After struggling in their home opener and barely escaping with a win against Idaho State, the Cougars were set to head to San Diego for a game with the 19th-ranked Aztecs. For BYU to be able to have a chance in this game against a good Aztecs team they would need to be more efficient on offense.
In their opener, the Cougars struggled to find open shots and then struggled to make them when given the opportunity. BYU shot 3-16 from beyond the three-point line against Idaho State and to be able to beat a Top-25 team on the road they would need to improve in that statistic.
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Cougars cannot hold off late Aztecs run
BYU was leading throughout most of the game, and their previous offensive struggles had seemed to go away and they were playing good team basketball.
The Cougars shot much better from the field and from the three-point line in this one, helping them to be in control for much of the night. BYU shot 46% from the field and 34% from three. Although the Cougars played well together and shot better, they were never able to gain an insurmountable lead thanks to the turnovers and the fouls that they were committing. The Cougars had double the amount of turnovers that San Diego State had and seven more fouls. When playing a good team on the road, this will make it tough to be able to win games.
BYU was leading 68-65 with just over five minutes left in the game, and from that point on the Aztecs were able to grasp the momentum. When the opposing team goes on a run late in the game and they have their home crowd behind them it will make it very difficult to pull off the road upset.
Although the Cougars did end up losing this game, they played well and had some key contributors in doing so. Spencer Johnson led the way with team-highs of 17 points and 7 rebounds, while Rudi Williams added 15 points and Fouss Traore chipped in 14.
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Up next
The Cougars will have a chance to bounce back from this loss against the Missouri State Bears.
The Bears will come into the Marriot Center with a 1-0 record on the year after handling Missouri S&T in their first game, 82-47. This will be another test for BYU and will provide them with another chance to gain chemistry at the beginning of this season. There is a lot of basketball to be played this season and if the Cougars can find their identity early on in the season then that will help them later down the road.
The Cougars will face the Missouri State Bears at home in the Marriott Center on Wednesday, November 16. This game will tip off at 7 p.m. MT and can be seen on BYUtv.
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