BYU Basketball Loses Another Close Game at TCU

On Saturday, Kevin Young and the BYU basketball program played a pivotal game at TCU. The Cougars struggled to score in the final minutes, falling 71-67 in a game that was tied in the final minute. BYU needed a win to get back in the NCAA Tournament picture. Instead, the Cougars lost their third consecutive game in Big 12 play.

This game was tied 67-67 when Fousseyni Traore had a look at the rim with 47 seconds left. Traore missed and TCU responded with a go-ahead bucket on the other end to take the 69-67 lead.

With 24 seconds remaining, BYU had the basketball with a chance to tie or take the lead. A scrambled possession resulted in an ill-advised three-point shot by Egor Demin with nine seconds left. TCU secured the rebound and made two free throws on the other end, icing the game.

One thing has become abundantly clear over the last two games: BYU lacks a closer. The Cougars did not make a field goal in the final three minutes of the game. The game was almost identical to BYU's loss to Texas Tech earlier in the week. TCU had Noah Reynolds to lean on down the stretch and create offense. BYU did not have a counter-punch on the offensive end.

BYU was led by veteran Richie Saunders who scored 26 points. Saunders was the only BYU player in double figures. Saunders was BYU's primary source of offense in this game, but since Saunders is not a ball-dominant player, TCU prevented him from getting the basketball down the stretch.

Turnovers were a problem for BYU in this game. BYU had 16 turnovers in this game compared to just 6 for TCU. Freshmen Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings combined for seven turnovers.

Mawot Mag was a bright spot once again for BYU. He led the team in +/- and he made multiple game-changing plays on the defensive end. Mag will continue to get more minutes.