PROVO, Utah — Kanon Catchings went 8-for-8 from the field and scored a career-high 23 points to lead BYU to a 93-89 overtime victory over Baylor on Tuesday night at the Marriott Center.
“Just happy to be on the winning side of a game like that," head coach Kevin Young said. "We’ve been on the other side a couple of times, so just happy for our guys. We’ve stacked up some good days in practice, and a lot of guys stepped up against a good team.”
With its win on Tuesday, BYU now has its first three-game win streak in two seasons of Big 12 play.
The Cougars led 78-74 with 1:30 remaining in regulation when the Bears capitalized on turnover and knocked down a pair of free throws to force overtime with the score squared at 78. BYU then opened the extra period with an 87-81 lead after a pair of driving scores from Richie Saunders. Baylor clawed its way back, cutting the Cougar lead to 87-86 with 2:05 to play.
BYU then went to the free throw line to put the game away. Saunders, Egor Demin and Dawson Baker went a combined 6-of-7 from the line in the final two minutes of overtime with Baker icing the game at 93-89 with 6.3 seconds remaining.
Catchings came off the bench and quickly found his stroke on his way to 13 first-half points. The Catchings cannonade amounted to 23 points on 8-of-8 from the field and 4-of-4 from 3-piont range. Catchings’ performance is now etched in the BYU record books as the school record for most points by a freshman on a perfect shooting night. Tyler Haws previously held the record with 20 points on 7-for-7 from the field in a 110-104 win over Nevada on December 22, 2009.
Kanon Catchings of @BYUMBB is the only Division I freshman this century to go 8-for-8 or better from the field, 4-for-4 or better from three and 3-for-3 or better from the line in a single game. pic.twitter.com/4sYkSufanQ
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) January 29, 2025
In a matchup that also featured Baylor’s freshman phenom VJ Edgecombe’s 28 points on six 3-pointers, BYU needed a second young talent to guide it to the win. The Cougars’ Demin went 5-of-10 from the field with 15 points, 11 of which came in the second half. Demin also distributed to the tune of six assists.
Saunders’ steady play continued for BYU with 17 points, six rebounds and two steals. The junior sharpshooter’s 5-of-5 showing from the free throw line proved pivotal for the Cougars down the stretch.
Trevin Knell gave BYU a fourth player in double figures with 11 points while Baker added eight along with seven a-piece from Dallin Hall and Fousseyni Traoare.
The Cougars finished the game outshooting Baylor 55-50 percent from the field. The Bears responded to each BYU run with near-deadly 3-point shooting and finished the night 46-percent from downtown to the Cougars’ 38.
Free throws proved decisive for both teams with BYU draining 21 of 26 attempts to Baylor’s 16-of-24. The Bears went 5-of-8 in overtime to the Cougars’ 6-of-7.
Baylor and BYU battled to a 31-31 rebounding deadlock while the Cougars held a 16-6 scoring advantage in the fastbreak and 45-7 in bench scoring.
First Half
BYU and Baylor traded fire in the first half with a shooting clinic that saw the Cougars shoot 60-percent from the field and the Bears 45. BYU went 4-of-9 from 3-point range in the opening period while Baylor kept pace with six triples on 15 attempts. Free throws were key for the Cougars in the first half with 10 makes on 12 attempts helping them to a 44-36 lead at the break.
Knell got the scoring started for BYU with a quick triple from the wing. Baylor added two of their own to take an early 6-3 lead before the Cougars swung momentum their way with a 10-0 run over nearly three minutes of gametime.
Demin started the run with a putback score off the glass, then kept it rolling with a steal pushed ahead to Saunders who drained two ensuing free throws. BYU went up 9-6 four minutes in when Keba Keita took an inbounds pass and skied for a crowd-rousing one-hand slam. Consecutive driving scores from Demin and Knell gave the Cougars a 13-6 lead moments later.
A third 3-pointer from the Bears cut the BYU lead to 13-9 but the Cougars answered with Catchings’ personal 6-0 run on two treys of his own.
Catchings and the Cougar bench continued to make an impact on both ends of the floor from the half’s midpoint. Baker pushed BYU’s lead to 21-14 as he shook a defender and popped a mid-range jumper from the left elbow. On the defensive end, Hall then hounded the Baylor ball-handler and forced a shot clock violation, returning the ball to the Cougars’ possession. Catchings wasted no time draining another 3-pointer and put BYU up 24-14.
The Cougars grew their lead to a game-high 13 at 34-21 before Baylor closed the half on a 15-10 run. Free throws from Knell and Hall along with a Catchings jumper and Saunders lay-in helped BYU to a 44-36 lead at half.
. @kanoncatchings a BUCKET
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) January 29, 2025
📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/6w64iIYayR
The Cougars halftime scoring lead was accompanied by a 25-7 advantage in bench scoring, 16-14 edge in the paint and 15-12 in rebounds. Catchings led BYU at the break with 13 points on 4-of-4 from the field, including 3-of-3 from downtown. Knell had seven first-half points while Baker and Saunders added six a-piece.