Three Observations From BYU Win At Home Over Pepperdine

PROVO, Utah – The BYU Cougars defeated the Pepperdine Waves at home behind a late 8-0 run after their double digit lead was trimmed to three points.

The final score was 65-54 in their first of two meetings within four days.

It looked like BYU was going to cruise to another WCC victory at the half, but offensive struggles allowed Pepperdine to make things interesting late.

W. pic.twitter.com/jDlrSGwo5v

— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) January 24, 2021

Three point shooting continues to be a struggle for this team. They went 6-23 against the Waves.

It’s going to be interesting to see how this matchup plays out when they meet in Malibu on Wednesday January, 27th.

Here are my three observations.

1. Trevin Knell hot shooting

Knell scored a new career high 12 points while making four of his seven three point attempts.

The rest of the team went 2 for 16 from deep.

Trevin Knell is heating up. There's a reason #BYU coaches and players have touted the former Woods Cross star as one of the best shooters on the team. Four three's tonight. #BYUHoops @kslsports

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 24, 2021

His shooting as been hot and cold this season, but if can build upon his performance against Pepperdine, that would be a much needed boost from downtown.

2. Connor Harding on the glass

Harding set a new career high with 10 rebounds against the Waves. Nine of those rebound were on the defensive end.

It was noteworthy that Harding was on the floor at the end of the game when Pepperdine cut the lead down to three at 57-54.

He stayed on the floor as BYU went on their late run to finish off the Waves.

Matt Haarms and Alex Barcello struggled on offense for most of this game, but the seniors came up with the biggest plays in the last three minutes to get the win. Another hard-fought dub for this #BYU team.#BYUhoops #GoCougs

— Dallen Graff (@lilthoint) January 24, 2021

Losing his starting spot to Trevin Knell doesn’t mean that Harding doesn’t have a role on this team.

If he can continue to rebound and defend like he did against Pepperdine, he will continue to see time at the end of games.

3. Finding ways to win games

The Cougars squandered a double digit lead in the second half but held on late to defeat the Waves.

Obviously, it’s not ideal to lose big leads late in the game, but lets credit this team for finding different ways to win conference games.

Leading by three with under three minutes left, Alex Barcello found his way to the free throw line to extend the lead to five.

Barcello struggled. He missed every field goal he attempted. His four points came from the free throw line.

His first two points came at a critical point in the game where BYU needed every point they could get.

Matt Haarms struggled offensively as well, but his fadeaway jumper at the end of the shot clock with 1:45 remaining was the nail in the coffin.

Instant Replay 🎥 pic.twitter.com/YpciBr2yUe

— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) January 24, 2021

It’s encouraging for coach Pope that this team continues to find different ways to win games.

You can hear Matt Baiamonte every Saturday on KSL Newsradio for Cougar Sports Saturday from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. or you can find him on Twitter here.