BYU basketball always finds a way. They did tonight when the three-ball wasn't falling in the first half. The answer was Fousseyni Traore down low. BYU found Fouss time and time again to give them a bulk of their first half points.
It wasn't a good first half for either team, with the score at halftime a low 25-19. BYU was playing bully ball down low, and they did not make a three the entire first half. It looked like it was going to be a tough game for the Cougars' offense. BYU did end the half on a 10-0 run.
The Cougars turned it around in the second half, with Egor Demin hitting a three to start the second half. BYU would take over in the next few minutes and started building a big lead. West Virginia fought back, but BYU was too good. The Cougars led by as much as 30 and got hot from three, shooting 45.5% in the second half. Egor Demin had a pair of threes, and BYU looked like a different team in the second half.
Fousseyni Traore led all scorers with 20 points, as the big man dominated down low. Fouss also had 10 rebounds and 2 assists to his name. Dallin Hall had six assists, and BYU cruised. There was a night-and-day difference between the first and second halves.
BYU showed a lot of promise in this game, but the slow start was concerning. BYU can't afford to have those slow starts in the postseason, especially if they want to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. BYU needs to get going quickly if they want to keep the momentum going.
The Cougars were electric in the second half, with some threes falling and the defense stifling the Mountaineers' advances. The Cougars have now won six straight and have a good-looking team that could win some hardware this year.