BYU rallies late to down West Virginia, 73-69

The Cougars finished the game on a 17-7 run to secure their second straight win in Morgantown.

Author Tyson Jex
BYU rallies late to down West Virginia, 73-69BYU rallies late to down West Virginia, 73-69
Box Score

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia – BYU outscored West Virginia 17-7 over the final six minutes to secure a 73-69 victory on Tuesday evening at WVU Coliseum.

“Gutsy win by our guys,” head coach Kevin Young said. “That was probably our best team win of the year in terms of guys staying ready, not sulking or pouting on the bench. They did a great job defensively. We had nine turnovers in the first half that led to 13 points for them. It was a different story in the second half. That’s how we were able to even get a lead.”

Egor Demin scored nine of his team-high 16 points during the Cougars' run as they overcame a six-point deficit with 6:33 in remaining in regulation. Following two free throws from Demin with less than a minute remaining, Mihailo Boskovic sealed the victory with an old-fashioned 3-point play with nine seconds left in the game.

Demin went 6-of-12 from the field, 1-of-4 from three and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Kanon Catchings added 11 points, with Trey Stewart scoring a season-high eight points on a career-high two 3-pointers.

BYU shot 45.0 percent from the field, becoming just the third team this season to hit 10 3-pointers against the Mountaineers, going 10-of-28 from behind the arc. The Cougars held a 35-25 advantage in rebounds, with 12 turnovers, three of those coming after halftime.

First Half
The Cougars saw themselves down three, 10-7, at the first media timeout following Trevin Knell’s 214th career 3-pointer. The Mountaineers extended the lead to seven, 14-7, before Dallin Hall connected on his first 3-pointer of the game to begin a 8-0 run for BYU. Fousseyni Traore converted near the rim two possessions later, followed by another triple from Hall to give BYU a 15-14 lead.

WVU continued to counter the Cougars with KJ Tenner and Jonathan Powell knocking down 3-pointers to keep the lead at four, 24-20, with nine minutes remaining in the first half. Catchings would score five straight to help the visitors retake the lead, 25-24. Another 5-0 run from the Mountaineers made it 29-25 before Richie Saunders and Mawot Mag scored to tie it at 29-all. Trey Stewart connected on his first 3-pointer of the game to give BYU a 32-31 lead heading to the final second of the opening half, that was countered by another three from Powell, as BYU trailed at halftime for the fourth time this season.

Second Half
WVU’s Javon Small connected on his only 3-pointer of the game to open the second half to push the lead to five, 37-32. The teams traded baskets over the next seven minutes with BYU trailing 52-46 before Stewart scored near the rim off an inbound pass from Hall. The senior continued to give WVU fits with his second 3-pointer a possession later to cut the deficit to one, 52-51.

Catchings' second and final 3-pointer tied the game at 56-all with 9:38 remaining. WVU responded with a 6-0 run, including back-to-back scores from Amani Hansberry to force a BYU timeout. Demin went straight to the rim out of the timeout for an old-fashioned 3-point play. Richie Saunders went 1-of-2 from the charity stripe before Boskovic connected from behind the arc to give BYU a 63-62 lead. Demin continued to get to the rim to push the lead to three with less than four minutes remaining in regulation.

Toby Okani scored four straight, including a putback on an offensive rebound to retake the lead for the home team. With under a minute remaining in regulation, Demin knocked down both free throws after getting fouled following his first steal of the game. They got a stop on the defensive end, with Saunders pulling down the rebound. Following a timeout with 11 seconds on the shot clock, Hall found a rolling Boskovic who converted a contested layup with a foul. He knocked down the free throw to make it a two-possession game and secure the comeback for the Cougars.

Up Next
BYU returns to the friendly confines of the Marriott Center on Saturday, Feb. 15, when the Cougars host Kansas State. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT on ESPN+.