BYU Dominates West Virginia to Extend Winning Streak
After a sluggish first half that saw BYU lead 25-19, Kevin Young’s team surged in the second half, defeating West Virginia 77-56 on Saturday night in Provo.
West Virginia’s defensive strategy focused on shutting down the three-point shot, successfully holding BYU to zero first-half threes. However, BYU made five three-pointers in the second half and found success inside. Fousseyni Traore led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds, benefiting from single coverage. Egor Demin contributed 15 points, while Richie Saunders added 13. Dallin Hall chipped in with 8 points and 6 assists off the bench. This marked the first time in Big 12 play that West Virginia allowed over 75 points.
Offensively, West Virginia struggled outside of Javon Small, and BYU’s defense made it difficult for Small to find any rhythm. The Mountaineers were limited to just 33% shooting from the field and 29.6% from three. Mawot Mag had a strong defensive effort on Small, preventing him from getting comfortable. In contrast, BYU shot 52.7% from the field and scored 46 points in the paint.
BYU has now won six straight games and will head to Ames on Tuesday for a crucial matchup against Iowa State. Iowa State is coming off a dominant win against Arizona and is at full strength. The Cyclones are 19-1 when fully healthy, with their only loss coming by two points to No. 1 Auburn. The winner of Tuesday’s game will likely secure the No. 4 seed in the Big 12 tournament, earning a double bye.
