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BYU weathered a late challenge and Brandon Averette’s 3-pointer with 52 seconds left gave the Cougars plenty of leeway as BYU clinched a signing victory, beating 18th San Diego State 72-62 at Viejas San Diego Arena Friday.
The Cougars (7-2) led by no less than 17 points in the second half before seeing their lead reduced as San Diego State (5-1) tied the score at 61-61 with 1:56 to go, but BYU made six free throws in the last minute after Averette’s big shot – the Cougars scored the last nine points of the game – to claim the victory.
Here are three takeaways from the game:
- The Cougars’ big three, Alex Barcello, Matt Haarms and Averette, shone and the trio secured key support from the bench. Barcello had 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to lead BYU, while Haarms (10 points, eight rebounds, one blocked shot) and Averette (10 points, two rebounds two 3 points) also scored in double digits. The Cougars beat the Aztecs 22-11 on points off the bench – Spencer Johnson and Trevin Knell had eight each – and BYU had a 30-20 point advantage in the paint.
- Matt Mitchell sparked the Aztecs’ rally, as the SDSU used a 14-0 run to do 61-all with just under two minutes in regulation after BYU took a 61-47 lead with 5:20 to play. Mitchell had three 3 points and 12 of those 14 points in the race, and he finished with a record 35 points on 12 of 17 shots, with five 3 points.
- BYU kept San Diego state 25 percent in first-half shooting as the Cougars entered the break with a 35-20 lead. The Cougars had 51.9% of their shots in the first half, including five from 3 points, while the Aztecs had just two 3s in the first half. BYU shot 46.3% for the game, compared to 36.8% for San Diego state.
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