BYU vs. Gonzaga Postgame Notes and Quotes
PROVO, Utah – The No. 23 BYU men’s basketball team upset No. 2 Gonzaga 91-78 on senior night Saturday in the Marriott Center.
“I’m super happy. It just doesn’t happen like this," BYU head coach Mark Pope said. "A lot of times you do all that stuff and you don’t get that senior night, but these guys did tonight and it’s extraordinary and I am so happy for them. It’s actually really humbling because it just doesn’t work like this a lot, but it worked for this crew. I hope that all 18,000 of us in there and everybody that watched it on tv got to see something they’ll never forget because it’s one of those really special moments in sports and it’s not going to be our last.”
Yoeli Childs led all scorers with 28 points on 12 of 19 shooting while also adding 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. Jake Toolson hit a game-high five 3-pointers en route to scoring 17 points to go along with six assists, four steals and three rebounds.
Haws stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, eight assists, four rebounds and one steal, while Zac Seljaas contributed 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Kolby Lee chipped in nine points on three of three shooting and added five rebounds.
As a team, the Cougars (23-7, 12-3) shot 53 percent from the floor on the night while holding the Bulldogs (27-2, 13-1) to 42 percent. BYU ended Gonzaga's streaks of 19-straight wins, 18-straight road wins, 40-straight regular season conference wins and 39-straight conference road wins.
Haws opened the game with a midrange jumper and a layup to put BYU up 4-2 two minutes into the contest. Gonzaga proceeded to go on a 12-4 scoring run before Seljaas found Haws for another layup to bring the Cougars within four, 14-10, with just over 12 minutes left in the half.
A 3-pointer by Toolson followed by three-consecutive baskets in the paint by Childs then gave BYU a 21-18 advantage and forced the Bulldogs to call timeout. The teams traded baskets following the timeout, with 3-pointers by Toolson and Seljaas and a Childs layup putting the Cougars up 29-25 with 5:29 remaining in the first half.
Childs hit a shot in the paint while being fouled and a step-back triple from the top of the key to then give BYU a 38-32 lead. Toolson and Haws both hit 3-pointers from well beyond the arc to put the Cougars up eight, 44-36, with 1:38 left in the first. Haws hit a pull-up midrange jumper to close out the half and give BYU a 46-38 advantage.
The Cougars shot 51 percent from the field during the first 20 minutes compared to Gonzaga’s 46 percent. Childs led all scorers at the break with 15 points to go along with six rebounds.
Jumpers by Childs and Haws followed by a deep 3-pointer by Toolson put BYU up 11, 53-42, two minutes into the second half. A wide-open lay-in and a triple by Lee then gave the Cougars a 58-44 lead. After a 7-0 Bulldog run, Lee hit a pair of free throws and Toolson drained a fast-break triple to put BYU up 63-50 with just over 14 minutes left.
Gonzaga responded with an 11-2 scoring run before a 3-point play by Childs gave the Cougars a 68-61 advantage midway through the second half. A 7-2 Bulldog run then cut BYU’s lead to two, 70-68. Seljaas proceeded to score back-to-back layups to extend the Cougars’ lead, 75-70, with 6:32 remaining.
A 3-pointer from the left wing by Alex Barcello followed by a trey by Haws from the top of the key increased BYU’s lead to nine, 85-76, with 4:05 left. The Cougar defense proceeded to hold Gonzaga scoreless over the next three-and-a-half minutes. Childs made a basket in the paint and cocked the ball back for a two-handed dunk in the same time span, giving BYU a 91-76 lead with 42 seconds remaining.
The Bulldogs scored one last basket before the buzzer sounded and the Cougars came away with the 91-78 win.
Up next, BYU hits the road to take on Pepperdine on Saturday, Feb. 29, at 3 p.m. PST for the Cougars’ regular season finale. The game will be televised live on CBS Sports Network. Audio broadcasts will be available on BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM), BYU Sports Network and KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM.