BYU had a rough night. They struggled early and never bounced back. Houston took a big lead early, and BYU didn't score for a while. BYU couldn't recover. BYU trailed by as many as 22 and never led. It was a tough game, and the BYU Cougars will need to bounce back. They may take a hit on Selection Sunday, but BYU is resilient.
The Houston Cougars got off to a hot start and scored 14 straight before BYU got on the board. Houston kept scoring, and BYU looked out of it. The first half would be a struggle, with BYU only scoring 20 points and trailing 41-20. BYU would start the second half hot but get shut down again, and despite outscoring Houston 34-33 in the second half, BYU was crushed 74-54.
BYU has had issues with slow starts lately, and this time, they couldn't come back. BYU needs to have stronger starts and not get behind early. They came back a few times but got burned with it today. Not every team is going to be easy to overcome in the second half.
BYU had some highlights. Keba Keita made a few dunks and BYU did get hot from three for a few minutes. However, Houston blocked several BYU shots, and the BYU Cougars couldn't get much going. Keiba Keta led BYU with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Egor Demin and Dallin Hall both had four assists as BYU shot 31.7% from the field and 21.4% from three. BYU was a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line.
Takeaways from BYU's 74-54 loss to Houston
1. Slow starts keep hurting BYU: BYU is having trouble with starting. The Cougars need to take smarter shots early and not get careless. Turnovers killed BYU again, and poor passing and shooting killed BYU again.
2. The inside game is not good enough: BYU struggled with interior scoring, especially in the paint. The Cougars need to be more aggressive down low and find creative ways to score when the three-pointer isn't working.
3. BYU is too reliant on the three-pointer: BYU tried too many threes when there were other options available. BYU has focused too much on three pointers and less on scoring inside. BYU needs to work on their inside game and figure out how to find other shots when the three is off.
It was a rough game for BYU, and things weren't clicking. The Cougars looked stagnant and deflated. BYU has a couple of weeks to reset before the NCAA Tournament and should take full advantage of that time. BYU can bounce back in their next game but they do have some things to work on.
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