BYU turns attention to surprising Pacific after frustrating loss to No. 16 Saint Mary’s

Provo • Thursday’s 75-62 loss at No. 16 Saint Mary’s was especially frustrating for BYU’s basketball team and coaches, and not just because it was the Cougars’ fifth straight setback to the Gaels.

It also meant that BYU (6-3, 17-5) virtually has no chance to win the West Coast Conference regular-season championship for the first time because SMC (9-0, 20-2) swept the Cougars and is not likely to lose more than three of its remaining nine conference games.

The loss was so frustrating for BYU coach Dave Rose that he mildly complained about the officiating, something he rarely does.

“They are good,” Rose said. “They guard you hard, and they got everything scouted really well. We took good shots tonight. We didn’t make them. We got a few where I would question maybe if we should have got to the free-throw line as a result of contact.

“I thought Eli [Bryant] going to the basket a couple of times probably could have been rewarded with a couple free throws, but not tonight.”

Rose later wondered aloud why the Cougars never got a 5-second call while closely guarding Saint Mary’s guard Emmett Naar, who had 12 assists and 13 points.

“At one time, I think we had to guard him 18, 19 seconds,” Rose said. “I don’t know if you guys watch their film, but this is not new. This is what they do. And someone has got to crack it.”

Rose acknowledged earlier in his post-game interview that the Cougars didn’t execute in the final eight minutes, couldn’t stop the terrific duo of Naar and Jock Landale (32 points, 14 rebounds) and couldn’t make several point-blank shots and open 3-pointers.

“Against Saint Mary’s, you got to score through contact,” he said. “It is just part of the way they guard you that they are not going to get a lot of fouls called on them and let you get to the free-throw line.”

BYU was 9 of 11 on free-throw attempts, both season lows. The Cougars were averaging 16.7 free throws on 22.3 attempts in their previous 21 games.

Twelve fouls were called on the Gaels, the fewest for a BYU opponent this season. The Cougars’ opponents were averaging 19.1 fouls per contest.

Not getting to the line “is a really big deal for us when we play those guys,” Rose said. “A big part of how we score is getting to the free-throw line.”

Landale played 40 minutes and was whistled for fouls twice. BYU’s big men, Yoeli Childs and Luke Worthington, both got in early foul trouble. Worthington played just nine minutes and Childs just 26 before ironically fouling out in the final three minutes on an offensive foul for shouldering Landale.

BYU guard TJ Haws played 36 minutes and did not attempt a free throw. He was 6 of 14 from the floor for 15 points. He said the Cougars would love another shot at the Gaels, although Round 3 didn’t go well for BYU last season.

“I don’t know” if SMC is better than last season, Haws said. “But I know we are, and I know we are going to get them.”

The Cougars turn their attention to Pacific, which beat them 67-66 in Stockton, Calif., on Jan. 6. Saturday’s tipoff is at 7 p.m. at the Marriott Center.

“We have to get ready for Pacific,” Rose said. “That’s kinda what we do. We gotta put this one behind us. No matter what the result was, we gotta go home and we’ve got what we’ve got. We got a team that beat us last time we played them, so we have to be better Saturday.”