BYU men’s basketball didn’t get every defensive stop against West Virginia on Tuesday night, but they got enough to secure a key Quad 1 road victory.
Egor Demin led the way with 16 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while Kanon Catchings contributed 11 points and four rebounds. Their efforts helped the Cougars snap a two-game losing streak with a 73-69 win at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Richie Saunders added nine points, four rebounds, and three assists for BYU (16-8, 7-6 Big 12), whose bench outscored West Virginia’s reserves 38-18, despite surrendering 17 points off 12 turnovers. Trey Stewart also made a significant impact, scoring eight points on 3-of-3 shooting, including two three-pointers his best performance since dropping a career-high 10 points in the 2023-24 season opener.
“Coach [Jordan] Brady reminded me that my job isn’t just to play basketball, but to be basketball,” Stewart told BYU Radio postgame. “I had to be ready when my name was called.”
West Virginia (15-9, 6-7 Big 12) was led by Tobi Okani’s 16 points and five rebounds, while Javon Small recorded nine points and nine assists. Jonathan Powell and Joseph Yesufu each added 11 points in what ESPN’s Joe Lunardi labeled a battle between two Big 12 teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
With BYU entering the game as Lunardi’s “last team in” and West Virginia projected as a No. 9 seed, the win provided a major boost for the Cougars. The victory also marked their first Quad 1 road win of the season, after falling short in previous opportunities, including an 84-66 loss at Cincinnati just three days earlier.
A Back-and-Forth Battle
West Virginia took control early, leading by as many as seven points within the first six minutes, with Okani scoring nine in the first half. However, BYU clawed back, as Dallin Hall hit two three-pointers and Catchings added eight points and three rebounds.
Trey Stewart briefly gave BYU a 32-31 edge with a three-pointer, but Powell responded with a triple of his own, giving the Mountaineers a 34-32 halftime lead.
West Virginia started the second half strong, sinking four of its first six three-point attempts. However, BYU stayed in the fight, tying the game at 56-56 after Catchings drilled a catch-and-shoot three with 9:38 remaining.
The Mountaineers then pulled ahead 61-56, holding BYU scoreless for over three minutes. But after West Virginia’s Small picked up his third foul, the Cougars capitalized with a 9-0 run, highlighted by a Mihailo Boskovic three-pointer, putting BYU up 63-62.
The teams traded baskets down the stretch, but BYU maintained striking distance. Demin sank two free throws to put BYU up 70-69 in the final minute. Then, after Yesufu missed a three-pointer, Saunders found Boskovic for an and-one play with nine seconds left, sealing the win.
“Mihailo made a great read,” Stewart said. “At the end of the day, that’s just playing basketball.”
BYU head coach Kevin Young praised the team’s resilience. “This was probably our best team win all year,” he said. “So many guys stepped up, and everyone contributed.”
Looking Ahead
BYU returns home to face Kansas State on Saturday (7 p.m. MST, ESPN+), followed by a showdown with No. 17 Kansas next Tuesday (7 p.m. MST, ESPN/ESPN2).
Be the first to comment