Caleb Lohner helps BYU basketball regain some swagger with rout of LMU

PROVO — Welcome back, Caleb Lohner.

The 6-foot-8, 235-pound sophomore returned to the starting lineup in a big way Thursday night, pouring in 13 points, 11 rebounds and two assists to help BYU roll to a 79-59 win over Loyola Marymount in the Marriott Center.

Te'Jon Lucas added 14 points and six assists for the Cougars (20-9, 8-6 WCC), who won their 20th game for the third-straight season under head coach Mark Pope.

Gideon George had 12 points and seven rebounds, and Fousseyni Traore scored 12 for BYU, which shot 54% from the field, outrebounded the Lions 39-23 and finished plus-40 in the paint, 52-12 in winning their third game in four tries — including two of LMU.

"A few weeks ago, we went through this period of doubting. We lost this trust — that best locker room in America started to be tested," Lohner said. "But I think the fight we had, our defense in the first half, it was incredible, especially the first 10 minutes. And I thought we shared the ball really well. In transition, we were pretty good tonight. But overall, I'm just proud of the way we kept responding and kept coming back.

"Coach says it all the time, but I truly believe that BYU's best basketball is still to come."

Both teams were short-handed for the mid-week game played under the snow in Provo, with BYU missing Seneca Knight (thumb) and LMU without explosive big Keli Leaupepe. The Cougars took advantage of the missing mullet in the middle, playing to the difference of an overtime victory two weeks ago in Los Angeles, but Lohner was a menace unto himself, shooting 6 of 9 from the field and canning a triple in his third-straight game after missing his previous 10 attempts.

"Caleb's been on a tear since we played LMU, putting together great games," Pope said. "He was so efficient tonight, and minus a couple of turnovers late, his decision-making was very good — in a game where LMU forces your bigs to be the decision makers.

"Caleb always has an impact on us; sometimes it's not glaring in the box score and sometimes it is, but he's on a run right now. This is really awesome; he's playing elite-level basketball. This is one of the main reasons why we feel like we have our best basketball in front of us. We're desperate to have as many games as we can, because we think we're finding ourselves. And Caleb is certainly a leader in that process."

He's right, too; Lohner went for double-digits on offense for the second time in three games — he had 9 points and 11 rebounds in the other game, a 69-64 loss at Saint Mary's. His double-double is just the second of the year, the first since a 75-64 win over Utah back on Nov. 27.

And like his coach, Lohner believes his best basketball is still in front of him. The Cougars, who lost five of their previous seven games before Thursday night, slipped to Joe Lunardi's First Four Out on ESPN.com and clung to a projected spot in the First Four in Jerry Palm's bracket with CBS Sports.

But a 20-point win — their first since an 81-49 win over then-No. 12 Oregon back on Nov. 16 — will only helped the case of a team that was projected by KenPom to beat the Lions by 14.

"We all understood what we needed to do," Lohner said. "Offensively and defensively, we knew the concepts that we needed to practice during this game and really focus on — and I thought we did a good job at that.

"I think I was just doing the things that I know I'm good — rebounding and physicality," he added. "For me, I'm just putting myself in a spot to do anything I can to find a way to win, to help Alex Barcello and Te'Jon Lucas keep playing ... and I think we're going to keep getting better and better."

Barcello, for his part, may have struggled from the field — he shot just 2-of-9, including 1-of-5 from 3-point range. But the senior finished with 9 points, seven rebounds and seven assists — two free throws away from a lucky jackpot before checking out for the final time with just over three minutes remaining.

"We're plus-16 and he's got seven of them; he's working on a triple-double," Pope saids. "That's just who he is; we're all spoiled. It's sad that the last game he's going to play in this building is Saturday, because he just does what is needed.

"Most importantly, on the defensive end, I thought he was elite tonight. We don't have a chance unless he's an elite-level defender."

That opened up a spot in the starting lineup for the first time in five games for Lohner, and the sophomore who prepped at nearby Wasatch Academy made the most of it. The Dallas product made his first three shots from the field and the Cougars jumped out to a 13-3 lead on Spencer Johnson's 3-pointer six minutes in.

Lohner lit up the gym with an alley-oop from Lucas less than two minutes later to go up 17-3, and the rout was on.

BYU shot 59% from the field in the first half, including 11 and 10 points respectively from Lohner and George, and assisted on 13-of-19 made baskets en route to a 45-28 lead at the break.

Perhaps more impressively, the Cougars held LMU to just 37.5% shooting in the first half, outrebounded the Lions 19-12, and held the visitors to just two offensive boards.

About the only thing that could stop Lohner was foul trouble — he picked up his third just three minutes into the second half, staggered his playing time the rest of the way. But his teammates were more than ready to pick up the slack against the Lions (9-17, 2-11 WCC).

George stretched the lead to 20 with just over 12 minutes remaining as BYU held the Lions to just 3-of-9 shooting to open the second half. Lohner capped a 7-0 run to push the gap to 64-40 inside the 10-minute mark, and the Lions never threatened again.

BYU closes conference play Saturday against Pepperdine. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT on ESPNU.

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