SALT LAKE CITY – BYU basketball improved to 8-2 overall in the 2024-25 season after defeating Wyoming, 68-49 at the Delta Center.
Here are some instant takeaways from BYU’s victory.
headed back south with a WIN🤙 pic.twitter.com/3I417l5cR9
— BYU Men’s Basketball (@BYUMBB) December 15, 2024
Mawot Mag stepped up in relief of Richie Saunders
Rutgers transfer Mawot Mag has struggled to find his role during non-conference play. Saturday night’s breakout performance could lead to more minutes in the rotation going forward.
Mag was thrown into the rotation after Richie Saunders suffered a lacerated lip in the game’s opening minute.
Mag scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, 3-of-4 from three-point range, three rebounds, one assists, one block, and one steal in 23 minutes.
#BYU coach Kevin Young on Mawot Mag’s contributions in relief of Richie Saunders during the win over Wyoming:
“That was inspiring.”#BYUHoops pic.twitter.com/BPQMJcsRbI
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 15, 2024
All of those numbers are season highs for the grad transfer, who picked BYU for his final year in college basketball.
“That was inspiring,” said BYU coach Kevin Young on Mag’s contributions in the win over Wyoming.
“… He’s been dealt a tough hand so far, and he’s coming back off an injury, and he just hasn’t found his footing. I have not given him much opportunity to find his footing. So he’s had to grind through stuff as a guy who’s played major minutes at the major college basketball and he had a great attitude. It was really inspiring.”
Dawson Baker can turn up the heat in a hurry offensively
With Egor Demin out with a knee contusion, BYU’s guard line that includes Dallin Hall, Elijah Crawford, and Dawson Baker has had to step up in Demin’s absence.
Baker had a strong showing on the offensive end, scoring 11 points, all of which were in the second half.
The former UC Irvine transfer is healthy from a foot injury that took him away from action last season.
Baker showed on Saturday he can score in bunches in a quick spurt. It’s a positive development as BYU moves closer to the start of Big 12 play.
Trevin Knell had a strong week
Egor Demin’s injury has allowed Trevin Knell to return in the starting five.
The veteran guard recorded his first double-double earlier this week against Fresno State. On Saturday against Wyoming, he scored 15 points and was 3-of-4 from three.
Is it a case of Knell needing to be in the starting five to find his shot?
“I don’t subscribe to that notion,” Young said. “I think he’s going to make a shot, whether he starts, comes off the bench, or, you know, he’s at the playground.”
Knell is shooting 44.7% from three this season.
BYU needs to avoid stretches similar to the end of the first half
At the midway point of the first half against Wyoming, BYU had 27 points after Elijah Crawford knocked down a three-pointer.
In the final 9:46, they had only seven points.
The poor close to the first half allowed Wyoming to trim a 14-point lead down to nine heading into the halftime locker room.
BYU had three turnovers on three consecutive possessions near the end of the first half.
“That last four-minute stretch wasn’t great for us offensively; weird combinations, probably poor subbing on my part,” Young said. “I’ll have to look at the film to see exactly what. But we couldn’t find a rhythm and execution was poor.
“Then, outside of the first play in the second half, I thought we executed extremely well in the second half.”
In the second half, BYU shot 50% from three and 45.5% from the field and took better care of possessions.
As Big 12 play looms, a stretch like the one on Saturday is a good learning opportunity for this group to improve during the next week of practice.
The loss at Providence changed BYU’s attitude on defense
BYU put the clamp down on Wyoming, holding the Pokes to only 49 points.
It was the second time this season that BYU has held an opponent under 50 points this year.
Earlier this week, BYU limited Fresno State to 67 points and held the Bulldogs to 32.4% from three-point range.
Kevin Young pointed out that the loss to Providence was a “plant the flag” moment for his team, which was to determine who would be on the defensive end.
The early returns after the loss to Providence have been positive.
There will be nights when the offense goes sideways. In a league like the Big 12, that is inevitable. But defense can always travel.
BYU limited Wyoming to 25% from three-point range on Saturday night.
“I think the Providence game was a good moment for us to really dig into our defensive side and find our identity,” BYU guard Dawson Baker said. “We definitely reaped the awards tonight holding a team under 50. That’s a good team that plays in a lot of pick-and-rolls and has elite scorers. I think we’ve definitely kind of honed in our defense, for sure.”
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
