BYU vs. Gonzaga Notes & Quotes
SPOKANE, Wash. – Junior Kyle Collinsworth scored a game-high 20 points to help the BYU men’s basketball team upset No. 3/2 Gonzaga 73-70 at the McCarthey Athletic Center Saturday night.
The last time BYU beat a top three team was in 1981 at No. 2 UCLA. The Cougars never trailed against the Bulldogs to break Gonzaga's 41-game home win streak.
"We've played some really, really tough games and we've had some interesting things happen to our roster this year, but right now our guys really believe and they believe in each other," BYU basketball coach Dave Rose said. "Since that Saint Mary's game at home our guys have found it and believe in it and it has become kind of their personality of what it can take for us to be really good."
Collinsworth added eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Skyler Halford added 14 points, four rebounds, while Chase Fischer finished with 13 points and four rebounds.
Tyler Haws contributed 10 points, four rebounds and two steals with Corbin Kaufusi finishing with seven points, six rebounds and three blocks on the night.
Fischer connected from beyond the arc to open the game at the 19:21 mark. Following a bucket by Gonzaga, the Cougars went on an 8-0 run that gave them the 11-2 start. Both teams started trading baskets with Halford’s four-point play giving BYU a 24-16 lead with 9:37 left in the half.
A 10-3 run by the Bulldogs had them within one point, but was answered by four-straight points that included Luke Worthington's steal and assist to Collinsworth at the 6:09 mark for the 31-26 lead. With 2:46 on the clock, Halford assisted to a cutting Collinsworth to maintain a seven-point lead, but Gonzaga ended the half on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 36 apiece.
Collinsworth and Halford led both teams with nine points each with Fischer adding eight points at halftime.
BYU and Gonzaga started the second half trading baskets with Kaufusi completing a three-point play after a dunk at the 19:01 mark. After maintaining a four-point lead, the Cougars put together a 6-0 run ignited by Fischer’s drive and four points by Haws for their first double-digit lead of the game at 57-47 with 10:03 left in the game.
Kaufusi’s third block of the game led to Collinsworth’s layup at the other end at the 6:04 mark to maintain a 64-54 lead. The Bulldogs cut their deficit to five at 66-61 with 3:36 remaining, but Collinsworth responded with a three-point play on the next possession to put BYU back up 69-61.
With 17 seconds on the clock, Collinsworth’s layup gave BYU a five-point cushion at 71-66 after Gonzaga came within three points. A 4-0 run brought the Bulldogs at 71-70 with two seconds left until Ryan Andrus’ trip to the charity stripe gave BYU the 73-70 lead. Kyle Wiltjer's heave from beyond halfcourt bounced off the rim and the Cougars celebrated the win.
BYU will head to Las Vegas for the West Coast Conference Championships to play in the quarterfinals as the No. 2 seed next Saturday.