BYU hosted the Idaho State Bengals winning 84-58.
PROVO – Back at the Marriott Center after dropping a heartbreaker to Illinois, the Cougars added another tally to the win column by running past the visiting Idaho State Bengals 84-58. The Cougars were led by the front court duo of Eric Mika and Yoeli Childs who each recorded a double-double and combined for 32 points and 26 rebounds.
“What that shows is that we have guys who understand that the ball needs to go in there. We want to play inside out,” said BYU Head Coach Dave Rose. “Our percentage is so much better that way. Throwing the ball inside to start the game was a pretty good formula.”
A strong defensive effort helped the Cougars hold Idaho State to 58 points – the lowest scoring total BYU has held an opponent this season – and under 34% shooting from the field.
BYU used that defensive momentum to outscore Idaho State 45-27 in the second half and led to an impressive offensive output where they shot 63%.
“We just played as hard as we could on every possession. That’s what great teams do. We figured things out in the second half and kept playing hard,” said Yoeli Childs. “That defensive mentality of playing hard on every possession is important for us. When we lose, it’s because we’re trying to outscore teams.”
TJ Haws and LJ Rose shared time running the point and helped facilitate 26 points and 10 assists creating a spark for the Cougar offense.
The Cougars next play at home on Thursday against Cal State Bakersfield.
