Individual Notes
In his 120th consecutive career start (second-longest streak in BYU history), TJ Haws reached double figures for the 15th time this season as he scored 19 points. He is now tied with Kyle Collinsworth for 12th most career points in BYU history with 1,707. He also added three rebounds and one assist.
Kolby Lee had a career-best 21 points as he shot 8-of-8 from the field while grabbing five rebounds, four of which were defensive. His eight makes without a miss are tied for third most in BYU history.
Connor Harding knocked in three buckets from behind the arc to tie his career high. He finished the game with 11 points and four rebounds.
Jake Toolson added 14 points and seven assists as he has totaled 15 assists and zero turnovers in the last pair of games.
Team Notes
In the first half, the Cougars shot 55.2 percent from the field compared to the Toreros’ 33.3 percent as BYU held a 48-36 advantage.
With 11 3-pointers in the game, the Cougars have scored double-digit 3’s for the second-consecutive game and ninth this season.
On the game, BYU recorded 55.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from 3 and 72.7 percent from the charity stripe while San Diego tallied 36.4 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from beyond the arc and 71.4 percent from the free throw line.
Postgame Quotes
BYU forward Kolby Lee
On his career high game
“Aside from the fans cheering, it felt like another normal game to me. My teammates believe in me, and I’m able to make shots.”
“It was kind of cool [to hear the fans chanting my name], I’m not going to lie. But it’s not about me, it’s about this team, and the only thing to look forward to is winning.”
On playing Gonzaga this Saturday
“We’ll be ready.”
BYU guard Connor Harding
On fighting through the slower first half
“I think the biggest thing is that basketball is a game of runs and you have to fight through frustration. We got some stops and made some plays, and the biggest thing was getting control of the tempo of the game.”
On the injuries that have changed the starting lineup
“We’re just ready for every game no matter what. We’ve battled through injuries this entire season, and if you look at the Saint Mary’s game, there were six people that could play and they played their hearts out. We’re just ready to go to battle after time, and whoever steps up is going to step up, and we’re confident in it.”
BYU head coach Mark Pope
Opening Statement
It’s fun to watch these guys grow. Kolby was great to watch tonight because he’s growing before our eyes. I’m proud of all the guys. It was a great effort. San Diego is a dangerous team, just like every team in our league. They put it on us to start. Hartfield got it going early as their leading scorer. He’s been shooting 46 percent from the 3 the last five games. Overall, it was a great win and now we’re moving on.
On Kolby Lee’s performance tonight
He’s done a spectacular job staying in his lane and not getting bored. Kolby’s quicks are dangerous and so effective because you don’t have time to recover. If you leave Kolby or give him an inch, he’s going to finish. It’s a great skill. On the offensive end, I was super proud. However, I would say that his ball screen defense was a little bit lacking.
On Connor Harding
Connor Harding has rung the bell a lot for us. His effort in the last four minutes of the first half and extended through the game was so much better than his attention early.
What changed in the first half?
I felt like in the last 12 minutes of the half, our team turned it around. It’s an interesting journey you take. I talk a lot about managing frustration in a game and our team is growing. Tonight, we didn’t spend too much time in frustration. We almost took a direct route from not playing great, to the fight of the game. These guys had great fight the last 10 minutes of the first half and carried that through the rest of the game. That’s a good sign.
On battling on the glass
I’m not sure how to help them more. Zac is fighting. Dalton came up with some huge rebounds tonight. Kolby was battling on the glass. Jake had a big-time block tonight which was big for him. Our guards can still be more invested. This is going to be a team effort and it’s going to be like that the rest of the season. Hopefully someday Yoeli comes back and helps us with that too.
Expectations going to Gonzaga
It’s the greatest thing. Gonzaga is a gift to our league. The fact that we get to go on the road early in the league and play the number one team in the country is awesome. They’re so good that they can play bad and still win big. We’re excited to go up and fight. Our guys believe they can win. They have a sense of how hard this is, but as athletes, they love that chance to play them.