Unlike Wednesday’s season opener, the 3-pointers didn’t land in the record-setting clip for BYU Thanksgiving Night at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
Meanwhile, there were many other things to annoy Coorg, including New Orleans’ fast, aggressive style and a game that saw vague motion and a total of 51 so-called individual fools.
It was a struggle for the Cougars to get into any kind of rhythm.
“Super frustration. This game of basketball can be very frustrating, ”said coach Mark Pope. “It was difficult to get into the game because of the whistles. It was a mountain of frustration. I told the boys at the eight-minute media timeout that the ones you’re competing so much against are often frustrated. I think people have done a really good job of managing it. ”
The BYU controlled the paint, relying on its size advantage over the private sector. And in the end, the Cougars (2-0) won a somewhat ugly 86-61 victory.
“That’s what you see with a lot of teams going against the pressure,” said Pope, whose team had 18 turnovers. “We will learn a lot from this. We’re really lucky to have played two full-time opponents last two nights. Just getting a different look will be too big for our growth. That’s all we need to do. Clearly, we are not close to the team we need to be or need to be. But you can see the pieces that can really, really be a special team. ”
Guard Alex Barcelona scored a game-high 19 points when center-back Richard Harvard came off the bench and scored a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.
As a team, BYU outscored the New Orleans 54-28 and scored 26 second-pons points.
“We missed a lot of shots today,” Pope said. “The offensive glass is going to be an important part of this team. It is really important to us. ”
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Gideon George (5) of BYU fights for a position with Damien Roger (1) of New Orleans during the 86-61 victory of the Kyrgyz against the New Orleans Privators at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, November 26, 2020.
Photo courtesy BYU
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Colby Lee, 40, of BYU, shot during the Cougars’ 86-61 win over the New Orleans Private at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, November 26, 2020.
Photo courtesy BYU
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The BYU bench reacted during the Cougars’ 86-61 win over the New Orleans Privators at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, November 26, 2020.
Photo courtesy BYU
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Alex Barcelo (13) of BYU went to the basket during the Cougars’ 86-61 win over the New Orleans Privators at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, November 26, 2020.
Photo courtesy BYU
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BYU’s Brandon Everett (4) tries to get the ball out of bounds during the Cougars’ 86-61 win over the New Orleans Privators at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, November 26, 2020.
Photo courtesy BYU
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BYU’s Korn Harding (44) fired a shot on Thursday, November 26, 2020 at the Marriott Center in Provo during the Cougars’ 86-61 victory over the New Orleans Pvt.
Photo courtesy BYU
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Caleb Lohner of BYU () 33) put a shot to the shore on Thursday, November 26, 2020 at the Marriott Center in Provo during the Kyrgyz 86-61 victory over the New Orleans Private.
Photo courtesy BYU
For another straight night, BYU played without Matt Harms, a 7-foot-3 grad transfer, wearing boots in the foot due to an ankle injury.
Then at the end of the first half, forward Gavin Baxter had a knee injury and did not return to the game.
Harms wore boots on her feet due to an ankle injury and was kept on the sidelines.
“I’m really grateful she was released and thank those who worked hard for her release, and we’re glad she’s alive,” Pope said. “I want him to get some practice reps before playing.”
Baxter, who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, went down holding his knees while defending in the paint.
“It’s always hard to watch a teammate go down,” said guard Conor Harding. “It broke my heart. As a team, we have to move forward. Hopefully, that’s okay. ”
The pope said Baxter would do an MRI.
“We are really optimistic and pray that something is achieved quickly,” Pope said of Baxter.
Speaking of frustration, the Cougars didn’t have as many open appearances on Thursday as they did on the night against Westminster. After knocking down 18 3-pointers in the season opener, BYU shot 10 out of 10 from a 3-point range against New Orleans. From the free-throw line, the Cougars hit just 8 of 21.
Coorg enjoyed a balanced scoring production, with Colby Lee and Connor Harding contributing 12 points, Brandon Everett 11, Travin Kennel 8 and Caleb Lohner 6.
Lohner, who started in the second half instead of the Baxter, also collected nine bounces.
“I thought he did an incredible job on glass,” Pope said of Lohner. “It simply came to our notice then. I believe in it. I’m excited to keep growing for it. ”
As a team, BYU got plenty of rebounds and had a bunch of putbacks that helped pull them away from New Orleans.
“I think we’ve done very well. Everyone was getting a board. I know Caleb is a complete monster, “said Harvard. “I’m very excited to have that guy on the team, seeing how he’s able to make an immediate contribution. Colby was rebounding. I think we have this kind of threat when it comes to our offensive board and defensive board because we have athleticsism and a lot of people have the ability to get better. ”
BYU will host Utah Valley University on Saturday (7 p.m., MST, BYUtv).
