BYU vs. Santa Clara Game Recap
Individual Notes
Yoeli Childs recorded 22 points while grabbing 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season and 42nd of his career. He also tallied a pair of assists on the night.
TJ Haws is now second all-time in career assists at BYU after tallying nine tonight. He led the offense with 28 points, just one shy of a season best. He went 12 of 12 from the charity stripe to bring his streak to 28-straight free-throws, tied for the eighth-longest streak in BYU history.
Haws' 12 makes without a miss are the fourth-most makes without a miss in BYU history. Jimmer Fredette holds the record of 16 while 14 makes without a miss has happened four times, 13 has happened six times and 12 has happened 12 times.
Jake Toolson scored in double figures for the 22nd time this season as he tallied 20 points. He also recorded a season-high 10 rebounds and one block. It was his ninth 20-point game of the season and first double-double.
With Childs, Haws and Toolson all scoring 20-plus points it was the first time since Jan. 9, 2016, vs. San Francisco that three players scored 20-plus points.
Alex Barcello brought down a career-best tying seven rebounds.
Team Notes
In the first half, the Cougars shot 48.6 percent from the field compared to the Broncos’ 40.0 percent as BYU held a 40-30 advantage.
The Cougars scored a season-low three 3-pointers, despite coming into tonight with an average of 10.9 per game. Yoeli Childs and Kolby Lee were the only two players to hit a basket from beyond the arc on the night.
On the game, the Cougars recorded 48.4 percent from the field, 23.1 percent from 3 and 68.8 percent from the charity stripe while Santa Clara tallied 45.8 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from beyond the arc and 65.0 percent from the free throw line.
Postgame Quotes
BYU guard Jake Toolson
On not getting 3-pointers
"They had a game plan...they did a good job at making it tough on us. As the game went on, we started taking the best shot that we had and a lot of times that was TJ driving and us getting to the free-throw line. I'm not worried about that. We will continue to shoot those shots and we're going to make them."
On the importance of winning
"It's always important to win. Coach always says it's really hard to win. Any time we can win, that's a step in the right direction. There are things that we will shore up, but I think winning is getting better."
On Toolson, Haws and Yoeli scoring the most
"All three of us have had big nights. And, there are nights where others have it going on. I think we were all aggressive and got to that free-throw line a lot. We were trying to make the right play. We always want to have an aggressive mindset. We're encouraging each other. We're lifting each other up. We're trying to put each other in spots to be effective."
On facing Gonzaga
"We know they're a good team and we're up for the challenge. It's a great opportunity for our team. We've been getting better all season. It's cool how this season has all come together."
BYU guard TJ Haws
On the final five minutes
"Coach has been saying all year, defense is going to win us games. We needed an urgency on defense. They were making tough shots. They were getting easy layups as well. I think we buckled down on defense down the stretch and that helped us. Offensively, I thought we started the moving the ball really well and getting open looks. We knocked down big shots."
"We have built habits all year of taking it one day at a time. That's what it takes to win games in this league. It shows a lot of who we are. If the 3s aren't falling, we can win in other ways."
On being better on the free-throw line in conference play
"I'm shooting extra after practice and I think my confidence has gone up. Sometimes, you have to get into a rhythm at the free-throw line and I feel like before I was shooting only a few throw throws per game and I feel like tonight I got there frequently and got a good rhythm and that helped me tonight."
BYU head coach Mark Pope
On tonight's game
“I couldn’t be more proud of our team. I am so happy. It’s a huge win for us and it’s really hard. It’s the first time ever in BYU history that we have won seven games in a row in this conference. That shows how hard it is. The guys battled and figured it out. It was a much different defensive game plan against us then we are used to, but they managed to figure it out. We have a quick turnaround here with a big game on Saturday with senior night. We are excited to move forward.”
On rebounding
“It’s really important. We have known all season long that we have to fight on our boards just to stay alive. We have to be able to compete and the guys did a nice job on the glass tonight. One of the things about this game is you have to find whatever it takes to win on any given night and this team has proven to be pretty adept at trying to do that. They are veteran guys and they figure out how to manage every defensive game plan that’s thrown at them. When you are the number one 3-point team in the country, teams have tried a lot of different stuff against us and the guys have responded very well.”
On Gonzaga
“They are really good. I think they are the best team in the country right now and we get a shot at them here and it’s on senior night. It will be insanity, the joint is sold out, we’ve won seven in a row and they’ve won a lot in a row. We have this incredible senior class that is giving their heart and soul to BYU and to these fans and the program. So, here’s the thing, we’ve talked a long time about seniors being magic and these guys with everything they’ve gone through in their respective careers, their last home game of their career is the first time they’ve ever been ranked. It’s two ranked teams going head to head in the Marriott Center, in a sold-out arena. What these seniors have accomplished is breathtaking. We get a chance to duke it out in front of the whole BYU nation and I couldn’t ask for anything more.”