Defense led to BYU's home win over No. 25 Saint Mary's

(Luke Franke/Deseret News)


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PROVO — BYU's come-from-behind upset win over No. 25 Saint Mary's Thursday received notice as Kyle Collinsworth soared through the air for a pair of dunks in transition midway through the second half.

But the rally really started on the defensive end.

The Cougars (17-7, 8-3 WCC) held a team ranked first in the nation in field-goal percentage to just one for its first 10 shots in the second half of the 70-59 win. BYU tied the game at 39-39 on Kyle Davis' jumper with 15:26 left, prompting Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett to call a timeout. But the Gaels' second wind never came, and BYU seemed to be in control on both ends of the floor.

"I think it was just effort plays," said BYU leading scorer Chase Fischer, who had a game-high 19 points. "Corbin (Kaufusi), Nate (Austin), Kyle Collinsworth made a lot of big effort plays."

Saint Mary's shot just 34.4 percent from the field for the game, but the average was buoyed by a slightly below average 45.2 percent effort in the first 20 minutes. The Gaels made just 7-of-30 shots after the break, including just 4-of-14 from the 3-point line.

Fischer credited BYU's 1-3-1 zone defense — a by-product of the recent hire of former Lone Peak High School coach Quincy Lewis as an assistant coach — for the Gaels' inefficiency.

"We have a big anchor in the back (of the zone) with Corbin, Nate controlling the paint and Kyle with his long arms at the top to throw at guys like (Emmett) Naar and (Joe) Rahon and get them out of rhythm. We can attack them, and they can't dictate the pace of their offense through ball screens."

BYU guard Kyle Collinsworth lays the ball up against St. Mary's Jock Landale (34) in the second half of action at the Marriott Center in Provo, Feb. 4, 2016. (Photo: Luke Franke, Deseret News)
BYU guard Kyle Collinsworth lays the ball up against St. Mary's Jock Landale (34) in the second half of action at the Marriott Center in Provo, Feb. 4, 2016. (Photo: Luke Franke, Deseret News)

Rahon finished with a team-high 17 points for Saint Mary's, but he took a game-high 16 shots to get there. Naar had nine points — seven of them in the first half — for the Gaels (18-3, 9-2 WCC).

BYU also won the rebounding battle at 44-33 — a number BYU coach Dave Rose said added to his team's transition offense. Collinsworth led the way with nine boards, while Kaufusi added eight rebounds to his three blocks and eight players recorded at least two rebounds.

"We came out 1-for-7 to start the half and had so many opportunities to get a lead," Rose said.

But then Collinsworth forced two steals-to-dunks in transition in less than two minutes, and the momentum shifted as the crowd of 14,897, including a special young guest, got into the game.

"When we got going and the crowd got into it with their (the Gaels') missed shots and us getting the lead, I thought we did a really good job of controlling our pace and tempo, and executing a good half-court offense down the stretch," Rose added.

A somber locker room at halftime with a 37-33 deficit was motivation for Kaufusi and the BYU big men to leave their mark on the game.

"At halftime, the coaches wanted us to play with a lot more energy," he said. "In the first half, it was easy to get down on yourself. To come out in the second half with that boost helped a lot."

BYU has now won two straight games over a ranked opponent. The Cougars beat then-No. 25 Gonzaga 69-68 Jan. 14 in Spokane, Washington, but Rose called Thursday night's game against the league-leading Gaels the Cougars' toughest challenge, "no question."

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"The challenge at Gonzaga is its own unique circumstance," he said. "But we're later in the year, and the success that they (the Gaels) have had, this was a big deal. I played on a team in college that got all the way to March and only lost twice. You just find ways to win. You don't lose with teams like that; people have to beat you. It's a real credit to our guys."

Fischer said the Cougars' early losses paid dividends in the win over the Gaels, and Kaufusi added he's hopeful the Cougars are peaking at the right time.

"I think we're starting to hit our stride," Kaufusi said. "We had to figure things out, and now we just have to keep going. These are the big games that you have to win in order to continue into the postseason. I think we recognized that, and we've risen to the occasion."

The next challenge is for BYU to maintain its momentum Saturday at 2 p.m. MT against a struggling Pacific squad.

"I expect a really hard-fought game," Rose said. "We've got our hands full. It'll be a good game. Hopefully, we get a great crowd in here Saturday afternoon, so we can get a big win at home."

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