This one went about like you might expect.

BYU had little trouble blowing past the Royals, getting a career-high 22 points off the bench from Dawson Baker, his career-high as a Cougar, in a 99-55 victory.

“The biggest thing was we got off to a good start,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “We had a lull and in the second half and I wasn’t happy with our level of focus. I challenged the guys in a time out to forget about how much time was on the clock, and from that point on I liked how the guys responded to that challenge. We got going offensively. There was a lot to like, but I really liked the response after that time out.”

Baker was 8 of 10 from the field and 6 of 7 from beyond the arc for the Cougars, scoring 17 of his points in the second half.

Courtesy BYU Photo

“I thought he was efficient,” Young said. “He’s been making quick decisions and that’s something I’ve been on him about since I got here. Dribbling less and doing more with less, basically. It was really good to see him have a night like that in front of the home crowd. But I liked how efficient and aggressive he was.”

Trevin Knell scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half and Egor Demin added 14 points, five assists and three rebounds. Keba Keita was a handful inside with 14 rebounds to go along with 11 points.

A few categories BYU dominated: Points in the paint (46-18), rebounds (59-22) and a 22-2 second-chance points advantage from 21 offensive rebounds. The Cougars finished 51% from the field (40 of 78) and 43% from the 3-point line (15 of 35) while assisting on 25 of its 40 baskets.

Queens, which lost at Utah Tuesday night 96-65, took BYU’s best shot early and went down for the count. Knell scored five points as the Cougars jumped out to a 9-0 lead and it was 28-2 on a Baker 3-pointer midway through the first half. Elijah Crawford went inside to Keta for a couple of easy buckets and Knell’s triple pushed the BYU advantage to 33, 38-5, with 6:56 to play in the first half.

The Royals caught fire from the 3-point line, making six straight from beyond the arc, and closed to 48-23 with 3:08 remaining. The Cougars took a 51-26 lead into the break.

Courtesy BYU Photo

Knell was perfect in the first half (5 of 5 on field goals, 4 of 4 from the 3-point line) to lead BYU with 14 points. Demin added nine points and three assists as the Cougars shot 65% (20 of 31) from the field and 54% (7 of 13) from the 3-point line. BYU doubled up the Royals in rebounds (24-12) and had 14 assists on 20 made baskets.

All ten players who logged minutes for the Cougars in the first half scored at least one point.

Queens, which was 2 for 18 (11%) from the field with seven minutes left in the half, finished at 30% (9 of 30) from the field and 39% (7 of 18) from the 3-point line.

The second half was more of the same as the BYU lead kept growing. The Cougars went on a 9-0 run with a 3-pointer by Richie Saunders and baskets from Kanon Catchings, Knell and Keta for a 60-29 lead. Demin stuck a triple, then assisted to Baker for 3-pointer, followed by back-to-back rebound baskets by Mawot Mag, and it was 75-38 with 12 minutes left to play. The lead reached 43, 91-48, after a 13-0 Cougar burst with eight points from Baker with six minutes remaining. A basket from Catchings pushed the lead to 47, 95-48, with four minutes to play.

Former Lone Peak and Salt Lake Community College standout Jaxon Pollard scored nine points for the Royals (2-2).

Courtesy BYU Photo

BYU (3-0) will host an afternoon game at the Marriott Center against the University of Idaho on Saturday, with tip time at 1 p.m. MT.

BYU's Keba Keita (13) holds the ball against Queens University in a men's college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024.

BYU's Mihailo Boskovic drives in a for a reverse layup against Queens University in a men's college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024.