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MORAGA, CALIF. — BYU dropped another conference road game Thursday, this time falling 64-57 against Saint Mary’s.
The loss is the fourth defeat at the hands of Saint Mary’s since BYU joined the West Coast Conference. BYU was victim to wily senior Matthew Dellavedova, who played all 40 minutes and scored 20 points.
The loss wasn’t because of a lack of trying by senior forward Brandon Davies, who finished with 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists in a team-high 38 minutes. However, he did have two shots blocked in the final minutes when the Cougars badly needed points.
"Those are the shots I need to take and make," Davies said to reporters after the game.
Overall, Davies had one of his top games of the season, repeatedly finding success on offense against the Gaels on a night when his teammates were running around like the children in a Family Circus cartoon.
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Davies showed the type of leadership that is expected from a senior and captain. When he was able to receive the ball on the low block, he was able to cleverly make his way to the rim for a chance to score or shoot over his defender for two points. It was easy to see how he is considered one of the elite forwards in the WCC, and has developed his talents at BYU.
BYU lost despite shooting above 50 percent from the floor, connecting on 21 of 41 shots during the game. The 41 attempts were a season low, however, with the previous mark also coming against Saint Mary’s, when BYU was only able to attempt 51 shots.
Saint Mary’s slowed down the pace of the game, making every possession critical. In a game where the largest lead for either team — prior to the final score — was six points, Saint Mary’s was able to make more possessions count in its favor and wound up with the lead at the end of the game. BYU finished with a turnover rate of 23.0 percent, too often giving the ball back to Saint Mary’s after getting a defensive stop.
BYU's offense went ice cold in the second half, making four field goals over the final 12 minutes after tying the score at 43-all. Davies and Haws earned the points at the free-throw line, but similar to the loss against San Francisco, the points weren’t there when the team needed them the most.
While this loss is certain to sting over the weekend, BYU has an entire week to prepare to face No. 3 Gonzaga in a week at home. The game will be the final home contest of the season, and the team will hope to rally around its seniors, who will be honored at the game, as they look to upset one of the best teams in the country. The game will tip off at 9 pm MST, with pregame coverage an hour before tipoff on KSL Newsradio.
Dan Lewis covers BYU sports for KSL.com. He is currently attending Brigham Young University, studying communications with an emphasis in multimedia journalism.
