BYU guard Alex Barcello steals a loose ball from Santa Clara’s Tahj Eaddy on Feb. 20, 2020. Barcello will return next season.
Brigham Young Cougars guard Alex Barcello (4) steals a loose ball from Santa Clara Broncos guard Tahj Eaddy (2) at Brigham Young University in Provo on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

By Ryan McDonald

It wasn’t pretty, but the 23rd-ranked BYU Cougars picked up another win on Thursday night, beating the Santa Clara Broncos at home, 85-75.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

  • The Cougars didn’t play great in the first half, but still held a 10-point lead at intermission. They came out flat in the second half, however, and the Broncos took the lead less than seven minutes in. With the game tied at 66 with 5:12 remaining, the Cougars went on a 6-0 run to gain some separation and didn’t look back.
  • With Yoeli Childs in foul trouble down the stretch, TJ Haws was tremendous in the closing minutes, as he scored 10 points in the final 4:38, many of which came as a result of aggressive drives to the basket on a night BYU struggled from the perimeter.
  • Former Wasatch Academy standout Josip Vrankic had a great game for Santa Clara in scoring 28 points, but just three of them came in the final five minutes as the Cougars did a better job slowing him.