BYU hits 11 3-pointers in 95-80 win over Utah State

PROVO, Utah – Yoeli Childs tied a season high with 31 points as BYU beat Utah State 95-80 Wednesday night in the Marriott Center.

"I think there was a lot of emotion from our team tonight," BYU head coach Dave Rose said. "The guys were ready from the start. It was a good atmosphere and I'm happy we won."

BYU (6-4) shot 11-of-24 from 3-point range and 56 percent from the field. Utah State (7-2) never led.

Childs added seven rebounds and five steals. TJ Haws went 4-for-6 from behind the arc and scored 20 points. Freshman Connor Harding scored a career-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting. In his first appearance since 2016-2017, Nick Emery hit 3-of-4 3-pointers and scored 11 points.

BYU jumped out to a 10-5 lead thanks in part to 3-pointers from Zac Seljaas and Childs. Emery entered the game and buried a 3 to put the Cougars up 16-9.

Harding was an early offensive spark off the bench, with seven points in the game’s first 10 minutes. With 10:17 left in the first half, Childs scored in the paint to give BYU its biggest lead at 28-15 and force an Aggie timeout.

Emery hit his second 3 to put the Cougars up 36-18. At the 5:00 mark, Haws made a driving bank shot to give BYU a 46-25 lead.

At the half, the Cougars had extended their lead to 53-34. Childs (14 points) and Jahshire Hardnett (10 points) were both in double figures.

After a Utah State run, Haws knocked down a 3 from the wing to put BYU up 58-44 early in the second half. With 13:20 on the clock, Childs made a fadeaway jumper to make it a 16-point Cougar lead at 62-46.

With just under 10 minutes left, Haws buried another 3 for a 72-54 BYU lead. After a defensive stop, Childs completed a 3-point play to put the Cougars up by 21.

Haws’ fourth 3-pointer gave BYU a 19-point lead with just over five minutes left to play. Hardnett and Childs iced the game at the free-throw line.

BYU faces Utah on Saturday at 12 p.m. in the Beehive Classic and Deseret Duel at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City. The game will be televised on ESPNU, with radio broadcasts on BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2) and KSL (1160 AM/102.7 FM).