LAS VEGAS – Four Cougars scored in double figures as the BYU men’s basketball team fell 77-58 to the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the West Coast Conference tournament semifinals on Saturday.
Junior Brandon Davies led the way for BYU with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Charles Abouo, Noah Hartsock and Matt Carlino scored 12 points apiece. Abouo also grabbed 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double.
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The Cougars went 3 of 18 from beyond the arc, 20 of 53 from the field and 15 of 24 from the free-throw line. Freshman Kevin Pangos paced the Bulldogs with 30 points and five treys. Gonzaga finished the game 29 of 53 from the field and 7 of 15 from beyond the 3-point line.
Gonzaga jumped out to a 19-5 lead in the first six minutes of the half as BYU was unable to hit shots on the offensive end. The Cougars shot 8 for 25 and 1 for 10 from three in the opening 20 minutes.
After falling behind 30-12 following a technical foul at the 7:40 mark, the Cougars fought back to get within 10 at 34-24 with just over two minutes to play. Abouo keyed the run with back-to-back three-point plays.
Abouo and Davies each scored seven points to lead BYU in the first half. The Cougars trailed 38-26 heading into the locker room.
Davies scored eight of the first 10 for the Cougars in the second half to keep BYU within 10 points. Despite Davies’ efficiency, BYU was unable to get within single digits for the remainder of the game.
Carlino hit two 3s in just over two minutes to get BYU within 11 with 9:54 left in the game. Gonzaga responded every time the Cougars narrowed the deficit and expanded the lead to 20 at 69-49 with an 11-2 run with 5:45 left in the game.
With the loss, the Cougars are eliminated from the WCC tournament and will await their NCAA Tournament fate. Selection Sunday is slated for March 11 and will be broadcast on CBS following the Big Ten championship game.