Aggies 18-2 on second-chance points. 

Haws finished with a season-high 35 points, six rebounds and two assists with Collinsworth finishing with a double-double, 20 points and 10 rebounds, to go along with four assists, three steals and one block. Collinsworth also went a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw line.

Winder added 17 points, three assists and two steals off the bench with Nate Austin pulling down nine rebounds and scoring five points.

The game got off to a slow start with Collinsworth scoring the first BYU points on a drive at the 17:16 mark for a 2-1 lead. With BYU trailing 6-4, Josh Sharp went down the lane to tie it at six apiece to begin an 8-0 run to give the Cougars a 12-6 lead. The run included four free throws by Collinsworth and Winder’s steal and layup on the break at the 13:09 mark.

Following a 6-0 run by the Aggies to tie it back at 12, Haws went on a solo 4-0 run with a deep jumper and a baseline shot to keep a 16-12 lead midway through the first half. Haws connected on a 3-pointer at the 6:59 mark with Collinsworth laying it up on the next possession to maintain a 25-21 lead.

The Cougars and Aggies traded baskets with Haws’ jumper giving BYU a two-point lead before USU retook a 32-28 lead. Chase Fischer’s shot from beyond the arc with 1:10 left in the half cut BYU’s deficit to 32-31 at the half. Collinsworth led all scorers with 12 points and five rebounds, with Haws adding nine points. 

Utah State extended its lead to 36-31 until Luke Worthington’s layup tied the game at 38 apiece 3:33 into the second half. Collinsworth’s dish to Winder on the break gave BYU a 40-39 lead at the 16:16 mark. The Cougars chipped away at a three-point deficit with buckets by Winder, Collinsworth and Haws, whose jumper put BYU back up 50-48 with 11:57 remaining.

A 12-0 BYU run capped by Haws’ jumper with 8:33 left gave the Cougars a 10-point lead at 58-48. USU and BYU continued to trade baskets while the Cougars maintained a seven to 10 point lead until Winder’s 3-pointer extended the Cougars’ lead to 73-60 with 4:06 remaining in the game. The Aggies went on a 6-0 run to cut its deficit to 77-69, but the Cougars put the game away at the charity strip to take it 91-81.

The Cougars take on Hawai’i at EnergySolutions Arena on Saturday at 4 p.m. MST. The game will be televised live on BYUtv and broadcast on the Cougar IMG Sports Network on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM.