It certainly was not a pretty first half of basketball for BYU against Idaho on Saturday, but the Cougars stormed out of the locker room to take control of the game in the second half. While there were a variety of contributors, no one can argue that Fousseyni Traore led the way, as he missed just one shot on his way to a career-high.
He's the obvious number one for Saturday's rankings, but who else stood out? Let's take a look.
1. Fousseyni Traore
No surprise here, as Fouss was absolutely dominant Saturday afternoon. He nearly went perfect, but even with his one miss, finished with a career high 29 points, including going 7-7 from the free throw line (which was much appreciated in this game). Unstoppable would be an understatement describing the big man, but that’s the best we can say about it. He was one rebound shy of a double double, but he’ll still remember this game for a long time
2. Richie Saunders
On almost any other day, Saunders would be number one, and he certainly has an argument. The junior ended up with 26 points, including four 3 pointers. He was a big reason BYU was able to pull away in the second half, with some pestering defense that led to four steals and a lot of fast break opportunities for the Cougars.
3. Egor Demin
Demin somehow keeps getting better. A 3-4 night from 3 was huge, especially considering shooting was one of his biggest question marks entering the season. Aside from the shooting, he had two excellent finishes around the rim, avoiding the shot blockers and utilizing tough angles from the backboard. His 7.5 assists per game put him at 14th in the country, and he could be primed to move up on that list.
4. Trevin Knell
Knell was 2-4 from 3, which is all BYU can really ask for. He came up big early in the second half, knocking down a 3, before giving Catchings a nice fast break pass for him to dunk home. That stretch, which also included three Demin free throws, was instrumental in allowing the Cougars to finally pull away.
5. Dawson Baker
We can all agree that BYU played a very poor first half, but Dawson Baker prevented things from getting even worse. While last game he was a sniper, Baker played a bit of a floor general role in this one, notching four assists, including a great dime to Traore, to make sure BYU didn’t fall too far behind.
6. Kanon Catchings
It wasn’t the best day for Catchings, finishing with 8 points on 2-7 shooting. He did a great job of getting to the line, but next time, he’ll have to convert, as he was 3-7 on his free throws.
7. Keba Keita
Keita scored four points in this one, but he suffered an ankle injury late in the game and had to be helped off the floor. The hope is that the injury isn’t too serious, as Keita has been terrific through four games this season.
8. Mihailo Boskovic
Boskovic missed both of his three point attempts, but dished out two dimes. One was to a backdoor cutting Saunders, and the other a quick pass for an easy Fouss bucket.
9. Mawot Mag
Mag was fairly quiet in his 10 minutes, but he did knock down some free throws, which is more than some people can say. He also leaped for an offensive rebound that led to two more Traore points.
10. Elijah Crawford
It will be interesting to see what Crawford’s role is with Dallin Hall’s return on the horizon. A lack of turnovers for the first time this season was a good sign for the freshman. He also had a nice steal playing some help defense, but missed the ensuing free throw.
Season Standings
Points are assigned in inverse order for the top 10. 1st place = 10 points, 2nd place = 9 points, etc.
1. Egor Demin, 37 points
2. Fousseyni Traore, 32
3. Richie Saunders, 29
4. Keba Keita, 27
T5. Dawson Baker, 23
T5. Trevin Knell, 23
7. Kanon Catchings, 22
8. Mihailo Boskovic, 16
9. Mawot Mag, 14
10. Elijah Crawford, 7
T11. Brody Kozlowkski, Max Triplett, Townsend Tripple, Jared McGregor, 1