Player Notes
Kyle Collinsworth totaled 15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in his 100th career start. He also made his first 3-pointer of the season before adding another in the second half.
Collinsworth moved into 25th on BYU’s career scoring list passing Doug Richards and passed Jimmer Fredette for 4th all-time at BYU in career steals. His double figure scoring game was his 71st, tying him with Alan Taylor for 15th in BYU history.
Chase Fischer led BYU in scoring with 26 points and added 2 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist. He set a season high in points, field goals made and steals and set a career highs with 7 free throws made and 8 attempted. Fischer passed Michael Smith for 13th all-time in career 3-pointers made.
Corbin Kaufusi fouled out at 5:26 in the second half. He finished with 2 blocks and an assist. It was his fourth multi-block game of the season.
Nick Emery fouled out on a flagrant 2 foul with 1:44 left in the game. He finished with 11 points and 4 rebounds. All of his made field goals came from behind the 3-point line.
Kyle Davis had 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block and 1 assist. It was his sixth straight game scoring in double figures and grabbing at least 7 rebounds.
Nate Austin finished with 3 points, 7 rebounds and an assist in 24 minutes off the bench. Austin has recorded 5 or more rebounds in four-straight games coming off the bench.
Jake Toolson scored 6 points, grabbed 2 rebounds and made an assist in 15 minutes coming off the bench.
Team Notes
For the third-straight game, Fischer, Emery, Collinsworth, Davis and Kaufusi started for the Cougars. BYU is now 2-1 with that starting five.
This was the first loss of the season when BYU scores 70 or more points. The Cougars are also 0-2 in road games this year.
The 28 points in the first half was the lowest point total in any half this season for BYU. The 83 points scored by Utah is the most given up by the Cougars this year, as well.
Runs
BYU opened the second half on 15-2 run to cut Utah lead to 10 at 53-43. Fischer scored 5 points, Davis added 7 and Emery chipped in 3. It was a 7-0 and 8-0 run interrupted by two Poetl free throws in-between.
A 7-0 run put the Cougars within 7 at 61-54 with 10:29 left in the game as Fischer hit a 3-pointer, Toolson banked in a jumper and Austin scored a layup to cut into the Utah lead.
A 10-0 run cut the Utah lead to six at 81-75 with under a minute to play as all 10 points came from Fischer as he hit a 3-pointer, made three layups and a free throw.
Quotes
BYU head coach Dave Rose
“Obviously it’s the first 15 minutes of the game that was really disappointing, not only for the coaches but for the players. We were really slow. They were quicker to everything. We had a good scouting report and I think the guys were prepared, but our execution was not great.”
“We got in at halftime with a pretty discouraged group, but we got off to a good start offensively in the second half. We were quicker to the ball and executed better. But we have to be able to have the energy and attention to detail even when we don’t get off to a good offensive start. Chase obviously played his best half of the year. We will figure some things out.”
Halftime changes:
“Tonight the adjustment was let’s do what we were supposed to do. We went through the scouting report again. We went on that big run and closed it to single digits early. We went back and forth then we went through a stretch where we shot the ball too early and missed. It was just really difficult to come back from where we were.”
“At the beginning, it was such a bad first half that we dug ourselves into a big hole. We came out firing in the second half, but the lead turned out to be a little too big for us to come back from. This is something we will build upon. We need to find a way to play two full halves.”
Halftime message:
“Coach told us to go out there and compete. There was nothing to lose at that point. We needed to lay everything out on the line. I think we did that very well. We have to be a 40-minute team. We have to learn from this and have it turn us into a better team.”
Changes for the next game:
“We have to take what we were doing in the second half, the energy and intensity, and just go do that in all of our games. We started a little timid, and that’s something that we have to change.”