Brigham Young University
Nov 27 | 07:30 PM
75 - 64
University of Utah
Tyson Jex | Posted: 27 Nov 2021 | Updated: 16 Dec 2021
Tyson Jex

BYU stays undefeated, picks up rivalry road win at Utah

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Te'Jon Lucas Utah 2021

Box Score 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Te’Jon Lucas tied a career-high and Caleb Lohner recorded his first career double-double as No. 18 BYU defeated Utah 75-64 for its first win at the Huntsman Center since Dec. 10, 2011.

“These rivalry games are always great,” said BYU head coach Mark Pope. “They are always emotional. You can throw the rankings and stats out of the window. Craig (Smith) is a terrific coach, and he is going to make the rivalry better. Our guys came in and fought hard.”

Lucas scored 18 points for the second straight game, going 8-of-10 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Lohner grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with 10 points as the Cougars outrebounded the Utes 45-28. Alex Barcello reached double figures for the ninth straight game with 17 points, with Gavin Baxter chipping in 14.

The Cougars trailed for the entirety of the first half for the first time this season. Utah jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Barcello scored to get the Cougars on the board with a pull-up jumper and kickstarted a 6-0 run.

Lucas would connect on BYU’s only 3-pointer of the first half at the 14:26 mark, off an offensive rebound from Gideon George. Utah continued to shoot the ball well from downtown with Branden Carlson and Both Gach burying threes as the Cougars trailed by seven, 18-11.

Spencer Johnson gave BYU a boost off the bench with the junior guard scoring four points, including a pull-up jumper at 8:38 to cut the deficit to two, 21-19. The Cougars would hold the Utes without a basket for almost six minutes but were unable to take the lead.

Lucas scored the final two of his seven first half points on a contested layup to cut the deficit to two, 29-27, at halftime.

BYU scored the first four points of the second half to take its first lead of the game at 31-29. Utah responded with a 5-0 run to push its lead to 36-33 at the 17:22 mark.

Johnson continued to attack the basket with a driving layup that spearheaded a 6-0 run for the Cougars, as they pushed their lead to a then-game-high three, 39-36. Utah retook the lead on another 4-0 run on baskets from Carlson and Jaxon Brenchley.

A Lucas jumper at 13:28 was the start of a 13-2 run for the Cougars that pushed their lead to 11, 52-41, with less than 10 minutes to play. Lohner would score three straight points for the Cougars followed by a driving layup from Barcello. Baxter continued the run with a fastbreak layup. Carlson would go 1-of-2 from the charity stripe before George hit a long two followed by a dunk from Fousseyni Traore.

Lucas had an incredible three possessions for the Cougars as he hit a corner three, followed up by another jumper, before assisting on an alley-oop to Baxter.

The Utes would cut the lead to five, 61-56, with under six minutes remaining in regulation, but the Cougars' ability to get offensive rebounds kept them in the lead. Barcello sealed the game for the Cougars going 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the final two minutes to hand Pope his 50th victory at BYU.

The Cougars continue their three-game road trip on Wednesday against crosstown rival Utah Valley. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the UCCU Center.

 

 
Tyson Jex | Posted: 26 Nov 2021 | Updated: 7 Dec 2021
Tyson Jex

No. 18 BYU begins three-game road trip on Saturday at Utah

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Spencer Johnson Texas Southern 2021

PROVO, Utah – No. 18 BYU begins its three-game road trip on Saturday evening with a trip to Salt Lake City to face off against rival Utah at the Huntsman Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Saturday’s contest will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network. It will also be broadcast live on BYU Sports Network on the BYU Cougars App/BYUCougars.com/LiveRadio – BYU Radio 107.9 FM.

No. 18 BYU Notes (5-0, 0-0 West Coast Conference)

  • BYU improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2010-11 with its 81-64 win over Texas Southern on Wednesday evening at the Marriott Center in Provo. Te’Jon Lucas scored a team-high 18 points while dishing out seven assists as the Cougars have now won all four meetings against the Tigers.
  • Beginning with Saturday’s game, BYU will play eight of its next nine games away from Provo including a trip to the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic over Christmas.
  • Lucas ranks 10thnationally in assist-to-turnover ratio and has 14 assists and one turnover in the past two games. His 5.6 assists per game also rank him in the Top 25 in NCAA Division I men’s basketball.
  • Alex Barcello ranks second in the West Coast Conference and 26thin the nation in 3-point percentage. The senior guard is shooting 51.9 percent as he has made multi-3-pointers in eight straight games dating back to last season.
  • The Cougars own one of the top 3-point field goal defenses in the nation as opposing teams are shooting 21.0 percent from beyond the arc.
  • A win on Saturday would be BYU’s first at the Huntsman Center since Dec. 10, 2011 when Noah Hartsock scored a game-high 19 points.

Head Coach – Mark Pope

  • Alma Mater: Kentucky, 1996
  • Division I Career Record: 126-71 (7th Season)
  • Record at BYU: 49-15 (3rdSeason)

Utah Notes (5-0, 0-0 Pac-12)

  • Utah is 5-0 on the season after winning the Sunshine Slam last week with wins over Bethune-Cookman, Boston College and Tulsa.
  • The Utes are led by first-year head coach Craig Smith, who made the move to Salt Lake City after spending four years at Utah State. He was 74-24 during his time in Logan while leading the Aggies to three consecutive 20-plus win seasons, two Mountain West Conference Tournament Championships and a regular season championship.
  • Branden Carlson is the leading scorer for Utah as the South Jordan native is averaging 15.4 points per game. He has scored in double figures in all five games including a season-high 21 against Sacramento State.
  • Marco Anthony, one of two transfers from Utah State, is the leading a rebounder for the Utes with 8.8 boards per game. He pulled down a career-best 17 rebounds against Sac State to go along with six points and six assists.

Head Coach – Craig Smith

  • Alma Mater: North Dakota, 1996
  • Division I Career Record: 158-79 (8th season)
  • Record at Utah: 5-0 (1stseason)

Series Information

  • Series Record: 132-129
  • Last Meeting: BYU won 82-64, December 12, 2020
  • H/A/N: 74-69/49-75/7-5

Broadcast Information

  • TV: Pac-12 Network
  • TV Talent: Roxy Bernstein, Don MacLean
  • Radio: BYU Radio 107.9 FM
  • Streamed Audio: BYU Cougars App, BYUCougars.com/LiveRadio
  • Radio Talent: Jason Shepherd (play-by-play), Mark Durrant (analyst)
  • Live stats: BYUCougars.com

 

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