No. 25 BYU defeats West Virginia to extend its win streak to 6 games

No. 25 BYU defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers 77-56 to claim its sixth straight victory Saturday night at the Marriott Center.

This is the first time the Cougars have won six conference games in a row since the 2019-20 season.

Fousseyni Traore recorded a double-double in the win by scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He was the bright spot on the offensive side of the ball for much of the game for BYU and was the go-to guy when the offense sputtered.

“I think the guy sitting right here (Traore) is the most underappreciated BYU basketball player of all time,” said Dallin Hall. “He brings it every day, he’s incredible off the court, he’s an amazing teammate.”

The Cougars' win over the Mountaineers was their second against them this season and it was a Quad Two win. This improves BYU’s resume as they now look to not only make the tournament but get a favorable seeding come March Madness.

“I feel like everything is just clicking at the right time,” said Traore. “I am super excited at the way we are just figuring out everything. I believe in this team and I think we can make a big run. We are going to shock a lot of people.”

This game looked like it was going to be a slugfest early on as both teams were playing an aggressive style of defense. The Mountaineers were guarding the 3-point line well, forcing the Cougars to only attempt four 3-point shots in the first half. The aggressive defense also hurt West Virginia as they committed 22 fouls in the game, allowing BYU to go to the free throw line often.

The Cougars’ defense was able to hold it down while its offense took time to figure things out and get into a rhythm.

It was a low-scoring affair from both sides in the first half. BYU led 25-19 after one half of play. This game was reminiscent of when the Cougars played Cincinnati in Provo on Jan. 25. In that game, BYU only managed 28 points at halftime but then exploded in the second half when it scored 52 points to claim a lopsided victory.

BYU was able to replicate that performance as they scored 52 points in the second half to cap off their 77-56 victory.

The biggest driving force for the Cougars’ second-half turnaround was their ability to attack the rim and get out in transition.

“Get to the rim,” said coach Kevin Young. “They are going to take away the 3-point line, they don’t have a ton of shot blocking, just get to the rim. We had a determined group that did that and that was the difference in the game.”

Egor Demin and Richie Saunders both provided some good offensive output. Demin scored 15 while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out three assists. Saunders added 13 points in the win.

“The way Egor and Richie came out to start the second half, I thought was a really mature response,” said Young.

BYU commit and number one player in the country, AJ Dybantsa made an appearance in the Marriott Center. He spent some time taking in the game from the ROC, enjoying the second half with other Cougar fans.

Kanon Catchings left the game early after attempting to block a layup on a fast break. He came down awkwardly on his leg and was helped off the court. After halftime, Catchings returned to the bench to watch the game.

“He’s going to get it looked at tomorrow,” said Young. “I think it's more positive than not from what I’ve been told. He seemed like he was in good spirits after.”

The Cougars will hope Catchings returns this season as the freshman forward has had some big shooting performances in Big 12 play, most recently in last week's game against Arizona.

As the Cougars eye a strong finish to Big 12 play, their focus now shifts to a crucial road test against Iowa State on Tuesday before closing the regular season at home against Utah.

If Traore and company continue clicking at the right time, BYU could be primed for a deep March Madness run.