Postgame notes: #16 Gonzaga 88, BYU 81

The following notes and quotes are from BYU’s 88-81 loss to No. 16 Gonzaga on Saturday evening in Spokane, Wash. 

Series Results: Gonzaga leads 25-.

Attendance: 6,000

TEAM NOTES

Total Team Effort

Five Cougars scored in double figures for the first time since the Cougars win over No. 21 Creighton at the Jack Jones Hoopfest in Las Vegas on December 10, 2022.*

*Six Cougars scored in double figures in BYU’s win over Pepperdine on January 14, 2023.

Making Them Count

BYU shot a season-best 91.7 percent (11-of-12)  from the free throw line.

Fighting The Good Fight

BYU led Gonzaga at halftime for just the third time under Mark Pope after Noah Waterman made a corner 3-pointer with 25 seconds left before the halftime whistle. 

PLAYERS NOTES

The Marksman

Jaxson Robinson connected on his first 3-point attempt of the game, making it 15 straight games with a 3-pointer. That is tied for the 13th longest streak in a single season in program history with Mark Bigelow and Jackson Emery. 

Long Time Coming

Noah Waterman finished with 12, marking the first time the junior has scored in double figures since a 14-point performance against Weber State on December 22, 2022. 

Fourth Time The Charm

It took four games against the Zaga but Fousseyni Traore finally scored in double figures as the sophomore finished with a team-high 17 points. The sophomore has now scored in double figures against all nine WCC teams. 

Not Common Spence

Spencer Johnson not only scored 17 points including a 3-of-5 performance from 3-point range while dishing out a career-high seven assists. 

Lucky Sevens

Traore went 7-of-10 from the field for the third consecutive game. The program’s all-time leader in field goal percentage in league play has also scored in double figures in five straight games, tied for the longest streak of his career. 

CAREER HIGHS

• Assists: Spencer Johnson (7)

POSTGAME QUOTES

Mark Pope

What did you seem from your team the impressed you tonight?

“I have so much frustration right now. I thought the guys battled hard. I thought they competed. I thought they were super engaged the whole game. I thought they stuck together.”

Difference seemed to be the offensive rebounds they were able to get in the final minutes.

“Yeah, it’s just the cost of winning that we talk about all the time. It’s hard for young guys. You learn this by repetition after repetition and that is why you play juniors and seniors. We have young guys that are learning huge lessons like Atiki (Ally Atiki) and Fousseyni (Traore) got to experience that tonight. The game is on the line and we have to rebound and it doesn’t matter what it takes, you have to go and do it. That’s a lesson that the Zags, with two super senior bigs and we are playing two young ones, that is just the lesson you learn. It’s super painful, really painful. We have the greatest kids and this is incredibly valuable experience for them. They are going to be a force to reckon with in the future.”

How is the team taking another tough loss?

“They are devastated. It’s how you are. You earn the right to be devastated, they put their heart out there. They just weren’t good enough. It’s not these guys have one they can turn to and lean on right now. They just have to figure it out under fire. We are super proud of the fact that they tried but disappointing that we can get a positive outcome but these lessons will be emblazed on our souls and changes you over time. Right now, we are grateful to learn these lessons.”

What did having Fousseyni and Atiki on the floor together give you tonight?

“I thought they both had moments when they were really good. They are just going to have to learn to play together. We have to learn how to function with them on the court. Again, it’s for the future. We might as well roll out all our freshman and sophomores out there. It’s something that is super painful but valuable time. I am grateful for them for trying. They don’t have a ton of time on the floor together. Without foul trouble, they would have played more together. There is time in the future when they will need to be on the floor together.”

The play of the bench.

“TC (Tredyn Christensen) has been really good. Welcome to college basketball, you get to play against Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga. I thought he was terrific tonight. I thought he gave us everything he could. Noah (Waterman) is fighting right now to find a rhythm and I thought he showed a little bit of toughness tonight. He is also a young player, he has a ton of growth in him. We were proud of the guys that came off the bench and made some contributions.”

How much are you looking to get back to the Marriott Center on Thursday?

“I think we are excited to get back into the practice gym. We just have to get better. I wish we could just walk back into the Annex tonight. It’s the only cure. It’s only thing to take the edge off, the price to get better. These guys are getting better, we just aren’t good enough. They are getting better but we have a lot of season left. We have a lot of opportunities to get better, maybe one day will have a positive outcome."

Spencer Johnson

The resolve and character that you had tonight to give the Zags all they wanted.

“It’s something that we talk about as a team, we are learning and getting better. It’s something that we talked about before this game “like hey, no matter what the outcome is, win or lose, we are going to fight and they are going to know we were here. We are going to hit them and be physical’. It terms of that, I thought we did a good job.”

After a tough loss to Pepperdine on Thursday, how did you get in the right mindset to compete tonight?

“It’s a credit to our coaches and all the guys we have around us. Even after hard losses like the one at Pepperdine, it was just brutal. We figure out a way to build on positive things. We are just a resilient bunch.”

What was the difference down the stretch?

“I think it was those three offensive rebounds right at the very end that they kicked out for three 3-pointers. That was pretty much the game. We were up the whole game and then that happened and we could just never recover.”

What performances stood out to you tonight?

“Fousseyni (Traore) plays so hard and so well. He is such a problem. Super proud of him. I thought Noah (Waterman) shot the ball really well. Tredyn (Christensen) came in off the bench and gave us really good minutes when some dudes were in foul trouble. That’s awesome. Super proud of them”

What’s it like to play in the Kennel?

“It’s crazy. It’s one of the elite basketball venues. Just wish we could have got a win tonight.”

How much are you looking to get back to the Marriott Center on Thursday?

“We are really excited. Our fans are so incredible. They rock with us. They pick us up when we are down so we are excited to get back there.”