Slow Start Dooms BYU in Close Loss to Boise State

BYU dug itself into a 14-0 hole early and nearly came back before falling to Boise State 74-70 Wednesday night in Provo.

BYU didn’t score its first points until the 11:21 mark in the first half, but defense kept BYU in it until the offense picked things up in the second half. BYU tied it up a couple times in the second half, including at 70 with a under 30 seconds left, but a wide open three by Emmanuel Akot with 7.5 seconds was the winning score for the Broncos. Alex Barcello had a look to tie the game but it was just off.

BYU scored 21 points in the first half compared to 49 points in the second, but Boise State’s length and defensive aggressiveness put BYU in a first half hole. Alex Barcello didn’t make his first field goal until the final minute of the first half, but heated up in the second half and led BYU with 22 points. Matt Haarms had his best offensive game in a BYU uniform, finishing with 18 points on 7-10 shooting.

BYU finished with 14 turnovers, but 11 first half turnovers prevented BYU from gaining any sort of momentum early. Boise State has a lot of length on the perimeter and it took nearly a half for BYU to adjust.

BYU falls to 5-2 on the season and will next welcome Utah into the Marriott Center Saturday afternoon.