Defense keys BYU's slump-busting 95-81 win over Belmont


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

PROVO — Kyle Collinsworth's monster night against Belmont started early, when he swished a jumper just 11 seconds into the game to start his 26-point, 10-assist, nine-rebound extravaganza.

But what really keyed the Cougars' 95-81 come-from-behind win over Belmont was on the defensive end.

After Craig Bradshaw poured in 19 points with five 3-pointers in the first half, coach Dave Rose made a defensive change — putting the bigger, stronger Collinsworth on the Bruin sharpshooter and having him crowd the perimeter player.

It worked like a charm. Bradshaw scored just seven points in the second half, including two in the opening 10 minutes as BYU (4-1) hit four of its first six 3-pointers to cruise to the 14-point win Saturday night at the Marriott Center.

"I think we just focused on getting stops … instead of trading buckets," said Collinsworth, who finished one rebound shy of an NCAA-record seventh triple-double of his career. "Because we got stops, we could get rebounds and get clean outlets to start our break. I think getting defensive stops was the whole difference."

BYU forced a stop about a minute into the half, and finished it with Nick Emery's alley oop pass to Collinsworth to take a 45-44 lead with 18:42 left in the game. Then followed another stop, and Collinsworth found Kyle Davis for a layup to go up three.

After a quick five points by Belmont (4-3), Emery hit back-to-back 3-pointers — including one in transition — to move ahead 53-49 with 16:25.

Photo: Ravell Call, Deseret News
Photo: Ravell Call, Deseret News

And despite falling behind by as many as 12 points in the first half, the Cougars would never trail again.

Chase Fischer used the team's newfound confidence to bank in five treys for 19 points, all in the second half. The senior from Ripley, West Virginia, had his most triples of the season and most dating back to the NCAA Tournament loss to Ole Miss last March.

The 19 points is the best scoring output for Fischer and his first double-digit night since dropping 20 against Utah Valley in the season opener. Since then he finished with two, seven and nine points against Long Beach State, Adams State and Mississippi Valley State, respectively.

"It's probably one of the worst slumps I've had in my career," said Fischer, who also dished out three of BYU's 20 assists on 33 made shots. "But my teammates have been pumping me up.

"But it was a tough stretch for me, and I'm just glad shots were going in the second half so I could get my mojo back."

Fischer admitted he didn't think Saturday night would be any slump buster when he finished the first half scoreless.

"I thought it was another disaster night for me after the first half, but I just kept with it," he said. "I know I'm going to need to play well for us to get some big wins, especially on the road. It was really rewarding tonight."

Davis finished with his third double-double in his first five games eligible for BYU after sitting out following a transfer from Utah State. He scored 11 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, including 10 on the defensive glass, to lead BYU on the backboard.

But defense was still the key, and that started with Collinsworth, Rose said after the game.

"He's a guy who is a great scorer, can get past you and you have to crowd him on the perimeter," Rose said of Bradshaw. "We didn't want him to get loose in transition.

"We didn't have that urgency we needed (in the first half)."

The offensive win comes at the right time for the Cougars, who face three of the next five games away from the Marriott Center, including Wednesday's rivalry game at Utah. After that, BYU will travel to Hawaii for the Diamond Head Classic before opening West Coast Conference play Dec. 31 at Saint Mary's.

"It was bound to happen eventually," Collinsworth said of breaking the team's offensive funk. "It's a credit to everybody for being consistent, working hard, coaches making adjustments and players being willing to go with those adjustments. I think there's been a lot of communication for everybody, and we found the right page tonight."

Related stories

Most recent Sports stories

Related topics

SportsBYU Cougars
Sean Walker

    ARE YOU GAME?

    From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast