The following notes are from BYU's 87-79 win over Weber State on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
ALL-TIME SERIES RESULTS: BYU leads 35-11
TEAM NOTES
Balanced First Half Scoring
The Cougars went into the half up 41-32, with no individual scorer above seven points and eight players with between three and seven points.
Perfect in State
With tonight’s win BYU is now 5-0 this season against in-state foes, defeating Westminster, Utah Valley, Utah State, Utah and Weber State. No in-state hoops team has done that in the past decade.
Loving Vivint
BYU has won 16 consecutive games at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
A Win Despite Few Threes
The Cougars hit a season-low six three-pointers on 22 attempts. Previously, BYU had three games with only seven made three-pointers, two of which resulted in losses to Boise State (seven of 21 from three) and USC (seven of 30). The lone win came in its upset win over San Diego State on Saturday when it hit just seven of 23 from deep.
PLAYER NOTES
Matt Haarms
Haarms led the Cougars in scoring with 15 points. He also grabbed five rebounds and had two blocks.
Alex Barcello
Barcello scored in double figures for the ninth time in 11 games this season, racking up 12 points.
Caleb Lohner
Lohner had a career-high-tying 11 points and added eight rebounds.
Brandon Averette
Coming off of a career high in scoring in his last game, Averette had a career high in assists in this game with seven.
Notable career highs/career firsts
Career-high points: Lohner (11 tied)
Career-high assists: Averette (7)
COACH AND PLAYER QUOTES
Mark Pope
On the state of the team at the end of non-conference play and the challenges presented by COVID-19
“These guys have put in an unbelievable effort over the last two months. This 11-game stretch has been incredibly challenging with six top-100 teams in a row and five in-state games which are always just a bloodbath. Couldn’t be happier with where we are, but we’ve got a lot of improvement to do if we are going to be competitive in our league, but excited with where these guys have come so far.”
“This COVID, with all the craziness it brings, you have this built-in excuse that’s always sitting right there for you to grab whenever you want to. The worst cancer in the world for an athlete or team is to have an excuse sitting there waiting for you whenever it’s convenient to grab it. So, the fact that my guys have stayed focused through this first third of the season, through all the challenges they’ve faced, is a real credit to them.”
On Caleb Lohner’s progression and rebounding
“It’s making a way bigger difference than people might think. For us to be solid on the glass every single night, the confidence that it gives us to know that he is going to not only do really great work on the defensive glass, but that he’s going to grab us some extra possessions, that’s actually worth way more than just the face-value of the numbers. He’s done a great job. There’s some parts of his game that he’s super frustrated with right now, so for a less-mature player, that might distract them from doing the things that they’re great at, and he’s actually been able to not be distracted by the things that aren’t going well and keep doing the things that are earning him minutes and helping us win.”
On Lohner’s game-sealing rebound
“It was a huge offensive rebound. He actually grabbed it and I was like, ‘Pass it out! Pass it out!’ And Caleb’s like, ‘Man, come on coach. I’m gonna go finish this.’ I’m glad he did.”
Caleb Lohner
On currently leading the team in rebounding
“Right now one of my key roles to this team is getting rebounds. If that’s something I can do to help them win games, then I’m going to do it. I’ve actually found it really fun going to the glass, getting rebounds and bringing some juice to the team.”
On his opportunity to learn from Kolby Lee
“He was one of the dudes which kind of took me under his wing at the beginning of the year. He works hard. He plays the game the right way. He’s a really good basketball player. So, I love Kolby. It’s really fun to learn from him.”
On his experience as a freshman thus far
“I’ve only been (playing college basketball) for five months now, and I didn’t think I realized, coming out of high school, how much of a change it would be and how much learning I needed to do. I know I’m a freshman. I know I’ve got to do things right to help this team win. Some of the things I’ve really been focusing on are rebounding the ball and getting stops on the defensive end, then everything else is just going to come. I’m really grateful for these coaches and these guys that have just been pushing me every day. It’s been really fun. I’m really excited to keep going.”