PROVO, Utah – BYU improved to 2-0 in West Coast Conference play Saturday night with a 71-58 win over Portland at home in the Marriott Center. The win moved the Cougars’ win streak to seven-straight, five of which have been at home.

“It's so hard to win seven in a row and these guys have done it with their grit, humility, hunger to get better and great leadership,” said BYU head coach Mark Pope. “We're super excited about being 2-0 in conference but we have bigger challenges ahead of us and want to keep getting better. It's pretty exciting that we were able to put seven games together and still believe we can get way better.”

BOX SCORE

NOTES & QUOTES

Senior forward Gideon George led the way for BYU with 20 points on a season-high eight field goals. He also had a game-high nine rebounds. Sophomore forward Fousseyni Traore had 12 points and eight boards, with the Cougars getting scoring contributions from nine different players.

The Cougars shot 49.0 percent from the field, including 64.0 percent in the second half, while also outrebounding the Pilots 37-26. Portland had 32 points from Kirstian Sjolund, with the visitors shooting 37.5 percent on the night.

A 3-pointer from George on BYU’s first possession was the game’s only basket through the first four minutes. The teams went a combined 1-of-10 and committed four turnovers before Portland’s Sjolund converted a pair of free throws.

Junior Spencer Johnson, making his second appearance back from injury, entered the game five minutes in, providing an immediate spark off the bench. The guard made a quick three before adding two more buckets a few minutes later, giving the Cougars a 14-7 lead with nine-and-a-half minutes remaining.

Sjolund scored nine consecutive points in less than two minutes to give the Pilots their first lead of the game, 18-17. He then added a free throw to put the visitors up two with five minutes to go in the half. The Portland run also coincided with BYU committing turnovers on seven consecutive possessions.

George stopped the streak with an inside basket before Traore added three free throws on two different trips to the line to help the Cougars reclaim the lead. More free throws from both teams tied the game at 23-all before Sjolund hit a three to give him 17 points in the half. Freshman guard Dallin Hall responded with a three of his own, with his step-back jumper sending the teams to the break tied at 26.

The Cougars had 12 turnovers in the half but outrebounded the Pilots 22-13. Portland only had three players outside of Sjolund combine for nine points, while BYU saw seven different players score. Johnson led the way with seven points on 3-for-5 shooting, with George contributing six rebounds.

BYU started the second half with three points on four consecutive possessions. Traore converted a layup and the foul before George and junior forward Noah Waterman combined to score three buckets from beyond the arc. The 12-3 run gave the Cougars a 38-29 lead.

From there the teams traded buckets for the next seven minutes, with BYU eventually holding a 50-43 lead with 10 minutes remaining. George had 10 points during the stretch, with the senior finishing with 15 second-half points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a trio of three-pointers.

Sophomore forward Atiki Ally Atiki scored two baskets for his first points of the game to give the Cougars an 11-point lead with six minutes remaining. He would continue to help keep Portland at bay, subsequently catching an alley-oop from Waterman for his third basket in as many possessions. A Jaxson Robinson three then put BYU up 63-49 at the 4:53 mark.

Portland had the opportunity to cut the lead to single digits in the final minute, but Alden Applewhite missed two free throws. The Pilots missed eight shots from the line in the second half while shooting into BYU’s student section, the ROC. Senior Rudi Williams then iced the game for the Cougars after the Applewhite miss with a step-back three, with the basket good for the team’s final points in the 71-58 victory.

BYU puts its perfect WCC record to the test next weekend with a trip to Southern California beginning with a showdown against Loyola Marymount on Thursday, January 5, in Los Angeles, Calif. Watch the Cougars take-on the Lions live on ESPNU or tune-in to live play-by-play on BYU Radio Sirius XM 143,BYURadio.org/BYU Radio app or KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM.

PROVO, Utah – BYU returns to the friendly confines of the Marriott Center on Saturday, December 31, for a New Year’s Eve showdown against the Pilots of Portland. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Saturday’s contest will be broadcast on BYUtv. Greg Wrubell and Mark Durrant will also be on the call on the BYU Sports Network on BYU Radio Sirius XM 143 and KSL 102.7/1160 AM.

BYU Notes (11-5 1-0 WCC)

• BYU extended its win streak to six games following its 69-49 win over Pacific in its West Coast Conference opener on Thursday evening.
• Jaxson Robison scored a career-high 17 points in Thursday’s win, going 6-of-13 from the field, 4-of-10 from 3-point range and 1-of-1 from the charity stripe.
• The Cougars rank 14th in the nation in rebounds per game, 16th in rebound margin, 23rd in defensive rebounds per game and 52nd in offensive rebounds per game.
• BYU is 8-5 all-time on New Year’s Eve.

Head Coach – Mark Pope

• Alma Mater: Kentucky, 1996
• Division I Career Record: 156-57 (8th Season)
• Record at BYU:  79-31 (4th Season)

Portland Notes (8-8, 0-1 WCC)

• Portland enters Saturday’s game on a three-game losing streaking after dropping its league opener 92-72 to Loyola Marymount on Thursday evening.
• The Pilots are led by second-year head coach Shantay Legans, who has accumulated a record of 27-23 during his time in Portland.
• Tyler Robertson ranks fifth in the nation in total assist and 19th in assists per game. He is one of 16 NCAA Division I players to record a triple-double this season.

Head Coach – Shantay Legans

• Alma Mater: Fresno State, 2004
• Division I Career Record: 75-50 (6th Season)
• Record at Portland: 27-23 (2nd Season)

Series Information

• Series Record: BYU leads 25-2
• Last Meeting: BYU won 78-65, 1/22/22
• H/A/N: 14-0/10-2/1-0

Broadcast Information

• TV: BYUtv
• TV Talent: Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, Spencer Linton
• Streamed Video: byutv.org, BYUtv app
• Streamed Audio: BYU Radio Sirius XM 143, KSL 102.7/1160 AM, BYURadio.org, BYU Radio app
• Radio Talent: Greg Wrubell, Mark Durrant
• Live stats: BYUCougars.com