Long Distance: BYU puts up a record number of 3-pointers in rout of Houston Christian
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- BYU’s Noah Waterman launches a 3-pointer against Houston Christian in a men’s college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.
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- The BYU bench signals a made 3-pointer during a men’s college basketball game against Houston Christian at the Marriott Center on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.
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- BYU’s Trey Stewart dunks the ball during a men’s college basketball game against Houston Christian at the Marriott Center on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.
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- BYU’s Trevin Knell (21) takes a 3-pointer against Houston Christian in a men’s college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.
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- BYU’s Spencer Johnson (20) and Fousseyni Traore defend Houston Christian’s Jake Arnold during a men’s college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.
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- BYU’s Trey Stewart dives on the floor after a loose ball during a men’s college basketball game against Houston Christian at the Marriott Center on Monday, Nov. 6, 2023.
BYU wants to shoot a lot of 3-pointers this year.
It’s going to be SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) to compete in its first Big 12 season.
In a show of cooperation, Houston Christian opted not to guard the arc much on Monday night in the Marriott Center.
BYU averaged just over 23 3-pointers per game last season but shot a program-record 43 on Monday, making 15 (35%) in a 110-63 blowout to open the 2023-24 season.
“We shot a lot of threes in the first half and we shot a lot of threes in the second half,” BYU senior Trevin Knell said. “I feel like everybody can shoot the ball at a really high level. We’re a really unselfish team.”
Spencer Johnson led BYU with a career-high 20 points, followed by Knell with 19 on 5 of 9 from beyond the arc. Joining those two players in double figures were Noah Waterman (16, a career-high while in Provo), Jaxson Robinson (13) and Trey Stewart (10). Johnson added seven assists and five rebounds in a pretty complete performance. Sophomore point guard Dallin Hall, who sat out the Cougars’ exhibition game last Wednesday, played 14 minutes and had six points along with four assists.
In total, 11 different BYU players attempted 3-pointers and six made at least one, led by Knell’s five, three for Waterman and Robinson and two from Johnson.
BYU had a 21-1 advantage on offensive rebounds, which led to a 28-2 mark in second-chance points. The Cougars outrebounded the Huskies 59-25 and dished out 27 assists on 40 made baskets.
“I felt like we came out and were really mentally there today,” Knell said. “I feel like we started the game really hot on both the offensive and defensive end. We’re in a position right now where we just share the ball really, really well.”
The 3-point shooting commenced right from the start. The Cougars were 10 of 27 (37%) from beyond the arc in the first half, with Knell making 4 of 7.
“It’s really important for us this year that we teams guard us 50 by 27 (feet), not 50 by 22,” BYU coach Mark Pope said. “That extra 250 square feet on the court is going to make the difference whether we can be really functional and affective offensively. We’re not going to be able to get 43 threes up in a lot of games, but we’re going to fight to get them up. If we can’t get them, we’ll have to win a different way. But this is a staple of who we want to be.”
It didn’t take long for BYU to get some distance from the Huskies. The Cougars led 7-6, then scored nine straight highlighted by a 3-point play from Trey Stewart and a Knell triple, for a 16-6 advantage with 14:49 to play in the first half.
A few minutes later, BYU went on a 19-4 blitz, getting two 3-pointers from Johnson and one from Robinson for a 35-10 lead with 7:50 remaining. The Cougars ended the half with another flurry of deep 3’s from Knell, Robinson and Richie Saunders to take a 56-18 lead at the break.
Knell finished the half with 14 points, Saunders had nine and Robinson and Johnson contributed eight points each. Aly Khalifa didn’t score but added six rebounds and three assists with Fousseyni Traore getting four points and eight boards.
BYU led in rebounding 32-14, largely based on Houston Christian’s poor shooting, The Huskies, picked to finish eighth in the Southern Conference, were just 7 of 28 (25%) from the field and 1-10 (10%) from the 3-point line in the first half.
Early in the second half, Stewart dove on the floor for a loose ball and got it to Johnson for a basket, the middle of six straight points for the BYU senior guard. Waterman capped a 7-0 run for the Cougars with a 3-pointer to make it 69-24 with 16:45 to play. Later, Khalifa dished to Robinson for a dunk to extend the lead to 45 points, 79-34, with 12:20 still remaining. The largest lead came moments later when Robinson drained a 3-pointer for a 77-30 advantage.
The Cougars reached 100 points with 5:21 to play, Waterman doing the honors from the free throw line. It was the first time BYU hit the century mark since a 100-70 victory last season against Westminster and the most points the Cougars have scored since posting 105 against Portland in February of 2021.
Marcus Greene led Houston Christian (0-1) with 18 points.
BYU (1-0) will play perhaps its biggest game of the preseason on Friday when it hosts NCAA runner-up San Diego State, ranked No. 17 in the country.
Bahr commits to BYU
The Cougars received a big commitment Monday afternoon from 3-star 2024 guard Brooks Bahr.
The 6-foot-5 Bahr (Keller, Texas) is the 132nd ranked player in his class and picked the Cougars over other finalists Utah, USC, Saint Mary’s and Wake Forest.
“I felt like the coaching staff knew my game,” Bahr said during his commitment live stream on 24/7 Sports. “I built great relationships with them and I like the vision they have of me as a point guard at their school. I think they can develop me into a really good player. I love the way he (Mark Pope) talks through the game, breaks it down and everything. I think we can be super successful and win at a high level. I’m just a guy that works hard and wants to win. It’s going to be a good four years there.”
Bahr plans on serving a church mission before enrolling at BYU so he will be on the roster in 2026.
