BYU Basketball Questions Answered In Win Against Missouri State
Nov 16, 2022, 9:53 PM

Missouri State Bears forward Dawson Carper (33), Brigham Young Cougars forward Atiki Ally Atiki (4), Missouri State Bears forward Jonathan Mogbo (2) and Brigham Young Cougars forward Noah Waterman (0) fight for the ball during a men’s basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. Kristen Murphy/Deseret News
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PROVO, Utah – The BYU basketball team survived another scare at home against Missouri State thanks to a game-winning shot by freshman guard Dallin Hall.
The Cougars won 66-64.
Let’s answer some questions from another tight finish in the Marriott Center.
Who was the MVP of BYU Basketball?
Dallin Hall made the most important play of the game, but the best offensive player was Noah Waterman.
Waterman was the last addition to this year’s basketball team, joining in late June.
He was brought in to add shooting and height to a small frontcourt.
Against Missouri State, Waterman showed off his ability to put the ball in the hoop.
Noah Waterman is not a typical big man. He grew up playing guard then had a massive growth spurt. Has the ability on any night to put up a big scoring night. Fun watching a 6-foot-11 bury threes from everywhere on the floor.#BYU #BYUHoops
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 17, 2022
Waterman made his first five three-point attempts en route to scoring a team-high 15 points.
All of those points were needed when the bench unit was struggling to produce points.
My only complaint was that Waterman was subbed out after making his third attempt in the half.
It doesn’t make sense to me why basketball coaches don’t ride the hot hand more often.
What was something that caught your attention from the game?
I think it’s noteworthy that Dallin Hall has finished two of the first three games as the point guard.
Rudi Williams has started all three games, but it appears that head coach Mark Pope trusts Dallin Hall more at the end of tight games.
Hall played 18 minutes, committed zero turnovers, and made the biggest play of the game.
Dallin Hall closes the game once again as the point guard.
It’s definitely something that he is being trusted in big situations as a true freshman. #BYU #BYUhoops
— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) November 17, 2022
With seven seconds to play, Hall ran the length of the court and made a short push shot to give BYU the win.
It was also noteworthy that Atiki Ally Atiki finished the game at center.
Atiki had his best game as a BYU Cougar scoring seven points and pulling down a career-high 11 rebounds.
What was the most interesting stat from the game?
Unfortunately, turnovers were still a problem for BYU.
They turned the ball over on 20 percent of their possessions.
On a positive note, BYU only turned the ball over three times in the second half.
Hall played 11 of his 18 minutes in the second half
When was the game won for BYU basketball?
Not until the final shot from Hall dropped through the net.
There wasn’t much time on the clock to run a complicated offensive set.
Credit Hall for getting downhill and making a decisive play near the rim.
Coach Pope shouted out former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darell Bevell for helping him draw up late-game play situations.
Whether or not that’s true, the final play got BYU a great look at the rim.
Instant reaction from the Marriott Center with @Mitch_Harper and @baiamontematt #BYU 🏀 hangs on thanks to a game winning bucket by Dallin Hall. #BYUhoops pic.twitter.com/3cpROuvPrm
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 17, 2022
Missouri State wasn’t able to get a good shot with 1.4 seconds remaining and their final heave fell short.
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.