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BYU's Fousseyni Traore dunks in a men's college basketball game against Loyola Marymount in the Marriott Center on Thursday, February 2, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU freshman Dallin Hall flexes after a basket during a men's college basketball game against Loyola Marymount in the Marriott Center on Thursday, February 2, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Jaxson Robinson (2) dribbles against a Loyola Marymount defender during a men's college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Thursday, February 2, 2023.

Harold Mitchell/Special to the Herald

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BYU's Fousseyni Traore takes a jump shot in a men's college basketball game against Loyola Marymount at the Marriott Center on Thursday, February 2, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Jaxson Robinson (2) launches a 3-pointer in a men's college basketball game against Loyola Marymount at the Marriott Center on Thursday, February 2 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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When trying to break out of a slump, it’s best to leave no doubt.

That’s what the BYU men’s basketball team did Thursday night against the West Coast Conference’s third-place team, Loyola Marymount.

The Cougars led from the opening moments and put on one of their best offensive displays of the season in the first half, racing to a big lead and eventually an 89-61 victory in front of 13,363 fans at the Marriott Center.

Yes, the Lions beat BYU 64-59 nearly a month ago in Los Angeles and upset mighty Gonzaga in Spokane on January 19. Yes, LMU had won four games in a row and yes, the Cougars had lost five of their last seven.

For one night, at least, this young BYU team played to its potential on both ends of the floor. Offensively, the Cougars made great decisions and took care of the ball (a season-low seven turnovers). On defense, BYU rebounded at a high level and seemed to be on every catch the Lions made in their offensive sets.

“I’m super excited about the contrast between the game we played at LMU a month ago and the game today,” Cougar coach Mark Pope said. “We talk about how hungry we are to get better, and we believe we are getting better. The execution tonight was so much better, it was a world of difference when compared to last month. Super proud of the guys’ focus tonight on offense.”

Contributions came from all nine players who earned double-digit minutes. Spencer Johnson led the Cougars with 14 points and Jaxson Robinson had 13, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. Rudi Williams also added 13 points and four assists. Fousseyni Traore finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds, followed by Gideon George and Dallin Hall with nine points each. BYU shot 54% from the field (35 of 65), 50% from beyond the arc (10 of 20) and outrebounded the visitors 40-30.

“This was a huge win for us,” Johnson said. “LMU is a really good team, They’ve been great in our league and nationally they’re ranked pretty well, so it was a great win for us and winning just makes you feel good and it rights the ship. It highlights the point that we can play with anyone in this league, so to get this win was really reassuring of that.”

Jalin Anderson led Loyola Marymount (6-4 WCC, 16-8 overall) with 19 points and leading scorer Cam Shelton had 15. The Lions were playing without 7-foot-1 center Rick Issanza, and the Cougars attacked the middle of the key over and over again with very good results.

BYU was cooking on both sides of the court in the first half. The Cougars shot 58% (19 of 33) from the field and 56% (5 of 9) from the 3-point line, while holding Loyola Marymount to 27% (10 of 25) from the field and dominating the boards 21-12.

BYU took a quick 11-3 lead, getting good work inside from Traore and back-to-back jumpers from Johnson. Next came a 9-0 run as Robinson heated up with a 3-pointer and a smooth reverse layup after a Atiki Ally Atiki block, pushing the Cougar advantage to 20-7. A 3-pointer by Richie Saunders and a hoop inside by Traore made the score 27-9 with 9:04 to play in the half.

The BYU lead reached 20, 33-13, on a Hall 3-pointer at the 6:54 mark. The Cougars went more than four minutes without a basket and LMU took advantage. Consecutive triples from Anderson helped trim the deficit to 10, 33-23, with 3:08 to play.

BYU closed the half on a 13-4 run. Traore contributed a 3-point play after powering back up with a rebound and George scored twice for a 43-25 advantage. The Cougars led 45-27 at the break, led by Traore (11 points, nine rebounds) and Robinson (10 points).

Anderson topped the Lions with 10 points. Leading scorer Cam Shelton scored six but also had three turnovers, including two charging violations.The rout continued early in the second as Hall began the scoring with a 3-pointer, followed by a steal and layup from Johnson. Back-to-back buckets by Noah Waterman gave the Cougars a 58-33 lead with 15:15 remaining. Johnson banged in a triple at the BYU lead ballooned to 26 points, 62-36, with 13:45 to go.

With 5:40 to play, Robinson splashed a 3-pointer from 30 feet to beat the shot clock and give the Cougars a 76-48 lead.

BYU (5-5, 15-10) finishes its three-game homestand on Saturday against Pacific at 7 p.m. MT, with the game televised on BYUtv.

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