Brigham Young Cougars guard Trevin Knell (21) celebrates after hitting a 3-point shot as BYU and SE Louisiana play at the Marriott Center in Provo on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. Knell had 15 points in BYU’s victory over NC State on Friday, Nov. 24. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
It’s no secret BYU lives by the three-point shot. They also die by the three and sometimes the Cougars get resurrected by the three. The long ball brought BYU back to life to beat NC State 95-86 to win the Vegas Showdown Friday night at Mandalay Bay.
After making just 5 of 17 three-point shots in the first half, BYU responded with nine in the second half. The Cougars shot 70% from the field and scored 57 points after halftime to overwhelm the Wolfpack and remain undefeated at 6-0.
“I think we are starting to see what we can be,” BYU head coach Mark Pope told BYUradio. “Our guys now have some real experience that is positive where we have to play on our toes not on our heels. I thought our guys responded in an epic way tonight.”
Dallin Hall’s three-point shot with 7:04 to play tied the game at 69 and sparked an 11-nothing run, highlighted by five straight points by Jaxon Robinson. Trevin Knell finished the barrage with another three-point shot to give the Cougars an 81-72 lead with 3:55 remaining.
Robinson finished with a career high 23 points. Noah Waterman (Tournament MVP) had 15, Dallin Hall and Trevin Knell each scored 13 and Spencer Johnson added 11.
NC State’s Casey Marsell scored a career-high 28 for the Wolfpack.
“It’s really nothing new for us. We know what we are capable of,” said Robinson on BYUradio. “It’s just a matter of us showing the world what we’ve got. This was a step in the right direction. It was a great experience for the whole team.”
The Cougars received a huge boost from 6-11 junior Aly Khalifa. The Charlotte transfer had been sidelined with a sore knee for two weeks and didn’t even dress for the Arizona State game on Thursday.
But when Fousseyni Traore was knocked out of the game early in the first half with an injury and with Atiki Ally Atiki suspended for throwing a punch in Thursday’s game against the Sun Devils, Pope called on Khalifa and he stepped up his game.
Khalifa responded with five points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 29 minutes, and he battled with NC State’s six-foot-nine, 275-pound center DJ Burns. Khalifa and the Cougars outrebounded NC State 40-29.
“We are fortunate Aly was able to step in. That was a game time decision. We put him through shoot-around. We have been as patient as we can,” Pope said. “He had a massive impact on the game.”
Pope continued, “Not having Atiki, we knew we had our backs against the wall, then losing Fouss early in the half, for a lesser group of guys that might have added up to a tough night. These guys are believers.”
For the second straight night, tensions mounted in the second half. NC State lost three players and head coach Kevin Keatts to ejections as BYU pulled away.
Slow start
Waterman opened the game with a three-point shot from the corner, but NC State countered with a 16-2 run to take a lead they would keep through the first half.
BYU lost Traore at the 13:49 mark when he hit the floor grabbing his hamstring after leading a fast break. The six-foot-six junior, BYU’s leading rebounder, did not return, forcing Pope to remodel his front line on the fly.
Adding to the early struggles, the mainstays that had fueled BYU’s 5-0 record — three-point shooting and free throws — went missing in action. Knell and Johnson combined to go 0-6 from the three-point line in the first half. The Cougars as a team shot just 5-17 and an even more discouraging, they missed seven free throws (7-14).
Down but not out, Pope’s bench guys — Khalifa, Robinson, Richie Saunders, and Trey Stewart — generated 17 points to keep BYU close. Late in the half, Robinson blocked a shot, recovered the ball, and ran down the court for a slam dunk to pull the Cougars within 42-38.
NC State’s guard tandem of DJ Horne and Casey Morsell remained a consistent thorn in BYU’s side. They combined for 23 points to help build the Wolfpack’s 43-38 lead at halftime.
Recovery time
The Cougars will get some post-holiday rest before facing Fresno State (3-2) Friday night, Dec. 1, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
“The heaviest thing on my mind is our health,” Pope said. “As for Fouss, we’ll know more in the next couple of days. That’s a massive issue for us. We’ll get Atiki back and we’ll keep working with Aly (Khalifa).”
He added, “This break comes at the perfect time for us to get our bodies back together. I know why I havea bunch of guys dinged up, because they go out and play so hard.”
Mark Pope, Mr. November
Reggie Jackson is baseball’s Mr. October. Cougar coach Mark Pope is making a strong case to be the state of Utah’s Mr. November.
With the win Friday night, Pope is now 26-6 in games played during November, including eight straight victories.
Among Pope’s biggest wins include a 72-71 win at Houston on Nov. 15, 2019; a 78-73 victory against UCLA at the Maui Invitational on Nov. 25, 2019; an 81-49 win against No. 12 Oregon in Portland on Nov. 16, 2021; a 75-64 triumph at Utah on Nov. 27, 2021, and most recently, the Cougars 74-56 upset of No. 17 San Diego State on Nov. 10 and BYU’s 95-86 win Friday night against NC State.
Poll Watching
After hitting the holiday jackpot in Las Vegas with two wins against power-five programs, BYU is expected to break into the AP Top 25 on Monday for the first time since Dec. 6, 2021.
The surprising Cougars, who finished last season in fifth place in the WCC with basically the same roster except for the redshirting Trevin Knell, received votes in last week’s poll that left them just outside the Top 25. Impressive wins in Las Vegas should be enough to get them ranked.
Flashback: Jimmer
Friday night’s victory was BYU’s first multiple-team event (MTE) championship since Nov. 27, 2010, when Jimmer Fredette was the headliner. Fredette scored 57 points over the two-game South Padre Island Invitational, including the game winning 3-point shot with 11 seconds remaining to beat Saint Mary’s 74-73 in the championship game.
Following the victory, BYU broke into the AP Top 25 at No. 21. Behind Fredette, the Cougars climbed as high as No. 3 during their 34-5 season that ended in an overtime defeat to Florida in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
Dave McCann is a contributor to the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar” available at deseretbook.com.
