After plenty of good chances and a number of disappointments, BYU men’s basketball finally won their first road game of the season in an 83-67 victory over Colorado. Despite the fact that they had blown halftime leads in three of their previous four games, the Cougars rode a second half of dominance to pull away from the Buffs and notch their third conference win thus far.
Both teams found themselves in desperate situations heading into the game, as BYU was looking for their previously mentioned first road win, while Colorado was hoping to get their first Big 12 win of the season and stop a six-game slide. This desperation spilled over into plenty of frustration in the first half, as things got chippy between both teams and a number of technical fouls were handed out.
Initially, Colorado took advantage of the chaos and had the Cougars clearly rattled. They went on a 14-0 run late in the first half and things for a moment looked like they might get out of hand for Kevin Young’s squad. Colorado was not only making shots, but outcompeting BYU on the glass, something that doesn’t happen very often.
But just before the half ended, Richie Saunders put the Cougars on his back for a personal 7-0 run that included a block and a steal. Some free throws and a Dawson Baker 3-pointer gave BYU a two-point lead heading into the break.
Kevin Young must have then delivered a moving halftime address, because after that point, it was all Cougars. BYU stormed out of the locker room with a 23-2 run that all but won them the game. It was arguably the best stretch of Cougar basketball all season. Knell, Mag, Saunders, Demin, and others all took part in putting on a show in Boulder. Demin in particular wowed the crowd with a pass between his legs to an open Saunders as well as a reverse dunk in transition.
From that point on they kept Colorado from getting too close and cruised to a comfortable win, which was quite surprising for those who watched the first half. BYU will be looking to replicate their terrific shooting night the rest of the season, as they ended the game with a 58.5% shooting mark from the field, and 45.8% mark from 3.
Saunders led the way for the Cougs with 25 points on 10-15 shooting. He scored in a variety of ways including knocking down 3s, hitting an endless amount of floaters, and finishing near the rim in transition. Trevin Knell and Mawot Mag also scored in double figures, with Knell hitting four triples on his way to 14 points and Mag going inside to score his 11 points.
Another good sign for Cougar fans was the performance of Egor Demin. While he only finished with 8 points, he was able to finish at the rim early in the game, which was key for opening up the rest of the BYU offense. He also had 7 assists on the night and looked comfortable throughout the entire game. It was a very encouraging performance for a player looking to get going after a bit of a cold stretch.
As for the Buffs, Julian Hammond III was often their only offense, as the senior finished with 17 points on 6-12 shooting. Colorado opened the game shooting 75% from the field, but then missed their next 16 field goal attempts, as BYU’s zone defense took control of the game.
The win moves BYU to 12-6 on the season and 3-4 in the Big 12. They’ll return home for their next game against Cincinnati Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. MST.