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New lineup, same result; BYU falls to TCU on the road

Before Saturday's matchup between BYU and TCU, the Cougars held a 17-game winning streak over the Horned Frogs. TCU's last victory over a BYU team was in 1997.

But Saturday proved different for the Horned Frogs as they beat BYU in a nail-biting finish 71-67.

After losing two games in a row before heading to Fort Worth, BYU coach Kevin Young decided to make a pivotal change in the lineup, replacing junior starting guard Dallin Hall with sharp-shooter Trevin Knell.

This was the first game that Hall hasn't started since November of 2023.

Egor Demin and Hall, BYU's primary floor generals, have not completely meshed this year, and that has been evident in the losses headed into the TCU game. Demin was given the keys by Young to start this game.

Even when Knell picked up two early fouls, it wasn't Hall who came into the game. It was senior guard Dawson Baker.

Staggering Hall and Demin's minutes seemed to benefit Hall. He only put up six points, but shot an efficient 2 of 4 from the field and was aggressive. He finished the game with six assists, one turnover, and was a positive in the plus/minus.

Demin, on the other hand, continued to struggle. The 18-year-old Russian phenom scored eight points, went 0 for 3 from 3-point range, and had four turnovers to go with his four assists.

With 10 seconds left in the game and BYU trailing by two points, Demin hoisted a contested turnaround 3-pointer to potentially take the lead, but could not connect. It was a shot that the Cougars would have liked to have back.

Despite the loss, BYU's leading scorer Richie Saunders had another incredible performance in Big 12 play. He finished the night with 26 points and six rebounds on 5 of 7 shooting from deep.

BYU trailed by as many as ten in the first half, but went on a 14-1 run in the final minutes. Saunders hit two key 3-pointers to give the Cougars the lead, and kept them competitive throughout the game.

Another roster choice by Young that is worth noting is his continued play of defensive presence Mawot Mag, and the decreased minutes of five-star freshman Kanon Catchings.

In the Cougars' loss to Texas Tech on Tuesday, Mag found an increased role, logging 21 minutes and scoring 11 points off the bench. Against TCU, while Mag only scored five points in 25 minutes, he led the team with a +10 in plus/minus, and had two crucial fast break blocks.

Catchings, on the other hand, only played nine minutes despite being in the starting lineup. He finished with two points and three turnovers.

While this game showed Young's ability to experiment with different lineups, the Cougars will have to figure out something fast if they want to get back into NCAA Tournament contention.

With the loss, the Cougars fall to 10-5 on the season and 1-3 in conference play. They are on a three-game losing streak.

BYU will host Oklahoma State on Tuesday, Jan. 14.