BYU Head Coach Dave Rose recorded a milestone 300th win as the Cougars completed a 73-62 comeback against the Portland Pilots behind key play by Davin Guinn.
Photo Courtesy of BYU Photo
PROVO – It didn’t look like it would happen Saturday night, but BYU Basketball Head Coach recorded his 300th career win as his team buckled down for a 73-62 victory over the Portland Pilots.
“I feel really grateful,” said Dave Rose. “I feel gratitude to the players – the unbelievable players we’ve had over the years who have been committed to winning, my staff, I feel like every year I have one of the best staffs in the country, and our administration – the University and Athletic administration – have been terrific. All that combined has allowed me to be around and win a few games and I’m grateful for that.”
BYU and Portland both struggled to score the basketball early on as the teams were tied at eight points each during the under-16 media timeout. The Pilots eased in as they pulled ahead of BYU to lead by ten points with 4:42 remaining behind a D’Marques Tyson three making the score 28-18.
BYU was able to find some momentum with a 10-6 run to cut Portland’s lead to 34-28 heading into halftime.
Yoeli Childs opened the half by making a jumper, followed up with a three pointer from Haws to cut the Pilots’ lead to one. Childs and Haws followed up with another jumper and three to recapture the lead 38-34 for the Cougars.
BYU held onto the lead over the next 6:09 until the Pilots used a 9-1 run behind two three’s from Tyson to take a 48-47 lead. It looked like Portland would leave the Marriott Center with a win.
Until Davin Guinn came in.
Guinn entered the game with 4:37 remaining with BYU trailing 61-55. He hit a three on BYU’s first possession to cut the lead to three.
“Davin Guinn [was the difference in the last five minutes]. That led to guys locking out on defense and guys making plays,” said Yoeli Childs.
A trio of Mika threes tied the game up at 61 each. Next Portland possession, Guinn forced a steal leading to Childs making two shots from the charity stripe putting the Cougars up 63-61.
Guinn provided a spark for the Cougars on the defensive end, creating disruption at the top of the 1-3-1 defense. His play led to an 18-1 run for the Cougars after he entered the game with 4:37 remaining.
“I like being up top, I’ve gotten used to it and I think it gives teams problems,” said Guinn. “It’s not a passive defense, it’s a super active defense and all five guys have to have their hands up and moving around.”
He recorded three points and two steals during the run.
“Dav gave us tremendous minutes and brought an energy to us,” said BYU Head Coach Dave Rose.
The Cougars were led in scoring by Eric Mika who finished with 23 points while Yoeli Childs and TJ Haws chipped in 15 points. Mika and Childs finished with 12 and 10 rebounds respectively as both finished the game with double-doubles.
“That post presence has been something we really depend on both offensively and defensively,” said Dave Rose.
LJ Rose also impressed as he finished with 10 points, five assists, and four rebounds while not turning the ball over in 33 minutes on the court.
With the win, BYU improved to 17-8 on the season and 8-4 in conference play.
The Cougars will head on the road next week as they will face Pepperdine on Thursday in Malibu. BYU recorded a 99-70 win in the previous matchup of the two teams. That game can be heard on the Cougar IMG Sports Network (102.7 FM, 1160 AM, 143 SiriusXM) with the Voice of the Cougars Greg Wrubell on the call.
