‘Exactly what I envisioned’: peak of Lohner’s career leads BYU to rout the Pacific

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SALT LAKE CITY – Once a solo show with Alex Barcello, BYU basketball continued to find other options on Thursday night.

This time it was Caleb Lohner’s turn.

The Wasatch Academy rookie scored a career-high 19 points, including five from 3 points, to accompany nine rebounds in 28 minutes as BYU claimed an 80-52 victory at Pacific in the Cougars’ opener in nearly two weeks Thursday. night at the Alex G. Spanos Center in Stockton, California.

After a 10-day non-game layoff, Barcello added 15 points, five assists and three steals for BYU, and Brandon Averette scored 8 of his 10 points in the second half to go along with seven assists and three rebounds. Trevin Knell contributed 15 points, including four 3s, off the bench for the Cougars (16-5, 7-3 WCC).

“This is exactly what I envisioned,” Lohner told BYU Radio. “The last 10 days without playing we’ve been working really hard. I think a lot of teams in the country don’t train as hard… but I think we really took advantage of that time. We understood what we were doing. needed… to do to get better, and I think we’ve shown that we’ve improved tonight. “

Matt Haarms provided 8 points and seven rebounds for BYU, which had 13 3 points and topped the Tigers 31-22.

No one got hotter than Lohner, however.

“I just felt good, from first to second I progressed with more and more confidence,” Lohner said. “I shot the ball well and knocked them over all night.

“I just think we’re getting better and better. We’re working hard and finding ways to improve. I’m really proud of the way our team comes together and continually improves.”

Broc Finstuen had 12 points and two rebounds to lead Pacific, and Jordan Bell added 5 points and seven rebounds for the Tigers (6-7, 3-6 WCC) just three weeks after leading BYU to double overtime at Provo.

Instead, following a loss to No.1 Gonzaga in their last outing, the Cougars have still never lost a back-to-back game in head coach Mark Pope’s second season.

“It’s ingrained in the culture of reaction from our guys,” Pope told BYU Radio. “We wonder after every game … and the fact that they think about it all the time and that’s where they focus is a tribute to the guys. We have a bunch of guys really. special.”

Lohner, who started Thursday night, saw a big flurry of touches when Gideon George was forced to come to the bench with early foul issues, and the Texas native put that to good use. Lohner had 8 points, four rebounds and an assist in just seven minutes as the Cougars took an 18-13 advantage with 9:55 left in the half.

BYU never followed again.

Knell capped a 7-0 run with a 3-point pointer with 7:26 remaining that took the Cougars to a 26-19 lead. Spencer Johnson extended the double-digit advantage just under three minutes later, and BYU took a 38-26 halftime advantage.

BYU made three of its first six 3-point attempts to open the half, including back-to-back triples from Barcello and Averette, to pull off an 8-0 run in 90 seconds with a 50-33 advantage.

It didn’t stop there.

Lohner had his third 3-point of the game with 12:55 left, pushing the Cougars lead to 55-35 just three weeks from a 7-point double-overtime victory at Provo over the Tigers. Moments later, product Wasatch Academy, just outside Dallas, canned their fourth hat-trick to cap a 16-2 inning – and BYU has never looked back.

His only basket from inside the arc was a transitioning alley-oop, where Lohner showed off his jumps and helped the Cougars carry their lead to halftime.

“We see his athleticism over and over again,” Pope said. “He came up with some incredible offensive rebounds… and certainly that walk-oop was incredible.

“But the best thing he did tonight was his defensive performance. Caleb has been basically healthy all night defensively, and it’s not easy. He did such a good job.”

On a night that brought good news for two BYU basketball teams – the women’s team upset No.16 Gonzaga, 61-56 in Provo – the Cougars looked like an NCAA tournament from several angles .

BYU shot 13 of 27 3-pointers, 13 of 27 2-pointers, and contributed 17 of 26 field goals. The Cougars also kept the Tigers at 40% shooting in the second half, including 0 for 7 from depth.

“I thought Trevin was excellent tonight,” Pope said. “He came in earlier in the rotation because of Gideon’s bad problem, but I love Trevin when he comes in with a chip on his shoulder. That’s where he’s at his best.”

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