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SALT LAKE CITY – The BYU men’s basketball team pulled off a 74-68 win over Weber State in the inaugural Zion's Bank Beehive Classic Saturday night in Vivint Smart Home Arena.
"It was a good, hard-fought win for the guys," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "There are a lot of different ways to win a game. We had our backs against the wall but we made the plays we needed to make to get this one. You're always nervous playing an in-state game. They know you so well and they scout you so well. Hats off to Weber State. They played a great game."
TJ Haws had team highs of 24 points and five assists while Elijah Bryant (13 points), Jahshire Hardnett (11), Yoeli Childs (10) and Zac Seljaas (10) also scored in double figures. Childs added 10 boards for his fifth double-double of the season. Jerrick Harding scored a game-high 29 points to lead Weber State.
BYU out-shot Weber State 53.2 percent to 48.1 percent. The Cougars also won the rebound battle 27 to 26.
With five minutes remaining in the game, BYU held a two-point lead before Haws hit a pair of free throws and 3-pointer to push the Cougar lead to five at 67-62. Weber State refused to quit, outscoring the Cougars 4-1 to cut the deficit back to two at 68-66 with 1:24 to go.
After a BYU miss, the Wildcats had a chance to tie but Childs came up with a clutch block and the ball ended up in the hands of Bryant. After a foul, Bryant hit a pair of free throws for a 70-66 lead with 25 seconds left in the game. Haws made four of four from the line in the final 20 seconds to ice the game for a final score of 74-68.
Weber State opened the game with back-to-back 3-pointers for a 6-0 advantage and held the lead through the first five minutes of play. A layup by Bryant gave the Cougars their first lead of the night at 11-10 with 14:37 remaining in the first half. The Wildcats took a small lead one more time before BYU took control for the rest of the half.
McKay Cannon came into the game and hit two 3-pointers to help BYU keep a lead over the Wildcats, his former team. A trey by Haws with 6:38 remaining extended BYU’s lead to eight at 30-22. The two teams traded baskets the rest of the half and BYU took a four-point lead, 36-32, into the break.
The Cougars shot 58.3 percent compared to the Wildcats 46.4 percent in the first half and Haws led all scorers with eight points and three assists.
Weber State started the second half strong, going on a 9-0 run to take a one-point lead, 41-40, but back-to-back treys by Bryant and Haws helped BYU retake the lead which the Cougars held the rest of the game.
BYU returns to the Marriott Center on Saturday, Dec. 16, as the Cougars host Utah in the Deseret First Duel. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. MST and will be televised on ESPN2. Audio broadcasts can be heard on the BYU Sports Network, BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143) and KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM.