BYU vs. Gonzaga Notes and Quotes
SPOKANE, Wash. – Tyler Haws finished with a team-high 23 points as the BYU men’s basketball team fell 84-69 to Gonzaga on Saturday.
"We've brought some teams in here with some pretty good records and didn't have a chance that we had tonight," BYU basketball coach Dave Rose said. "We had a chance in the first half where we're within striking distance to come out in the second half."
Kyle Collinsworth added 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Eric Mika ended with 12 points and nine rebounds. Anson Winder came off the bench to contribute seven points with Nate Austin adding six points and four rebounds.
Skyler Halford, Austin and Mika each scored to give the Cougars a 6-4 start four minutes into the game. Gonzaga went on a 13-3 run to lead 17-9 until Collinsworth spun down the lane for a layup. A 7-2 run that included a Mika hook shot and putback brought the Cougars within three with 7:56 left in the half. The Bulldogs pushed their lead back to six with under seven minutes left.
BYU answered back with a 9-3 run with Frank Bartley IV’s putback layup, Collinsworth’s drive to the rim and Haws’ jumper to tie it at 27 at the 4:03 mark. With five seconds left in the first half, Carlino’s layup cut BYU’s deficit by two to make it 35-33 at the half.
Haws led the team with 12 points, while Collinsworth added five points, five rebounds and two assists. Mika also contributed six points and seven rebounds at the half.
Mika started the second half with a three-point play with Haws following it up with a layup to cut Gonzaga’s lead to 43-40 at the 18:05 mark. Collinsworth’s putback put BYU back within four before the Bulldogs pushed their lead to seven at 54-47. Austin recorded a block with 11:54 left, which was followed by a Haws three-point play to make it a four-point game.
Haws and Winder’s trips to the charity stripe cut the deficit back to seven at 64-57 after Gonzaga had extended its lead to 12 on an 8-0 run. Collinsworth’s fadeaway jumper put the game in single digits. With 4:32 remaining, Winder connected on a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 74-65. Collinsworth made a layup with 3:02 remaining followed by Austin’s third field goal with 1:29 left, but BYU couldn't overcome Gonzaga's second-half run.
"It's a tough road swing here and hopefully our guys will have a lot of fight in them when we get back," Rose said.
The Cougars will return to the Marriott Center to host Pacific on Thursday at 7 p.m. MST. The game will be televised live on BYUtv and broadcast on the Cougar IMG Sports Network on KSL Newsradio 102.7/1160 AM.