BYU is back in the win column.
The Cougars bounced back from Thursday’s first loss of the season with a 72-61 victory over NC State Friday in San Diego, earning a third place finish in the Rady Children’s Invitational.
3 takeaways
BYU was dominant down low. The Cougars earned an emphatic win in the rebounding battle, grabbing 45 boards to NC State’s 32 and scoring 30 points in the paint. Egor Demin recorded a career-best 11 rebounds, while Fouss Traore and Keba Keita teamed up for 16 points and 14 boards.
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It was a true team effort. BYU only had two double figure scorers, but seven different players managed at least seven points. The Cougars dished out 17 assists on 25 made shots, and after coughing up nine turnovers in the first half, they tightened up for just five following halftime.
BYU’s shooting faded down the stretch. NC State entered the contest having held opponents to just 23.6% shooting from 3-point range, only for the Cougars to hit nine of their first 14 such shots.
However, BYU went just 1 of 12 from distance the rest of the way, good for a collective 38.5% on the afternoon along with a 42.4% clip from the field.
Yes, the Cougars are a young team still learning to gel together and did hold on for the win, but their streakiness on offense needs to improve before the start of Big 12 play.
