BYU couldn’t afford to lose on Saturday, especially not after Wednesday’s road loss at Pepperdine. The Cougars’ postseason future hung in the balance as they got taken to overtime and then double overtime.
It may have taken longer than they would have liked, but the Cougars managed to finally put the Tigers away 95-87 in the Marriott Center. The win prevented BYU from being eliminated from NCAA Tournament bracket projections.
And the team was well aware of what was at stake throughout the game, grad transfer Brandon Averette said.
“We understand the situation we’re in now,” Averette, who scored a game-high 24 points, said. “The tough loss at Pepperdine put us in a tough spot and it’s putting a lot more pressure on these type of games. We don’t want to drop off a game like that. We for sure feel that pressure, and I feel like that definitely added to our spark to come out and just keep battling. We weren’t going to give in. We weren’t scared to lose, but we were going to battle to the end and be good with the outcome.”
The Tigers came to Provo having played just eight games this season, and on a two-loss streak. Since the season started, Pacific had eight of its nonconference games canceled and five postponements. Saturday’s game was a rescheduling of one of those.
Pacific was originally scheduled to come to BYU on Jan. 7, but had to put practices and games on pause due to COVID-19 related issues within the Tigers’ program. San Francisco was supposed to come to town this weekend, but the Dons had to postpone themselves, leaving the opportunity open for Pacific to get back the game.
One of the Cougars’ biggest issues against the Tigers proved to be how stagnant the game was. Both teams slugged through shooting droughts — a result of both offensive mistakes and strong defensive performances from both teams.
But it really affected the Cougars, particularly in the first half, when they went more than a combined 10 minutes without a basket.
Averette’s strong first half helped BYU stay afloat and trail by one point at halftime. As a fifth-year senior, Averette said he feels the responsibility of taking on a leadership role and keeping his teammates in the game.
“I definitely feel like that responsibility falls on us seniors, and I feel like we did a great job with handling it tonight,” Averette said.
The Utah Valley grad transfer wasn’t the only one to step up. After a quiet first half, Alex Barcello heated up in the second to put up 23 points, along with nine rebounds and seven assists. It was a big performance that had been missing from the senior over the last couple games.
In the two games before facing Pacific, Barcello had combined for 16 points on 3-of-18 shooting from the field and 1 of 11 from the arc. On Saturday, the guard shot 7 of 11 from the field.
Barcello said he wasn’t focused on scoring, just doing whatever was necessary for the team, but there’s no doubt the Cougars needed a high-scoring performance from him on Saturday.
“Coming off of a loss, it’s extremely tough, but I just wanted to do whatever I could to help my guys get the win,” Barcello said. “So, if I had to score two points or 10 points in the first half, that’s not going to affect me too much. At the end of the day, I just want us to be up. I want us to be winning and have more points than the other team.”
The senior leadership proved to be the winning factor, even if it wasn’t a concerted effort. Adding in Matt Haarms, who scored 13 points, the three seniors combined for 60 points.
But while the Cougars finished the game having shot for 50% from the field, they struggled from the free throw line at times. BYU made 64.3% of its free shots, and could have ended the game earlier had they sunk more.
After recovering a key defensive rebound to give the Cougars possession with six seconds left, freshman Caleb Lohner was sent to the line. With two seconds on the clock, Lohner missed both shots, sending the game to overtime.
In the first overtime, BYU continued struggling from the line, but got it back under control in the second overtime.
Now, the Cougars (14-4) will get ready to play at San Diego on Tuesday and Portland on Thursday. BYU coach Mark Pope is aware of the weird schedule next week, but is grateful to play at all through the pandemic, especially against a team they’ve struggled with on the road before.
“I mean, we barely escaped with our life last year [at San Diego],” Pope said. “They’re a really tough opponent for us. It’s what we’ve got to do. It’s really what we get to do — we get to play. And we’re so grateful for that. It’s weird, and sometimes it can be unsettling, but we’re just so grateful we get to play.”
