Cougars Roll Past Rice, 105-78

Nov 21, 2018, 9:59 PM

Courtesy of BYU photos

KSL Sports

PROVO, Utah – The BYU Cougars put up 50-plus points in both halves to blow away Rice 105-78.

The game was tied at 19-all halfway through the first half before the Cougars turned it on and finished the half on a 35-24 to take an 11-point lead at the break. Rice fought to pull the game within eight with 14 minutes to go before BYU went on to outscore the Owls 45-26 to end the game with a 27-point victory.

COUGS WIN!!#BYUhoops #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/UPQC11Bef3

— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) November 22, 2018

Cougars Played Unselfishly

The Cougars got a balanced effort scoring the ball with big numbers from their stars. Yoeli Childs led the game in scoring with 28 points with seven rebounds and five assists. Jahshire Hardnett turned a 20-point performance with nearly perfect shooting from the floor, making 6-of-7 attempts including three makes from 3-point land. TJ Haws chipped in 18 points of his own to help the Cougars to the victory.

JUMP MAN 2️⃣3️⃣#GoCougs #BYUhoops pic.twitter.com/SEsCwajCci

— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) November 22, 2018

Asked what contributed most to the Cougars’ best offensive performance of the year, Childs said that it came down to unselfishness.

“Nobody cared about themselves, nobody cared who scored,” said Childs. “It’s just so much fun to play like that. It’s so fun to be a part of this group and so fun to play with these guys.”

A Telling Stat

The unselfishness of the Cougars was evident in the box score as BYU dominated while sharing the ball. The Cougars finished with 23 assists compared to just 12 by Rice.