By Brandon Judd
BYU had been in this situation before.
One team comes back from a double-digit deficit to close the gap to four or five points, then the other team ends the first half on a big run to stretch the lead back past 10.
Only this time, the Cougar men”s basketball team was the one building the lead back up.
BYU (3-8) used a 9-0 run at the end of the first half to cruise to a 79-61 victory over in-state rival Weber State on Thursday. It was the Cougars” largest margin of victory ever at the Dee Events Center.
“We just kept playing and played smart,” BYU guard Mike Hall said, who led the Cougars with 23 points, tying his career high.
Weber State had cut an 11-point BYU lead to 33-28 with 4:03 left to go in the first half on a Jamaal Jenkins jumper. But instead of folding, the Cougars fought back and scored the final nine points of the half, capped by a 3-pointer by Hall from the far corner with 38 seconds to go until halftime.
From there, BYU held off any serious Wildcat threats in the second half.
“I thought a real telling point in the game was in the first half when we had a 10- or 12-point lead and they cut it to five,” BYU head coach Steve Cleveland said. “We got it to 14. That”s something people have been doing to us.”
After struggling during the first 10 games of the season with scoring consistently, the Cougars lit up from inside and outside Thursday, hitting a blistering 67.9 percent of their shots in the first half and finishing at 60.4 percent. They also made 6-of-11 3-pointers and all nine free throw attempts.
“When you see other guys hitting shots, it makes you feel better not only for offensive plays, but for defense as well,” BYU forward Jared Jensen said.
Hall, who recorded four assists and two steals, led four Cougars in double figures and made 5-of-7 3-pointers. Jensen tied his season high with 16 points, as did Keena Young (14) and Garner Meads (10).
For Weber State (4-6), center Lance Allred registered his fifth straight double-double with 27 points and 18 rebounds, but it wasn”t nearly enough to keep pace with the Cougars.
“I know Allred had a big night, but typically one guy is not going to beat you,” Cleveland said.
The Wildcats” Terrell Stovall and Troy Goodell also scored in double figures with 15 and 11 points, respectively, in a losing effort.
The win followed a strong second half performance for the Cougars against No. 16 North Carolina State in which BYU cut a 22-point halftime lead for the Wolfpack down to nine twice before losing by 11.
“The last three halfs, we”ve looked like a basketball team,” Cleveland said. “We looked like a team that played with a purpose, defended with a purpose.”
The BYU big men also had a big night, scoring 42 points in the paint compared to 28 from the Wildcats. Young and Meads led the Cougars with six rebounds each, while Jensen grabbed five.
“We can”t win games in our conference or anywhere else unless we have a post presence,” Cleveland said. “We have to have a post presence. Even if we don”t score, we still have to do that because that”s the way we will get better and these guys will develop.”
Jensen said it was just a matter of being relaxed.
“Most of the guys were relaxed when they stepped out there on the floor,” he said. “We”re not thinking as much as we were just competing.”
The Cougars were also efficient, turning the ball over just eight times to the Wildcats” 14 and scoring 21 points off of turnovers.
“I”m hoping we can build on it. We have four out of our next five at home,” Cleveland said. “We got to, at some time, turn the corner and get going in that positive direction.”
