BYU men's basketball international trip: Zadar/Split recap

SPLIT, Croatia – BYU men’s basketball said farewell to Italy on Wednesday morning, crossing into Slovenia en route to Croatia where they would play the final two games of its international trip.

After traveling through the countryside of Slovenia and Croatia, the group arrived at Krešimir Ćosić Hall where they were met by Ćosić’s family and former teammate Miso Oštarčević. A small walk through the hallway led the group onto the court where they were taught the history of the arena and the legacy of Ćosić that continues to inspire the city to this day.

Following the presentation, they made their way outside the arena to take a group photo in front of Ćosić’s statue before heading to the pre-game meal by the Adriatic Sea.

Later that evening, the Cougars suffered their first loss on the trip at the hands of reigning Croatian league champions KK Zadar in the arena donning Ćosić’s name. During halftime of the game, Deputy Athletic Director Brian Santiago presented Ćosić’s wife, Ljerka, and daughter, Ana, with replica jerseys that Ćosić would have worn during his Hall of Fame career at BYU.

Trevin Knell scored in double figures for the third time on the trip as the redshirt junior finished with 11 points, connecting a pair of 3-pointers.

The group would make the trip to Split following the game where they would spend the night before touring Diocletian’s Palace the following afternoon. During the tour with a pair of local guides, they were taught about the ancient palace built for Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century. They were given some free time in the afternoon before having a pre-game meal in preparation for their final game of the trip.

BYU saved the best for last as they overcame a one-point halftime deficit to defeat former Loyola Marymount guard Cam Shelton and KK Split, 84-78. After trailing 42-41 after the opening 20 minutes, they connected on seven 3-pointers in the third quarter to take an eight-point advantage into the fourth. With the home team looking to steal the game in the final minute, Jaxson nailed a wide open three of an offensive rebound to help the Cougars pick up their second win the past 72 hours.

Four Cougars scored in double figures in the victory with Robinson leading the way with 17 points to go along with three assists. Noah Waterman recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, three of those coming on the offensive glass.

The group will spend Friday at Blue Lagoon before heading to Dubrovnik for their final full day on the trip.