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After taking a 39-17 halftime lead versus an explosive Illinois State offense, BYU never looked back in a 80-68 victory over the Redbirds.
BYU held Illinois State to 0-15 shooting from three in the first half, and TJ Haws (20 points) broke out of his shooting slump to get BYU out to big lead early.
Elijah Bryant nearly had a triple double with 17 points, 9 boards and 9 assists, and Yoeli Childs was his usual self with 17 points and 7 boards.
BYU’s defense was suffocating in the first half, but got complacent in the second half, allowing the Redbirds to put up 51 points. BYU was never really threatened during the game, but avoiding complacency and keeping the urgency for a full forty minutes will surely be a focus for BYU going forward.
BYU now has a neutral site showdown in Salt Lake City versus Weber State on Saturday before taking on Utah in Provo on December 16.