BYU Survives Late Scare Against Stanford

Dec 20, 2014; Provo, UT, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Rosco Allen (25) dribbles the ball while being guarded by Brigham Young Cougars guard Chase Fischer (1) during the first half at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

The BYU Cougars survived a late collapse to defeat the Stanford Cardinal 79-77.  The Cougars had a 13 point lead with 4:20 remaining in the game, but a couple of Kyle Collinsworth turnovers, a poor long range attempt from Tyler Haws early in the shot clock, and some good defense from Anthony Brown and Chasson Randle (who heated up late), led the Cardinal to cut the lead to 2 with 55 seconds remaining.  After Randle missed the go-ahead 3 pointer,  Anson Winder missed 2 free throws, but Randle missed a long two point shot that would’ve tied the game, so the Cougars were able to escape.

Haws, despite playing on a bum ankle, led the Cougars with 24 points on 8/15 shooting and 4 assists.  Collinsworth added 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Chase Fischer added 16 points.  Winder scored 13 points but shot just 3/8 from the field, 1/5 from beyond the arc, and 6/10 from the free throw line, constituting one of his worst performances of the season.

Randle led Stanford with 24 points on 9/22 shooting, but saved some of his biggest shots for the late second half comeback.  Stefan Nastic added 20 points and 9 rebounds, showing a wide variety of post moves and a very strong mid range shooting game.  Freshman Reid Travis (who was once a high priority Gonzaga recruit) scored a career high 15 points.

Stat of the Night

BYU continued their trend from last season of getting to the free throw line very often and converting when they get there (until Winder’s misses at the end).  BYU shot 21/29 from the free throw line while Stanford was just 7/10 from the stripe.  This advantage allowed BYU to win despite shooting 6/21 from beyond the arc as a team.

Moving Forward

While BYU should be happy to get the victory, they continued to show the poor late game execution that cost them against San Diego State and Purdue.  A 13 point lead with 4 minutes and change should be a guaranteed win, but it wasn’t tonight.  BYU plays a fast paced offense, which usually works out for them, but when they are at the point in the game where holding the ball for 3o seconds might be the best option, quick shots or careless turnovers really hurt them.  It was good to see Tyler Haws healthy, and the Cougars will hope he continues the strong play against UMass on Tuesday at the Marriott Center.