BYU vs. Gonzaga Box Score

BYU vs. Gonzaga Postgame Notes

PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s basketball lost 93-63 to No. 4 Gonzaga at the Marriott Center on Thursday.

“Gonzaga played really aggressive and they executed well,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “We had a hard time on both sides of the ball. We started off with a nice steal and a couple pretty good defensive stops in the first minute or two, but we just had a hard time trying to convert. I think that hurt our confidence, but the guys hung in there pretty good and battled back.”

TJ Haws scored a team-high 16 points for the Cougars making seven of 14 shots from the field. Zac Seljaas contributed 13 points off the bench, including three second-half 3-pointers, and Yoeli Childs added 12 points while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out a team-high three assists.

McKay Cannon and Haws both recorded steals for BYU (13-10, WCC 5-3) on the first two defensive possessions of the game giving the Cougars a quick 3-0 lead over Gonzaga (20-2, WCC 7-0).

TJ Haws ended a seven-point run from the Bulldogs with his second basket of the game to bring the score to 7-5. The Bulldogs continued on their hot shooting scoring the next 10 points to take a 17-5 lead over the Cougars five minutes into the first period.

Childs scored eight-straight points for the Cougars to cut the deficit to single digits, 21-13. Seljaas scored a floater and Jahshire Hardnett added a 3-pointer to bring BYU within five points, 23-18 midway through the half.

The Bulldogs went on another 10-0 run to take a 33-18 lead with just under five minutes left in the half. Hardnett scored a driving layup to stop the Gonzaga run temporarily before the Bulldogs added another six-consecutive points to push their lead to 41-20. Connor Harding drove the baseline for a dunk and Gavin Baxter made his first basket of the game to bring the score to 41-24 at the half.

The Cougars opened the half with a jumper from Childs and a pair of baskets from Haws chipping the Bulldog’s lead to 43-30. Gonzaga put a stop to the run outscoring the Cougars 10-4 and extending the lead to 53-34.

Nick Emery scored a 3-point shot from behind the arc and Seljaas scored a fast-break layup making the score 54-40. The Bulldogs pulled away from the Cougars again with an 8-2 run claiming a 20-point lead 62-42 midway through the second half.

Seljaas scored a 3-point jumper and Haws scored a layup as both teams traded baskets before Gonzaga went on a nine-point run to lead the game 77-49 with a little over five minutes remaining.

Seljaas made two more 3-point shots and Haws added four more points down the stretch for the Cougars. However, the Bulldogs continued to match each basket halting any attempt of a comeback outscoring BYU 16-14 to close the period and winning the game 93-63.

The Cougars remain at home to host Loyola Marymount at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. MST. The game will be televised live on BYUtv and audio broadcasts can be heard on BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2), BYU Sports Network and KSL (1160 AM/102.7 FM).

BYU Game Notes

BYU men's basketball will host league foe and No. 4/4 Gonzaga in a key West Coast Conference matchup Thursday at 9 p.m. MST in the Marriott Center. The Bulldogs are currently first in the WCC standings at 6-0 while the Cougars are tied for second at 5-2.

Thursday's game will be televised live on ESPN2. The game with also be broadcast live on the BYU Sports Network on BYU Radio – Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2 and KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM.

BYU Storylines

• Yoeli Childs is climbing the ranks in several categories of the BYU record book. The junior forward is fifth in career double-doubles with 32, tied for 11th in career 20-point games and 18th in career points.
• McKay Cannon and Gavin Baxter have both taken advantage of increased playing time of late. Since being insterted into the starting lineup at the beginning of WCC play, Cannon is shooting 59.1 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from 3. Over the last three games, Baxter is averaging 8.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 78.6 percent from the field.
• TJ Haws has posted seven-plus assists in four of the last five games, including a career-high tying eight assists twice. During that stretch, he is averaging 6.4 assists with a 3.2 to 1 assist to turnover ratio.

BYU Cougars (13-9, 5-2 WCC)

• Head Coach: Dave Rose
• Alma Mater: Houston, 1983
• Division I Career Record: 342-131 (14th)
• Record at BYU: Same

Gonzaga Bulldogs (19-2, 6-0 WCC)

• Head Coach: Mark Few
• Alma Mater: Oregon, 1997
• Career Record: 554-120 (19th)
• Record at Gonzaga: Same

Game Information

• TV: ESPN2
• TV Talent: Dave Feldman (play-by-play), Dan Dickau (analyst)
• Live Video: WatchESPN.com
• Radio: BYU Sports Network, BYU Radio Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2, FM 100.3
• Radio Talent: Greg Wrubell (play-by-play), Mark Durrant (analyst)
• Live Stats: BYUcougars.com

Series Information

• Series Record: 6-15
• Last Meeting: Gonzaga won 74-54, 03/06/18
• H/A/N: 2-5/3-4/1-6

Promotions

• A Cosmo Bobblehead will be given to the first 5,000 fans in attendance (limit one per person)