OREM — A dominant performance by Yoeli Childs gave BYU an 85-58 victory over Utah Valley in the UCCU Crosstown Clash Wednesday night.
“We played much better defensively tonight,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “We made some huge strides. Tonight was probably the first night we shot the ball from the perimeter like we are capable of and hopefully that continues.”
Childs recorded his third-straight double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds. He also tallied three assists and three blocks. TJ Haws added 11 points and four assists. Four other Cougars scored eight points in the win.
Childs gave the Cougars the first basket of the night on their first possession after winning the tipoff. The two teams exchanged the lead four times before back-to-back 3-pointers by Childs and Elijah Bryant gave BYU a 12-10 advantage with 15:10 remaining in the first half.
After two scoreless minutes, the Cougars went on a 12-2 run, which included 3-pointers by Haws and Childs, giving BYU a 24-12 lead.
Five-straight turnovers by UVU helped extend the Cougar lead to 30-16 before the Wolverines went on a 4-0 run to cut the deficit back to 10 points with just under six minutes to play before halftime.
In his first game as a Cougar, McKay Cannon scored his first bucket, finishing from behind the arc as the shot clock expired with 1:25 remaining. In the final minute, Childs scored a dunk and Zach Nelson finished a layup for the Wolverines, leaving BYU with a comfortable 13-point lead with eight seconds left on the clock. As the time expired, Kajon Brown converted on a three-point play, extending the lead to 42-26 for the Cougars at halftime.
At the break, Childs recorded a first half career-high 18 points to lead BYU. The rest of the 24 points from the Cougar offense was shared between seven scorers. BYU shot 53.1 percent from the field compared to UVU’s 42.1 percent.
Neither team was able to put together any runs in the first eight minutes of the second half, keeping BYU’s lead consistently over 14 points.
Zac Seljaas scored five-consecutive points and Childs scored his second dunk of the night to give the Cougars a 63-42 advantage.
After a Wolverine layup, the Cougars held the UVU offense scoreless for just over two minutes, while Cannon and Haws scored consecutive 3-pointers, extending the lead to 23 points, 69-46, with 7:43 remaining in the game.
Treys by Seljaas and Hardnett were answered by a three-point play by Kenneth Ogbe for a 75-52 score.
BYU shot 53.6 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from beyond the arc, while tallying a season-high 25 assists.
The Cougars travel to Logan on Saturday as they take on in-state foe Utah State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST. The game will be televised live on AT&T SportsNet RM. Audio broadcasts can be heard on BYU Sports Network, BYU Radio (Sirius XM 143) and KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM.
Player Notes
After going 38 career games without a 3-point field goal, Yoeli Childs has hit a 3 in two-straight games. He hit a 3-pointer in the first half against UMass and two against Utah Valley.
Childs finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds for his third-straight double-double, fourth of the season and ninth of his career. He also added three blocks, his fourth game this season and 11th of his career with three-plus blocks.
Elijah Bryant hit two 3-point field goals against Utah Valley. He has made at least one 3-pointer in all seven games this season.
McKay Cannon was made eligible by the NCAA earlier in the day. In his BYU debut, he totaled eight points, two rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal.
Team Notes
BYU finished the night with a season-best 25 assists. The previous high was 20 vs. Mississippi Valley State and last season’s high was also 24.
BYU hit 12 3-point field goals, tying the previous season high set vs. Mississippi Valley State. Six different players hit two 3-pointers, including Childs, Jahshire Hardnett, Bryant, TJ Haws, Zac Seljaas and Cannon.
Stats: BYU-UVU-box
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @oldschoolag
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.