Mika's 12th double-double leads BYU hoops by Pepperdine


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PROVO — BYU men’s basketball coach Dave Rose said there is “no question” the Cougars play differently inside the Marriott Center than away from home.

After an 88-75 loss at San Diego, the Cougars looked like a different team against West Coast Conference bottom-dwelling Pepperdine.

Eric Mika had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Elijah Bryant scored 15 to go with three rebounds as the BYU men’s basketball team routed visiting Pepperdine 99-70 Thursday night in Provo.

L.J. Rose supplied 10 points, five rebounds and three assists for BYU (14-5, 5-2 WCC), while Nick Emery scored 10 for a Cougar squad that shot 54 percent from the field.

“I thought it was a great effort by our guys,” Rose said. “We were aggressive, we were really unselfish, we shared the ball. After the first 4-5 minutes on offense, we did a great job of attacking and finding opportunities to get to the rim.”

Pepperdine started strong, taking a 10-7 lead on Lamond Murray Jr.’s layup four minutes into the game as BYU made just six of their first 19 buckets. But the Waves, who lost 12 of their previous 13 games entering the contest, quickly ran out of gas.

The Cougars used a run of 12 straight shots to take control of a listless game midway through the first half. TJ Haws’ 3-pointer with 4:32 left in the half gave the Cougars a 38-27 lead, and the home team never looked back en route to a 16-point halftime lead and their 11th win all-time against the Waves.

“We were going hard, like we’ve been used to,” Mika said of the dozen-shot run. “When we can do that, we give ourselves a lot of confidence. That’s how we know how to play, and how we’ve been practicing all year.”

Murray had a game-high 23 points to lead Pepperdine (5-14, 1-6 WCC), and Utah transfer Chris Reyes added 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Eric Mika, double-double machine

Mika recorded his 12th double-double of the season, and he had it just 90 seconds into the second half when he registered his 20th point and 10th rebound.

It’s safe to say the sophomore who prepped at Lone Peak High is having a standout season for the Cougars; but how do his post-mission contributions stack up nationally?

Mika’s 9.5 rebounds per game 39th nationally before Thursday's game, while his 20.5 points per game rank 31st in the NCAA.

Put them together, and Mika’s 12 double-doubles are the sixth most nationally. Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan and Louisiana’s Bryce Washington lead the country with 15 double-doubles in 2016-17.

“The pace and our spacing really opened things up; when our guards went down to the corner, rather than going to the block,” Mika said. “We can do a lot of things on offense if we are playing at our pace and with our spacing.”

Nick Emery makes history

With his opening shot, Emery set a BYU record by making at least one 3-pointer in his 29th consecutive game.

The sophomore from Alpine was tied with Jimmer Fredette for the longest 3-point scoring streak in program history and set the new mark just 23 seconds into Thursday's night’s game.

“If you can break any of Jimmer’s records, you’re probably doing something good,” Rose said. “

Emery, a 39-percent 3-point shooter, has drained 147 career 3-pointers. Fredette, who graduated with a 39.4 3-point percentage, had just 95 3-pointers in his first two seasons at BYU.

Fredette finished his college career with 296 all-time treys.

“Nick is a really aggressive player, and tonight he got himself in a bit of foul trouble,” Rose said. “But he had a really tough defensive assignment, and I think that is where he is really growing. He’s growing in his ability to take the tough defender, and still score for us and help us.”

Block party

Of course, one of the key reasons for BYU’s success in the Marriott Center is on the defensive end.

BYU outrebounded the Waves 55-32 and also got things done on the defensive end with seven steals and seven blocks.

Mika and Yoeli Childs each had two blocks for the Cougars, who tied a season-high with four other home games. Childs finished the night with only eight points but added a team-best 14 rebounds — including nine on the defensive glass.

“It’s good for our psyche, for our confidence, and now we understand the challenge of turning this thing around and playing another road game,” Rose said. “We have not had the same feel to our team on the road as we have at home, and hopefully we can find that ability to get teams on their heels in their own gym.”

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