PROVO, Utah — BYU improved to 3-0 on the season under first-year head coach Kevin Young with a 99-55 win over Queens Wednesday night in the Marriott Center.
“I think the biggest thing was that we got off to a good start,” said coach Young. “We had a lull in the second half and I just wasn’t happy with our level of focus. We challenged the guys in the timeout to forget how much time there was on the clock, but I thought from that point forward it was a totally different game. I like the way our guys responded to being challenged. It was good to see some guys get going offensively. There was a lot to like.”
Dawson Baker scored 17 of his 22 points in the second half shooting 6-for-7 from deep and 8-for-10 from the field on his way to a career-high in a Cougar uniform.
Trevin Knell and the reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, Egor Demin combined for 30 more points scoring 16 and 14 respectively. Demin also recorded five assists to tie with Fousseyni Traore for a game-high.
Keba Keita tallied his second-straight double-double and fifth of his career with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
As a team, the Cougars outshot the Royals 51.3-34.5 percent from the field and 42.9-36.7 percent from 3-point range. BYU made 15 3-pointers, outrebounded Queens 59-22 and assisted on 25-of-40 made field goals.
The Cougar’s also controlled points in the paint (48-18) and scored 22 second-chance points on 21 offensive rebounds.
BYU has now won 21-straight home games in November, a streak that dates back to November 2019. They also extend its non-conference home win streak to 16 games.
First Half
BYU blasted out to a 9-0 lead in the first 1:42 of play as Knell, Demin and Richie Saunders each found early offense, combining for 4-of-5 from the field. The Royals scored their first two of the night before the Cougars scored three more to lead 12-2 at the first media timeout of the game.
The Cougars continued to find success offensively, generating another 9-0 scoring run capped off by a Traore bucket in transition to force the Royals to call timeout. BYU led 21-2 with 12:58 remaining in the first half.
Baker nailed a 3-ball from the top of the key before Queens answered with three points of its own to score for the first time in over seven minutes and end BYU’s 19-0 scoring run. Halfway through the first half, the Cougars led by 23 points.
all six threes from DB⬇️ https://t.co/2VVtTdnDrp pic.twitter.com/fcPPkYyWcg
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) November 14, 2024
Knell sank back-to-back 3-pointers preceding an 18-10 scoring run by Queens. The Royals caught heat as they connected from behind the arc on 6-of-7 possessions in just over three minutes. At the final media timeout of the half, BYU maintained a 48-23 lead.
Each team scored three points in the final three minutes of play and the Cougars took a 25-point margin to the break.
Knell led BYU with 14 points at the half shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and 4-of-4 from range. As a team, the Cougars shot 64.5-percent from the field, 53.8-percent from deep and doubled the Royals in rebounds, collecting 24 to Queens’ 12.