All in: BYU comes up big in the clutch, tops West Virginia 73-69
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- BYU’s Mihailo Boskovic (center) drives to the basket in a Big 12 men’s basketball game against West Virginia at Morgantown, W.V., on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
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- BYU men’s basketball coach Kevin Young (right) accepts congratulations from Athletic Director Tom Holmoe after a Big 12 victory against West Virginia in Morgantown, W.V., on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
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- BYU’s Mawot Mog (left) defends West Virginia’s Javon Small in a Big 12 men’s basketball game in Morgantown, W.V., on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
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- Teammates surround Mihailo Boskovic (5) after a basket late in the game against West Virginia in Morgantown, W.V., on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
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- BYU’s Trey Stewart launches a 3-pointer against West Virginia in a Big 12 men’s basketball game at Morgantown, W.V., on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
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- Members of the BYU men’s basketball team greet fans after a 73-69 victory against West Virginia at Morgantown, W.V., on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
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- Players on the BYU bench react during a Big 12 men’s basketball game against West Virginia in Morgantown, W.V., on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
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- BYU’s Mihailo Boskovic (5) takes a 3-pointer against West Virginia in a Big 12 men’s basketball game at Morgantown, W.V., on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
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- BYU’s Dawson Baker (25) and Mahailo Boskovic defend against West Virginia in a Big 12 men’s basketball game in Morgantown, W.V., on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
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- BYU’s Dallin Hall (right) defends West Virginia’s Sincere Harris in a Big 12 men’s basketball game in Morgantown, W.V., on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
It took all 12 BYU players who got into Tuesday’s game at West Virginia to finish the deal.
The Cougars got huge plays down the stretch in two areas where they have struggled this season (defense and free throw shooting) to take down the Mountaineers 73-69 in front of 10,879 fans at WVU Coliseum.
Egor Demin led BYU with 16 points but contributions came from everywhere in Morgantown.
Ten different players scored and the Cougars outscored the Mountaineers 38-18 off the bench, spearheaded by Trey Stewart, Mihailo Boskovic and Kanon Catchings.
“Jordan Bradley (BYU’s Director of Player Development) told me, ‘Your job isn’t to play basketball, it’s to be ready to play basketball,'” Stewart said on the BYU Sports Network. “That’s a very hard thing to swallow, because it’s like, no, I want to come here to actually get in the game and play. But your job is to be ready when your name is called. That’s what you’ve got to do.”
Stewart provided a couple of huge triples and was part of BYU’s defensive effort that shut down West Virginia’s Javon Small while holding the Mountaineers scoreless over the final 2:20 of the game. Boskovic had a big 3-pointer in the second half and a clutch 3-point play in the final 10 seconds. Catchings scored 11 points in just 18 minutes, going 2 of 3 from beyond the arc and 5 of 6 from the free throws line after twice getting fouled attempting 3-pointers.
“More than anything, I’m just proud of our guys’ response,” Cougar coach Kevin Young said on the BYU Sports Network. “Our team has responded really well to adversity through this season. I told our players this was probably our best team win all year. You had multiple guys coming in that haven’t been a huge part of the rotation that ended up making massive plays.”
In a game that featured 11 lead changes and five ties, a defensive stop led to a pair of pressure free throws by Demin with 58 seconds left, and the freshman drilled them both for a 70-69 lead. After a 3-point miss by Joseph Yesufu with 38 seconds to play, Richie Saunders got a pass off a high pick-and-roll to Boskovic, who glided to the basket, absorbed a foul and scored with 9.3 seconds remaining. He also hit the free throw to make it a two-possession game.
“That was not the play call, but it was a great read,” Stewart said. “He just played basketball. It’s like a chess match between the coaches. They (West Virginia) are trying to change ball screen coverages so it can be different. He (Saunders) has got two guys on him out front. So then all of a sudden, something else is open.”
After Boskovic made the free throw for the 3-point play and a four-point lead, Stewart said, “I felt like 10,000 pounds lifted off our shoulders.”
The Cougars wouldn’t have been in a position to win without the defensive effort against Small, who came into the game leading the Big 12 in scoring at 18.9 points per contest. Small ended up with nine points but took only four shots, though he did have nine assists.
“Not to be lost in all of this was the defensive job that Mawot (Mag), Trey and our whole team did on Javon Small,” Young said. “He’s as dynamic of a guard as I’ve seen in college basketball, quite frankly, and certainly in our league. I thought we did an outstanding job on him.”
BYU trailed 34-32 at the half and might have held a lead but for its generosity to the opposition. The Cougars turned the ball over nine times, which resulted in a 13-0 advantage for West Virginia in points off turnovers and a 9-0 lead in fast break points. BYU turned the ball over only three times in the second half.
The Mountaineers started off banging in a trio of 3-pointers to open the second half and led 45-39 with 17:31 to play. West Virginia still led by six on a jumper from Amani Hansberry with 6:33 remaining but the Cougars took a 63-62 advantage on a three from Boskovic with 5:29 to go and the game stayed tight the rest of the way.
“This was a huge win,” Young said. “Every game is huge, but we have more work to do, and our guys know that. This was obviously a big one for us, and hopefully we just can keep stacking them up so that there’s no question when it’s time to see who’s in (the NCAA Tournament).”
Toby Okani led West Virginia (15-9 overall, 6-7 Big 12) with 16 points.
BYU (16-8, 7-6) returns home to the Marriott Center for a matchup with Kansas State on Saturday. The Wildcats are the hottest team in the Big 12 and won their sixth straight game on Tuesday, taking down No. 13 Arizona 73-70 in Manhattan.
