SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — BYU made a program record 19 3-pointers en route to a 100-70 win over Westminster Tuesday night at Vivint Arena. The Cougars never trailed in the game and had five players score in double figures including a team-high 15 from Gideon George and Jaxson Robinson.
"It's a great environment to play in," said head coach Mark Pope. "For the guys to come back from the Bahamas and put together a really solid performance, I was super pleased."
The Cougars shot a season-high 54.7 percent from the field and 51.4 percent from 3-point range as they improved to 5-3 on the season and 3-0 all-time against the Griffins. They also forced a season-high 22 turnovers including 14 steals.
Noah Waterman got things going for the Cougars early, propelling them to an 18-4 lead in the first half. The newcomers scored BYU’s first 22 points with Waterman starting 4-of-4 from the field for 10 points with Rudi Williams and Robinson chipping in six each.
The Cougars opened the game shooting 86 percent from the floor, leading 31-15 with just over 11 minutes remaining in the half. Senior guard Taylor Miller led the Griffins attack early, scoring 7 points with just under 8:00 remaining in the half.
BYU’s three-point shooting was lights out in the first half, as the Cougars shot a blistering 72.0 percent (13-of-18) from downtown, as BYU led 63-26 going into the locker room. Their 13 3-pointers were the second-most in a first half in program history while Robinson went 5-of-5 from deep making him one of three players in program history to achieve the feat.
George led the Cougars early in the second half, swishing his first two threes as BYU extended its lead to 75-31. Freshman Tanner Toolson scored his first points as a Cougar with a three-pointer from the corner, extending the BYU lead to 81-39.
Toolson’s second three-pointer of the evening broke the Cougars’ school record for three-pointers in a game, giving them 19 on the night and breaking the previous record of 18 set back twice in 2020.
BYU will next play against South Dakota and again at Vivint Arena on Saturday, December 3, at 1:30 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcast live on BYUtv and can be heard live on BYU Radio Sirius XM 143, BYURadio.org/BYU Radio app or KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM.