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PROVO — Yoeli Childs’ first half against Weber State was perfect, at least so far as his shooting form was concerned.
His BYU basketball teammates weren’t far off, either.
Childs poured in 22 of his game-high 28 points in the first half to help the Cougars roll to a 91-61 win over Weber State for their third-straight win Saturday night in front of a winter break-inspired crowd in the Marriott Center.
Jake Toolson was also perfect before the break, shooting 4 of 4 with a pair of 3-pointers for 10 points, three rebounds and two assists ahead of halftime for a BYU squad that shot 80 percent from the field and 5 of 8 from deep.
Toolson finished with 10 points, five assists and four rebounds, and Alex Barcello added 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three for the Cougars (10-4). Dalton Nixon and Connor Harding each scored 11 for BYU, which got 9 points and eight assists from TJ Haws.
Childs' first-half performance was a career-best in a Cougar uniform. The same could be said of the team’s efficiency before the break; BYU set a school record for first-half field-goal percentage and just 4.2 percent off its all-time mark set in the second half against Fresno State in 1994.
It fed into what BYU coach Mark Pope calls “the karma of the game.”
“It’s a good feeling when your shots are falling like that. I think my coaches and teammates just kept me positive,” said Childs, whose team assisted on 25 of 35 field goals. “When you play the right way, shots fall. If you make the right plays, the ball finds you. And that’s what is really on our mind. We trust each other."
The 6-foot-8 power forward scored every which way possible before the break: with a rim-rattling flush early in the half, stepping outside for a 3 a few moments later, and adding back-to-back jumpers that capped a 19-2 run and gave the Cougars a 38-13 advantage midway through the half.
Childs didn’t miss a shot until the 17:53 mark of the second half. By then, the Cougars’ lead approached 30 points.
“We were just sharing the ball, and guys were hitting open shots,” Barcello said. “Yoeli was killing it down low, and we were killing it in transition. We went into halftime, (Weber State's Jerrick) Harding was getting some tough buckets and we keyed in on him. We wanted to make sure to lock him up, and extend the lead.”
Harding scored 27 points and dished out three assists to lead the Wildcats (4-7). He scored 12 of Weber State’s 24 points before halftime, finishing 4 of 6 from the field while his teammates shot just 5 of 20 in the first half.
Defensively, the picture was just as nice for the Cougars. BYU held the Wildcats to 34 percent shooting — including a paltry 2 of 9 from deep, despite Harding making the first 3-pointer of the game less than 30 seconds after tipoff.
“One of our Achilles’ heels in the past has been our ability to contain penetration, and we were facing a team that really pushes it in transition and has four guards that can really get to the rim and make shots,” Pope said. “For the most part, especially in the first half, I was really pleased with our guys’ defensive focus. We got great efforts from our guys on the defensive end.”
Next up
BYU puts a bow on its nonconference schedule next Saturday, Dec. 28, against Oral Roberts. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST (BYUtv). The Cougars open West Coast Conference play Jan. 4 against Loyola Marymount.
Weber State returns home Dec. 28 to open Big Sky play against Eastern Washington. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. MST (Pluto TV).
