alt=Jeff CallPROVO — Five games into the season, BYU is still trying to figure out its identity. But at least the Cougars are getting plenty of experience in close games.
After a 72-68 overtime setback at Boise State Wednesday night, BYU owns a 3-2 record. It has won two games by five points (Southern Utah) and one point (Houston), respectively. The Cougars have also lost two games by five points (San Diego State) and four points (BSU), respectively.
So, BYU is a few plays away from being 5-0 — and a few plays away from being 1-4.
According to the latest in the kenpom.com rankings, Houston is rated No. 36, Boise State is No. 115, San Diego State is No. 66. BYU is No. 72.
The Cougars still have to play four more games without senior forward Yoeli Childs, who is serving a nine-game NCAA suspension. That means BYU will be without Childs for its upcoming trip to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational.
The Cougars face UCLA Monday (9:30 p.m. MST, ESPN2) in the first round at the Lahaina Civic Center.
At Boise State, BYU had a chance to win in regulation but Jake Toolson’s fadeaway jumper in the paint just before the final buzzer missed the mark. Toolson finished with a team-high 19 points and four assists in 42 minutes of play.
“We didn’t have the answers,” said coach Mark Pope. “It’s me, abandoning what we do best. I put these guys into difficult positions. I’ve got to keep our team in a space where they can trust our offense, trust me and trust their teammates. We’ll get better. That’s why we play these games and why we play this hard schedule so we can be exposed to these things and get better.”
At Houston last Friday, BYU knocked down a bunch of shots in the first half and took a double-digit lead. Houston fought back in the second half but in the end, TJ Haws knocked down a game-winning jumper at the buzzer.
On Wednesday, the Cougars had a brutal first half, missing 20 of their first 25 shots from the floor, scoring only 20 points and trailing by seven at halftime.
“We were just in molasses in the first half,” Pope said.
BYU improved in the second half and pulled ahead of the Broncos. For the first time this season, the Cougars outrebounded their opponent (44-42) and they also outshot BSU from 3 (7 of 24 compared to 3 of 19) but they couldn’t make the plays to win.
“We know that it’s a long season. Especially once you get into conference play, those games are grinds,” said forward Dalton Nixon. “It’s valuable experience for us to have these close games. We need to do everything we can to learn from them so when we’re in that position again, when it’s a close game down the stretch, we can come out on top.”
BYU is hoping that Haws can be more consistent with his shot. At BSU, he went 5 of 16 from the floor and 0 of 8 from 3-point range. On the season, Haws is shooting just 38 percent from the field and only 4 of 24 from 3.
Meanwhile, the Cougars are holding opponents to 25% shooting from 3-point range (21 of 82). They have hit twice as many 3s (42 of 115) as their opponents and have shot 36% from distance.
“We’ve got to keep believing in the concepts that we are teasing ourselves with right now,” Pope said. “I’ve got to figure out some things with the ball in our hands. I was proud of us protecting the 3, I was proud of us on the glass, I was proud of our guys for battling back through frustration. We’ve just got to get better every single day. That’s what we’re focused on.”
“We have to work on a lot of things,” said forward Kolby Lee. “Our mentality every day is to get better. We’ve got to put this one (against Boise State) past us. It sucks but every day our motto is to improve every day so that we know how to win games like these (against Boise State).”
Nixon said his team is looking forward to opportunities to test itself against good competition.
“It’s important for us to learn to continue to fight and be tough. These road games are hard,” he said. “We can improve on our offensive rhythm and pace. At the end of the day, it’s about getting better. We learn from this one and move on to the next.”