Box Score

Notes and Quotes

PROVO, Utah — Four players finished in double figures, including a career night for Hunter Erickson, as BYU men’s basketball beat Westminster 65-53 at the Marriott Center on Wednesday. 

“We didn't play our best tonight, but all things considered, I'm super proud of our guys tonight,” BYU head coach Mark Pope said. “For us right now, we just need to regroup and get healthy.”

Gideon George led the Cougars with a season-high 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and a career-high five 3-pointers. Trevin Knell added 11 points while Te’Jon Lucas and Hunter Erickson chipped in 10 points each. Erickson set career-highs in both points and minutes in the game. 

BYU finished the game shooting 43percent from the field and 45 percent from beyond the arc. The Cougars were out-rebounded by the Griffins, 38 to 37, but scored more bench points (31 to Westminster’s 23) and points in the paint, 20 to 16. They led for a total of 38:45 and never trailed in the game.

Knell and Alex Barcello each knocked down treys to open the game, giving BYU an early 6-0 lead. A 5-3 Westminster run tied it up at 8-apiece before George went on a 11-2 run by himself to make it 19-10. 

Two Fousseyni Traore blocks, a layup and an Erickson floater then had the Cougars ahead by 10, at 23-13 with just under 10 minutes to play in the first half. 

Westminster rallied back with a 7-0 run to draw within three while the Cougars went scoreless for nearly six minutes before Lucas and Barcello ended the drought with back-to-back 3-pointers from almost identical spots on the right wing, extending the Cougar lead out to nine at 29-20. 

BYU again went scoreless, this time for the final 3:16 of the half, to lead by just five through the first 20 minutes, 29-24. George led all scorers at the half with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-6 from deep. 

Opening the second half, Lucas connected from long range, Traore scored down low, Lucas knocked down a floater in the paint and Barcello scored from 3-point range to put the Cougars ahead 39-29. 

After an Erickson three and Knell layup, BYU held a lead of 14, at 46-32, before another scoreless spell of four minutes that George would end with a three from the top of the key to give the Cougars a 49-35 advantage with under eight minutes to go. 

Coming out of a timeout, Erickson electrified the crowd with a steal and fastbreak jam. Erickson, George and Knell then all hit from deep, with Knell also adding an old-fashioned 3-point play, stretching the BYU lead out to a game-high 21-points at 63-42.  

The Griffins finished the game on an 11-2 run, but the Cougars were able to close it out at 65-53.

With BYU’s previously scheduled WCC opener at Portland now postponed, the Cougars’ next game will be at home against Pacific on Thursday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m. MST. The game will be televised on BYUtv and broadcast on BYU Radio, BYU Sports Network and KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM

PROVO, Utah – For just the second this month, BYU will play at the Marriott Center when it hosts Westminster on Wednesday, Dec. 29. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Wednesday’s contest will be broadcast on BYUtv. It will also be broadcast live on BYU Sports Network on the BYU Radio – Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2 and KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM.

BYU Notes (11-3, 0-0 West Coast Conference)

• The Cougars improved to 11-3 on the season after defeating Liberty 80-75 on Christmas Day in the third-place at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic behind a double-double from Fousseyni Traore.
• Traore was named the West Coast Conference Player and Freshman of the Week following his performance in Hawaii where he averaged 13 points and 12.3 rebounds in three games over four days. His 15-rebound performance against Vanderbilt in the semifinal was the sixth-most in a single game by a freshman in program history.
• Trevin Knell is averaging 9.4 points per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the field, 41.9 percent from 3-point range and 100.0 percent from the free throw line since being inserted into the starting lineup against Missouri State.
• Since their 81-64 victory over Texas Southern on Nov. 24, BYU has traveled over 5,000 miles and played a total of nine games across four states.

Head Coach – Mark Pope

• Alma Mater: Kentucky, 1996
• Division I Career Record: 132-73 (7th Season)
• Record at BYU: 55-18 (3rd Season)

Westminster Notes (5-6, 3-2 Athletic Sun Conference)

• Westminster is 5-6 overall and 3-2 in conference play following a 78-77 setback to CSU-Pueblo in their last game before Christmas break on Dec. 16.
• Yusuf Mohamed is one of three Griffins to score in double figures this season. The Seattle, Wash. native is scoring a team-high 17.3 points per contest shooting 57.3 percent from the field, 47.1 percent from three and 74.2 percent from the free throw line. He is also pulling down a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game.

Head Coach – Norm Parrish

• Alma Mater: Northwest Nazarene, 1987
• Career Record: 546-267 (27th Season)
• Record at Westminster: 93-69 (7th Season)

Series Information

• Series Record: BYU leads 1-0
• Last Meeting: BYU won 108-59, Nov. 25, 2020
• H/A/N: 1-0/0-0/0-0

Broadcast Information

• TV: BYUtv
• TV Talent: Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, Spencer Linton
• Radio: BYU Sports Network, BYU Radio Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2, KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM
• Streamed Audio: BYURadio.org, BYUCougars.com/LiveRadio and the BYU Radio, BYU Cougars and BYU Gameday apps
• Radio Talent: Greg Wrubell, Mark Durrant
• Live stats: BYUCougars.com