Four Cougars scored in double figures, led by Yoeli Childs with 20, in BYU’s seventh-straight victory, beating the Idaho State Bengals 85-71.
Payton Dastrup had a career-high 14 points (5-for-5 on field goals) in 14 minutes off the bench.
The game started out close, with Childs and Idaho’s Novak Topalovic going at it in the post. Both big men reached double-digit scoring early in the first half.
Dastrup made a 3-pointer and a layup to give BYU a 23-19 lead with 8:36 left in the period. The Cougars led for the entire game after that point.
With back-to-back scoring Payton Dastrup brings #BYUhoops to a 23-21 lead.
Watch the #BYU vs #IdahoState game now live on #BYUtvSports pic.twitter.com/jlQ8Sep6PE— BYUtv Sports (@byutvsports) December 22, 2017
Accurate shooting and passing allowed the Cougars to control the rest of the half, entering the break ahead 41-30.
Childs led all scorers with 17 at halftime, going 7-for-11 from the field. The team as a whole shot a season-high 60 percent from the field in the first half.
With 15 pts so far in the first half, @yochilds22 leads #BYUhoops in scoring. #BYU up 37-25 vs #IdahoState
Watch #BYUtvSports pic.twitter.com/bQzWoNu8TJ— BYUtv Sports (@byutvsports) December 22, 2017
Just five minutes into the second half TJ Haws and Elijah Bryant hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Cougars a 20-point lead
Despite a solid outing from Topalovic (16 points) and guard Geno Luzcando (15 points, 10 assists) the Bengals were never able to bring it back within single digits.
The Cougars were simply dominant in the win, setting the tone on both ends of the floor.
BYU shot above 50 percent from both the field and the 3-point line, and 22-of-29 free throws, compared to the Bengals’ 5-for-9.
“I am proud of our guys and what they have gone through with an emotional game last week and finals this week,” said coach Dave Rose. “We got a good win tonight, and I think that offensively our game plan was good. We were patient and went side-to-side. We took advantage of our opportunities.”
Defensively, the Cougars had three blocks and six steals, four of which came from Childs, setting a new career-high in steals for him.
Following a #BYUhoops victory and a career night, @Spencer_Linton caught up with Payton Dastrup. #BYU wins 85-71 vs #IdahoState pic.twitter.com/fpzxRtGUiv
— BYUtv Sports (@byutvsports) December 22, 2017
BYU will stay at home, playing Texas Southern Saturday, Dec. 23, at 7 p.m. MST, for their final non-conference game of the season. The game will be televised nationally on BYUtv.
Texas Southern comes to Provo 0-12 on the season. Having not played a home game yet, the Tigers’ preseason schedule has been ranked the most difficult in the nation by many analysts.
ESPN gives BYU a 90 percent chance of winning, a result that would extend both schools’ streaks.
