Notes
Player Notes
- Brock Zylstra started for the first time since Jan. 28 against Saint Mary’s. Zylstra got the starting nod at power forward. He has now started at the point, shooting guard and power forward and also played the small forward position.
- BYU head coach Dave Rose started Matt Carlino, Anson Winder, Charles Abouo, Brock Zylstra and Brandon Davies, the sixth different starting combination of the season.
- Nate Austin took a charge at the 5:28 mark in the first half, the 27th charge he has taken this season.
- Noah Hartsock led the BYU effort with 19 points, scoring fifteen in the second half while grabbing five rebounds and getting two blocks.
- Despite not scoring in the first half, freshman Matt Carlino ended the game with eight points and seven assists, a game high.
Team Notes
- In the first half the Cougars shot 50 percent from the field and improved to 60 percent in the second period and finished the game shooting 54.7.
- BYU has four players who scored in double figures for the 12th time on the year, improving its record with four in double digits to 11-1 this season.
- The team was 2-for-2 from the free-throw line in the first half, finishing the game shooting .571 (8-14) for the game.
- From behind the arc they made 7-of-15 attempts.
- With the 73-68 victory over the University of San Diego, the Cougars recorded their sixth-straight 25-win season and the 11th overall.
- BYU is now 10-0 when scoring between 70 and 79 points and 2-0 when the score is tied at the half. The Cougars are also 24-0 when leading with five minutes left in the game and 25-0 when they lead with one minute left.
- BYU has a 12-0 record when shooting 50 percent from the field or better.
Game Trends
- Noah Hartsock hit a jumper in the lane with 13:41 remaining in the first half to give BYU a 15-10 lead. It was his first basket since scoring 21 at Santa Clara, when he sprained his knee. He played seven scoreless minutes at Gonzaga and did not play at home against Portland.
- After San Diego tied the score at 24-all, BYU went on a 7-0 run sparked by a Brock Zylstra 3-pointer to lead 31-24.
- BYU took its largest lead at 68-59 lead with 5:38 remaining on back-to-back baskets by Hartsock.
Record Watch
- Charles Abouo is now one behind Jimmer Fredette for career games played with 138. Fredette played in 139 games from 2007 to 2011.
- Abouo extended his program record for consecutive games played to 138.
- Abouo tied Fredette’s wins record at 112 with tonight’s victory.
Quotes
COACH DAVE ROSE
“I'm really proud; I'm proud of our players. It was a hard fought game and both teams played really well. Both teams were very aggressive in the first half offensively. But it came down to where we were making a play or two more at the end. It’s not often you go the last five minutes of a game without a field goal and figure out a way to win. A lot of credit goes to San Diego. They gave an incredible effort. They scouted us well and made it tough to catch the ball in the post.”
“This game with Gonzaga (Saturday’s semifinal opponent) is really exciting for the fans. When we were
invited to the conference, this is what people wanted to see. We are excited to play and to fight it out. They
have great history and great tradition and we are happy for the opportunity to play.”
NOAH HARTSTOCK
“We knew coming into this game it was going to be a competitive game. That's just always how they seem to be, especially when a team is playing for its life. We just went in there and talked about how we needed to be the more aggressive team when it was tied at half time. Just come out, play harder, and compete. We were able to hold the lead in the second half because we were more aggressive and were making plays.”
“Coming in (to the tournament), I knew my knee wouldn't be 100 percent, but the trainers did a great job of helping me rehab and get stronger. I was able to come out tonight and really produce. It started to feel, as the game went on, that the adrenaline and blood started pumping. It took a little while to get adjusted to playing again but hopefully it’s even better tomorrow.”
BROCK ZYLSTRA
“We are excited to play Gonzaga. We need to get home and get some rest but we are excited. We love playing with them. They have some great players and we are excited to try and get back that win after our loss in Spokane."