Caleb Lohner Rebound Among Observations From BYU’s Win At San Francisco
Jan 16, 2022, 7:57 AM
BYU basketball forward Caleb Lohner at practice on Monday at The Orleans Arena in preparation for semifinal matchup against Pepperdine. (BYU Photo/Jaren Wilkey)
(BYU Photo/Jaren Wilkey)
PROVO, Utah – The BYU basketball team fought and clawed their way to a quad one win beating San Francisco on the road 71-69.
The Dons had a chance to win the game on the final possession, but Jamaree Bouyea missed a long three point shot that was well defended by Te’Jon Lucas.
Here are my observations from a resume building win on the hilltop.
1. Caleb Lohner hustle plays
BYU found themselves with a one point lead with one minute remaining, after trailing by 10 early in the second half.
Alex Barcello drove baseline with the shot clock running out, he didn’t have a look at the basket.
Lohner cut to the middle of the paint, Barcello passed him the ball, and he made a short floater before the buzzer.
The lead was pushed back to three.
Pope on Caleb Lohner's chase down: "There's not a lot of power forwards in the country that could do what he did tonight on the glass at the end of the game, also finishing around the rim. He was just spectacular."#BYU #BYUHoops @kslsports
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 16, 2022
On the ensuing offensive possession, Lohner made the play of the game.
Barcello took a long jump shot on the left side of the court that bounced off the rim.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Lohner beat Bouyea to the loss ball and secured a critical offensive rebound that lead to two made free throws by Lucas.
BYU basketball will be a tough out in the NCAA tournament if Lohner continues his stellar play.
2. Barcello more than a shooter
On a day in which he received praise on ESPN’s College Gameday from Jay Bilas for being one of the great shooters in college basketball, Barcello showed why he’s more than just a shooter.
He was second on the team in rebounding behind Fousseyni Traore with seven boards.
Let’s go!!!! So proud of our guys fight tonight! What’s gutsy performance to come up with a big time conference road win! @BYUMBB @WCChoops https://t.co/wm71sdkdDB
— Chris Burgess (@chrisburgess34) January 16, 2022
Barcello is fearless when crashing the glass, which allows him to chase down rebounds.
He’s been praised for his defensive effort by BYU coaches.
The Cougars are 23rd nationally in three point defense and that ranking will increase after the Dons shot 13 percent from deep.
BYU is winning games defensively, which is an encouraging sign moving forward.
3. Fousseyni Traore patrolling the paint
The true freshman from Mali has started the past six games for head coach Mark Pope at the center position.
He showed the ability to score the ball in the post from the second he walked onto campus.
However, it’s his defensive ability in recent games that has made the biggest impact.
As a result, Traore leads the team in blocks by a wide margin with 25 on the season.
He had two blocks against the Dons along with fellow freshman center Atiki Ally Atiki.
With his first block of the game, Fousseyni Traore now has 24 blocks on the season moving him into a tie with Eric Mika for the 9th most blocks by a freshman in program history #BYUHoops @BYUMBB
— BYU Game Notes (@BYUGameNotes) January 16, 2022
Being forced into a larger role because of injury will benefit Traore and BYU basketball when they join the Big 12.
He has a chance to win one of the special “bigs” to ever play for the Cougars.
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.
