After a road loss to Gonzaga, BYU was hoping to get back on track and show improvement at home against Santa Clara on Thursday night.
Instead, the Cougars’ final season in the WCC continued to disappoint, with the Broncos taking down the home team 81-74, a scoreline that made the game appear closer than it really was.
First half
After a closely contested first five minutes of the game, Santa Clara was able to pull out in front of the Cougars and never look back.
Just nine minutes in, Broncos forward Camaron Tongue made a dunk to give the visiting team its first double-digit advantage.
Santa Clara was able to hold onto the lead throughout the remainder of the first half, leaving the BYU fans frustrated.
With just 24 seconds left in the first half, Broncos guard Carlos Stewart made a layup to put them up 47-30 going into halftime.
I can’t recall the last time I heard #BYU fans (in any capacity) boo their own basketball team in the Marriott Center. But a few boo birds have surfaced.
Santa Clara leads 47-30 in Provo.#BYUSN
— Spencer Linton (@Spencer_Linton) February 17, 2023
Second half
The most that the Cougars trailed by in the second half was 20 points.
BYU was able to trim the deficit to just 10 points with 8:54 left in the game, giving the fans hope for a comeback. However, they were not able to capitalize on cutting down the deficit further.
Santa Clara maintained the double-digit lead throughout most of the remainder of the game. BYU was able to cut the deficit to seven points with just seven seconds remaining thanks to a three-pointer from Trey Stewart.
While Stewart’s shot made the score closer in the end, the Broncos dominated throughout by beating the Cougars, 81-74.
Missed opportunity
Heading into this game, BYU was a six-point favorite at home, but they could not capitalize on their opportunity to even their conference record. This loss will go down as a lousy blemish on the Cougars’ record, as it was Santa Clara’s first win in Provo since 1972.
Santa Clara wins at the Marriott Center for the first time since December 2, 1972. #BYU #BYUHoops
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 17, 2023
With the loss, BYU drops to 16-13 on the year, with a 6-8 record in WCC play.
This season has not gone the way that Cougar fans would have hoped as this young team has struggled to finish games and find consistency. The youth of this team has really shown as they have played some very strong games but also struggled at times when it was not expected.
BYU will need to find some consistency before the WCC Tournament starts next month in Las Vegas. If they are able to go on a hot streak to end the season, they may have a chance to upset some teams in the tournament.
Up next
BYU (16-13, 6-8 WCC) now travels to Saint Mary’s to battle the first-place Gaels (23-5, 12-1) on Saturday, February 18.
The matchup will tip off at 8 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN2.
