BYU overcomes shooting struggles to outlast UC Riverside

Amid all the hype and excitement for BYU’s new-look basketball squad, occasional growing pains should still be expected for a group continuing to learn to gel with one another.

Such was the case Friday night against UC Riverside, as the Cougars held on late for a 86-80 victory in front of 17,381 fans at the Marriott Center in Provo.

“It’s good to be in a close game and try to grind something out, play the free throw game and just execute different things on both sides of the ball,” BYU head coach Kevin Young told reporters after the game. “UC Riverside is a good team. We knew that tonight was going to be much different than our first game. They took Oregon down to the wire, so it was good for our guys to be in a situation like that.”

There were plenty of reasons for the tight affair — including defensive lapses for the Cougars along with the overall doggedness of the never-say-die Highlanders — but none loomed larger than BYU’s subpar shooting performance, making just six of 22 3-point attempts while missing 12 total free throws.

Conversely, UC Riverside connected on 39.3% of its attempts from behind the arc while making 19 of 23 foul shots.

“I am concerned about it, it’s kind of been a common theme in some of these exhibition games,” Young said of his team’s cold spell from the charity stripe. “There’s no real magic secret to it, you’ve just got to step up there and knock them down. We try to encourage our guys to shoot as many as they can, and we’ll just keep working at it.”

“We’ve got to figure out each other, I think that’s the first thing,” added forward Richie Saunders, who provided 12 points and six rebounds in the contest. “But facing the adversity, we came out with a win, and I think that’s the biggest thing. We have a lot of stuff that we’ve got to figure out or that we’ve got to improve on, and we will. We’re new with each other, and that’s why we’ve got these (non-conference) games.”

Egor Demin followed his electric debut earlier this week with another strong showing Friday, leading the Cougars with 20 points and seven assists while adding five rebounds as well. The highly-touted freshman — still filling in for the injured Dallin Hall as BYU’s primary facilitator — continued to impress with his flashy passing and seemingly effortless scoring, even ending the first half with a soaring, jaw-dropping dunk.

“He’s really good,” Young said of Demin. “To go 20 (points) and seven (assists) with only two turnovers against a really gritty team, it shows he’s efficient. His scoring has been super efficient the last two games. He’s a talented guy.

“I think it’s really good for him to have to handle the load right now while we’re down bodies and have to do it in a close game like this. I thought he made some massive plays down the stretch that really put it over the top for us.”

While the outside shots weren’t willing to fall, the Cougars made their living down low by scoring 48 paint points on the backs of big men Fousseyni Traore and Keba Keita. The pair of high school teammates and Mali natives combined for 27 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks, with Keita recording the first double-double of his BYU career.

“He’s always a brother,” Traore said of Keita. “We played my senior year together at Wasatch Academy, so we just know how to play with each other. It’s actually amazing.”

Thanks to their success in the post, the Cougars shot 67.5% from 2-point range, dishing out 15 assists against 10 team turnovers. BYU also swiped seven steals, swatted seven blocks and won the rebounding battle by a 39-31 margin.

Talented freshman Kanon Catchings posted nine points, five rebounds and two blocks, while veteran guard Dawson Baker added eight points, two assists and a steal.

Aside from Demin’s antics, Saunders provided the night’s signature moment in the second half by sprinting the length of the floor to chase down opposing guard Nate Pickens for an emphatic block.

“I wasn’t surprised, that’s just who he is,” Young said of Saunders. “It was a big play, this guy never quits on anything.”

The Cougars now turn their attention for a clash with Queens next Wednesday in Provo in search of a third straight win — but not before a pretty intriguing rivalry football game this weekend.

“I think everybody will be glued into that,” Young said of BYU’s gridiron showdown with Utah Saturday night. “My kids are probably more excited than anyone. They’ve quickly caught onto the rivalry, they’re all in on it. It’ll be fun.”