First Half
BYU opened the game with an 11-0 lead at 5-of-5 from the field as it played lock down defense and capitalized with six points on forced turnovers. Wyoming’s first four possessions ended in two BYU steals, an offensive foul and missed shot.
Knell opened the scoring for the Cougars with a jumper from the top of the key. Richie Saunders then plucked the ball away from the Cowboys and took it coast-to-coast for the score at the rim. After another driving score from Knell, Baker slapped the ball out from Wyoming and fed it to Kanon Catchings for a transition jumper.
BYU’s lead grew to 11-0 two-and-a-half minutes in with Knell draining a corner 3-pointer.
The Cowboys eventually took the lid off the bucket, but the Cougars continued to move ahead for a 14-point lead at 27-13 at the midpoint of the half.
Catchings and Fousseyni Traore scored in the paint to put BYU up 15-4 before Mawot Mag took the floor and immediately made an impact. The senior forward knocked down a 3-pointer on the wing then combined with Elijah Crawford for a trap and forced travel on the defensive end.
Crawford went on a personal 5-0 run for the Cougars with a baseline floater and NBA-range trey to give BYU its 27-13 advantage. Mag pushed the lead to 30-16 moments later with his second triple of the night.
Over the final nine minutes of the half, BYU’s defense continued to harass Wyoming, forcing a 3:47 scoreless period for the visitors from Laramie.
While Knell and Traore knocked down shots to keep BYU in front, the Cougar offense ran into turnover trouble with five giveaways in the final six minutes.
BYU took a 34-25 lead to the locker room after shooting 58-percent from the floor (14-of-24) in the first half. The Cowboys shot 43-percent (10-of-23) while both teams had eight turnovers.
Knell led BYU with nine points at the break after opening 4-of-5 from the floor. Mag and Traore combined for 4-of-5 from the field in the half, each with six points.
Second Half
With continued defensive pressure and efficient shooting, BYU pulled away from Wyoming with a game-high 20-point lead with eight minutes remaining.
A pair of free throw makes from Catchings put the Cougars back up double-digits 36-25 but it wasn’t long before BYU ballooned the lead further. Mag was again at the center of another momentum swing for the Cougars with two key defensive plays to start the half.
After Mag plucked the ball away from Wyoming, Dallin Hall turned the takeaway into points as he drove and kicked to Knell for three. Mag followed the steal with another forced turnover, this time as he harassed his man into a travel. The senior defensive specialist showed another burst with his third triple of the night followed by an assist to Knell as BYU pulled ahead 45-32. The Cougars took Wyoming late into the shot clock on its next possession and Mag put an end to it with a block added to his stat line. Moments later, Mag grabbed and offensive rebound and put it back at the rim for the score to keep BYU in front 49-35.
The Cougars continued to run to a 59-39-point lead with Traore backing his man down for a jump-hook score in the paint along with a driving lay-in and pullup triple from Baker.
Catchings evoked a crowd-rousing reaction with plays on both ends of the floor in the waning moments of the game. The freshman forward swatted a Wyoming shot into the stands on defense and followed it shortly after with a driving score as he shook free a defender on his way to the rim.
The Cowboys scored 10 points in the final minutes but BYU kept its sizable advantage for the 68-49 win.
BYU concludes its nonconference slate in a matchup with Florida A&M on Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. MST at the Marriott Center. Watch the Cougars face the Rattlers on ESPN+ or listen to live play-by-play on BYU Radio.
