BYU Beats Montana State 86-71 to Improve to 4-0

The scouting report was clear for BYU and Montana State going into their matchup: defend the three-point line. The Cougars did that far better than the Bobcats, and it showed in an 86-71 BYU win.

Montana State came into the game shooting 37% from three as a team. BYU guarded the perimeter tightly for key stretches and held the Bobcats to just 10-34 (29%) from beyond the arc. The Cougars, on the other hand, hit at least 41% of their threes for the fourth straight game, going 9-22.

Any time Montana State chipped away at BYU’s lead and threatened to go on a deep run, BYU seemed to answer with a three. Still, despite being down by as many as 21, the Bobcats put up a fight and never let the game get completely away from them.

One stat that jumps off the page is BYU’s 28 fast break points. The Cougars were great in transition, pushing the pace after defensive rebounds and catching the Bobcats on their heels. At times, BYU also did well turning defense into offense. Being aggressive defensively at halfcourt led to easy buckets off a few steals.

The Cougars struggled most at the free throw line, where they went 13-24, shooting just 54% from the charity stripe.

Another big night from Rob Wright

One reason Montana State struggled to get back into the game was that Rob Wright was spectacular once again. This time he scored 22 points and added seven assists and five steals. It was his third game of the season with more than 20 points.

Two things people tend to criticize about his game are his defense and his ability to find the open man. Wright showed he is more than capable of doing both.

His five steals tied his career high, a mark he had reached only twice before. He defended well throughout the game and always seemed one step ahead, making the right reads to intercept passes and swipe at the ball as Montana State’s guards tried dribbling up the floor.

Wright has now had at least five assists in three of BYU’s four games this season, and his seven against Montana State marked the 10th time in his career he’s reached that number. We know he can score, but his vision doesn’t get talked about enough. He has a great basketball IQ and feel for the game, and he now has 19 assists to just four turnovers through four games.

Jaxon Kohler continues to impress

Jaxon Kohler entered the matchup with Montana State coming off his best game in a BYU jersey: 15 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks while going 3-3 from deep. He followed that up with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists against the Bobcats along with another perfect shooting night from three (2-2).

Kohler is an incredibly versatile big man who does so many things well. His footwork and shot fakes are fun to watch, and his perimeter shooting is impressive for someone his size. His passing is also an underrated part of his game.

He is one of four players on the roster who have scored in double figures in every game this season.

Tyler Betsey is finding other ways to impact the game

The Cougars did a nice job crashing the glass and using their length to out-rebound Montana State 38-30. Five players had at least four boards in the game.

One player who has stood out on the boards is Tyler Betsey. After averaging just 2.8 rebounds a game last season, he’s up to 4.5 a game so far this year.

In his first two games of the season, he put on great shooting displays and scored 15+ points in each. In his last two, he hasn’t contributed as much offensively but has stayed aggressive on the boards.

That’s notable for someone who historically hasn’t been known for his rebounding. If he can keep making winning plays and impacting the game in different ways when the shots aren’t falling, that will be huge for BYU.

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