BYU Opens WCC Play With Win Over Pacific

BYU turned up the three-point shooting in the second half in a 73-51 win over Pacific Thursday night in Provo. BYU had 8 turnovers in the first half en route to a 4-point halftime lead, but made 12 threes on the night and won the rebound battle 44-27 to pull away.

Five BYU players scored in double figures, led by 15 points from Alex Barcello on a 4-7 night from three. Freshman Fousseyni Traore continued his strong play with 12 points, 11 boards and 3 blocks on 4-5 shooting. Seneca Knight and Te’Jon lucas had 11 points apiece and Trevin Knell added 10 points.

BYU begins a huge three-game stretch (fingers crossed for no COVID disruptions) Saturday evening versus Saint Mary’s in Provo before hitting the road next week for games at Gonzaga and San Francisco. BYU and those three teams are all currently projected to be in the NCAA Tournament field.

BYU moves to 13-3 with the win and is the only team in the WCC with a win in conference play as 6 of the 10 WCC have been on COVID pause. Saint Mary’s is in the midst of a COVID pause, but all indications are that the game Saturday will be played as scheduled 8pm MT on ESPN2.