PROVO – In BYU head coach Dave Rose’s 300th career win, the Cougars earned a 73-62 victory over Portland Saturday night at the Marriott Center.
“Our guys battled really hard. There’s so much emotion from Thursday that you wonder where they’re going to get what they need to win the game,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “Now that it’s over and the game’s won, it’s a good way to win a game for a young team. Tonight we just had a lot of opportunities where we let go — missed rebounds or assignments — and we were still able to find a way to win the game.”
Four Cougars scored in double digits as Eric Mika led the team with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Freshmen TJ Haws and Yoeli Childs scored 15 points a piece, and Childs pulled down 10 boards as well. L.J. Rose added 10 points and five assists.
BYU trailed 61-55 before embarking on an 18-2 run to close out the contest over the last 4 1/2 minutes.
Mika opened the night scoring six of the Cougars’ first eight points en route to an 8-8 tie four minutes in. The teams continued to trade baskets before Portland went on a 7-0 run, building a comfortable eight-point lead, 22-14, with 8:14 left in the first half.
BYU trailed by as many as 10 points, but the Cougars fought to stay within striking distance. A steal from TJ Haws led to a Rose layup with 3:57 on the clock. Rose was fouled on the play and made his free throw, making it a six-point game, 28-22.
With one second remaining in the half, Childs made a jumper and the Cougars trailed 34-28 at halftime.
BYU opened the second half on fire, scoring 10 unanswered points on two buckets from Childs and two 3-pointers from Haws, earning a 38-34 lead with 16:36 left.
The Cougars extended their advantage to seven points, 46-39, with 12:33 on the clock. The Pilots responded to take the lead 48-47 two minutes later, but BYU stayed within two possessions.
BYU held Portland scoreless for four of the final five minutes and ignited on a 13-0 run. A 3-pointer from Davin Guinn brought BYU within three, 61-58, and sparked the momentum shift. Mika’s perfect trip to the charity stripe tied it at 61-61 and a steal by Guinn enabled the Cougars to command of the game. BYU pulled away with a nine-point 73-62 victory.
The Cougars travel to Malibu, California, to take on Pepperdine Thursday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. PST. The game will be televised live on ESPNU and broadcast on the Cougar IMG Sports Network, KSL 1160 AM / 1-2.7 FM and BYU Radio – Sirius XM 143.
PLAYER NOTES
With 15 points, Yoeli Childs reached double figures in scoring for the third-straight game and ninth overall this season. His 10 boards took him to four double-doubles on the season.
Childs had three blocks for BYU and now has three-plus blocks in six games and at least one block in 21 games this season.
Eric Mika scored 23 points and now has reached 20 points in 13 games this season and has scored 10-plus points in 26-straight games.
Mika’s 12 rebounds upped his season total to 14 double-doubles.
TJ Haws got to double-digits in scoring for the fifth-straight game and 18th time this season.
TEAM NOTES
Head coach Dave Rose earned his 300th career win with the Cougars.
BYU opened the second half on a 10-0 run behind six points from TJ Haws and four from Yoeli Childs.
The Cougars’ post presence equated to a 34-18 scoring advantage in the paint and seven blocks.
Stats: por-byu-box_0
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