First Half
BYU and Utah slogged their way through a first half that saw the Cougars reach 37 percent shooting from the field late and the Utes finish the period at 33 percent. The teams combined for seven made 3-pointers with BYU 3-of-18 and Utah 4-of-12.
Demin put BYU up 4-0 early with a pull up jumper from the right elbow and a scoop to the bucket for two. Utah got on the board with a 7-0 run before Boskovic entered the game and quickly made his way onto the scoreboard with a fadeaway jumper in the lane that cut the Ute lead to 7-6.
BYU then retook the lead at 10-7 with Fousseyni Traore scoring off the glass followed by two free throw makes from Baker.
The Cougars and Utes combined for a scoring drought of nearly seven minutes until BYU turned a steal into points with Traore on the takeaway and Baker floating and scoring for the 12-7 lead. Utah answered with a 10-0 run over three minutes and led 17-12 until Saunders scored his first points of the game on a driving score and ensuing free throw make.
Keita made his presence felt over the final five minutes of the half with two putback scores and a block. Demin followed up Keita’s block with a drive and kiss off the glass that cut the Ute lead to 21-19. BYU turned to its transition offense to tie the game at 21 as Boskovic took a timely pass from Trevin Knell in stride and finished at the rim with a soft touch.
A Utah 3-pointer and two free throws put the visitors back up 26-21 with three minutes to play before the break but Baker and Boskovic powered the Cougars’ response. Baker took the lid off from 3-point range for BYU with a corner trey and Boskovic pitched in a possession later with a triple from the right win.
Baker tacked on two more free throws to tie the game 29-29 with less than a minute to play until the half. The Cougars then closed the half with five straight courtesy Keita’s putback on an errant 3-pointer and a Dallin Hall buzzer-beater from long range. Boskovic ripped away the ball to abruptly end the Utes’ last possession of the half. Hall then dialed up the 3-pointer from downtown as the half wound to a close.
Baker and Boskovic led BYU at the break with nine and seven points, respectively. While Utah held a 25-18 advantage on the glass and 11-4 in second-chance points, the Cougars controlled the paint 18-10 and forced 10 turnovers to their own four.
Second Half
Both teams traded buckets to open the half before BYU climbed to its first double-digit lead of the game at 46-36 four minutes in.
Saunders started the second-half scoring for the Cougars as he drove to the paint, stopped, shook a defender and scored off the glass for a 36-30 lead. Demin then went gliding to the rim for a deuce and Keita put the crowd on its feet moments later as he put-back slammed Saunders' errant reverse lay-in. Two free throws from Mag and a Knell steal-and-score put BYU up 44-34. The Cougars stayed in front 46-36 with Saunders scoring on a reverse lay-in.
BYU extended its lead to 13 at 54-41 with 12:57 to play on two Baker 3-pointers and a Keita score at the rim.
The Utes fought back to within five with an 8-0 run before BYU countered on a 10-0 swing.
Traore sparked the run as he muscled his way into the paint and to the rim for two. A technical foul assessed against Utah moments later sent Saunders to the line for two free throw makes and gave BYU a 58-49 lead.
Knell doctored the Cougar offense back from a 3:20 scoring drought with a 3-pointer. Hall and Keita capped the 10-0 run with a driving lay-in and free throw, respectively.
Trey Stewart energized the BYU defense during the 10-0 run and kept Utah empty-handed on nine straight field goal attempts over five minutes with a drawn offensive foul and block in transition.
Demin and Mag combined for a series of key plays as the Cougars widened their lead to 19 at 74-55 with under five minutes remaining.
Demin halted a Utah possession with a drawn charge. Mag then finished BYU’s next trip down floor with a pair of free throw makes before banging a 3-pointer moments later. Mag’s triple came courtesy a Demin assist with some behind-the-back ball-handling.
A Saunders 3-pointer and transition lay-in on consecutive possessions pushed the Cougar lead to 79-61 before whistles and free throws ruled the rest of the game.
BYU awaits the results of two opening-round Big 12 Tournament games before facing its first postseason foe on March 13. The winner of No. 12 seed Oklahoma State and No. 13 seed Cincinnati will face fifth seeded Iowa State March 12. The Cougars face that matchup’s winner March 13 at 11:30 a.m. CDT.
