Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
PROVO — The red-shirted Arizona fans were limited but stood out in the sea of blue-and-white during the Wildcats' first conference game against BYU since the two shared the Western Athletic Conference from 1962-78.
But Caleb Love gave them plenty to celebrate late Tuesday night.
The reigning Big 12 Player of the Week poured in 18 points, six rebounds and four assists as No. 20 Arizona extended its winning run to six straight with a 85-74 win over BYU in front of a standing room-only crowd of 17,274 fans at the Marriott Center.
Tobe Awaka added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats (16-6, 10-1 Big 12), who got 17 points from Henri Veesaar and 17 from Jaden Bradley to collect a 12th win in the past 13 games.
Egor Demin led BYU with 16 points and three assists, and Dallin Hall added 11 points and six assists off the bench for the Cougars (15-7, 6-5 Big 12). Richie Saunders scored 11 points with five rebounds for BYU, which was outrebounded 45-30 and gave up 11 second-chance points.
But it was the lengthy scoring droughts — including a 3-of-16 completion rate from 3-point range in the second half — that dropped the Cougars' first game in the past four tries.
Sure, BYU was outrebounded by 15. But rebounds are as important as second-chance points, or limiting them from the opposing team — and it was BYU's inability to stop an Arizona squad that shot 49.2% from the field and 38.1% from the perimeter.
"We lost because we couldn't get stops," BYU coach Kevin Young said. "They weren't able to capitalize as much as they usually do with those second-chance points."
Arizona held BYU without a bucket for more than five minutes to lead by as much as 8 in the first half.
But Dawson Baker broke the drought with a 3-pointer with 12:14 remaining, added another a minute later, and the Cougars capped an 8-0 run to take a 23-22 lead through Hall's putback basket with 10:46 on the clock.
Love caught fire late, finishing the half with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including three 3-pointers to go with four assists. The Wildcats shot 48.6% from the field and outrebounded BYU before the break.
But Mawot Mag had 8 points at the half, and Demin had 7 points with two assists to help broker a 41-41 halftime stalemate.
Baker and Kanon Catchings sent the crowd to their feet with back-to-back buckets to give the Cougars a 61-60 edge midway through the second half. But rather than call a timeout with 10:51 remaining, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd put the ball in his best player's hands — and Love delivered 18 seconds later with a 3-pointer that put the visitors back in front with a lead they would never relinquish.
Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time moments. And big-time coaches don't get in the way, which is why Lloyd didn't think of calling a timeout with the capacity crowd on its feet and BYU seemingly taking back all the moment.
"I trust my guys. And I don't ever want to be the first guy to call a timeout," Lloyd said with a shrug. "You will if you have to. But I trust these guys to figure it out.
"To me, what's more powerful than a timeout is a response ... Caleb made a big three; that's way more powerful than me calling a timeout. I've always believed that."
Love did what he's done for years, whether in averaging 16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in his second season with the Wildcats, or as a highly touted recruit during his first three years at North Carolina.
SILENCER🤫 pic.twitter.com/kwRHSacdPQ
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) February 5, 2025
"That's what that kid does," Young said. "He's been doing it for years. It's a big-boy game, and you've got to come down and make the next play. That's something our group has to understand.
"That's a club that has been good for a long time," the first-year coach added. "They know what it takes. We have to learn that we're as good as any team in the country, and I firmly believe that ... I think the internet belief has to continue to grow, which I think it has over the last five games. And that's what you do: you answer the call. We have guys in the locker room who are capable of doing that, and we'll continue to push them to do that."
The Wildcats responded with a pair of scores — and more importantly, a pair of stops — to wrestle control back in the visitors' favor in a game that featured nine ties and 11 lead changes before Arizona began to pull away down the stretch.
The Cougars didn't hit a field goal for more than four minutes after Hall drained back-to-back buckets with 7:47 to play, and Bradley paced a 13-2 run to extend the Wildcats' advantage to 12.
"I think we left a lot of money on the table, which is frustrating," Hall said.
BYU is back on the road this weekend to face Cincinnati at 4 p.m. MT Saturday (ESPN2) before traveling to West Virginia next Tuesday, Feb. 11.
