BYU Basketball Scores 105 in Win at Portland

BYU has been winning in WCC play, but it hasn't always been pretty. That was not the case on Thursday night when BYU dominated Portland in their own gym. BYU switched up the starting lineup on Thursday night and it paid immediate dividends for the Cougars. Gideon George and Caleb Lohner received the starting nod alongside Alex Barcello, Brandon Averette, and Matt Haarms. Here is the good and the bad from BYU's 105-60 victory at Portland:

The good

BYU got off to a quick 4-0 lead thanks to a couple field goals by Barcello and Haarms. Barcello got into the paint to create an easy driving layup, and Haarms received the ball down low for an easy two.
An old fashioned three-point play got Gideon George on the board early - that was an important start for what turned out to be a career night for George.
Alex Barcello hit his first three of the game to give BYU a 10-5 lead after the first three minutes.
A great dish from George to Haarms set up an easy dunk. George has been sticky with the ball in the past. If George can make those passes, he will earn more minutes and make BYU a dangerous team.
Haarms hit his first three of the game to give BYU a 16-11 lead. Haarms had seven points in the first five minutes of the game. Remember the last time BYU played Portland? Haarms had a perfect game with 23 points on 9/9 shooting.
Trevin Knell hit his first three off the bench to give BYU a 23-11 lead.
Great ball movement by the Cougars set up a Connor Harding three. That three ended a 7-0 Portland run and extended BYU's lead.
Brandon Averette hit a three that gave BYU a 31-20 lead with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
Great spin and finish from Gideon George to give BYU a 40-30 lead. Efficient start for George. He had 10 points on 4/5 shooting in the first half.
Connor Harding's three, assisted by Alex Barcello, gave BYU a 45-30 lead. A Barcello layup on the following possession gave BYU a 17-point lead. All of that was part of a 9-0 run for the Cougars.
A pass from Averette to Harward beat the halftime buzzer to give BYU a 52-30 lead going into the locker room. The Cougars finished the half on a 14-0 run.
In the first two minutes of the second half, BYU extended their lead to 26 when Matt Haarms hit a little hook shoot. Haarms played another great game against Portland - he finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds in 19 minutes on the floor.
Gideon George hit a three to give BYU a 61-33 lead. That gave George 13 points which tied his career high.
Soon thereafter, George surpassed his career high and continued to pour it on. He followed a Brandon Averette miss to give BYU a 69-42 lead. He had 19 points and 13 rebounds in 21 minutes on the floor on Thursday night.
A pretty feed from Harward to Harding extended BYU's lead to 76-42. The Cougars were running away with this one.
A three from Averette gave BYU a 89-50 lead. The Cougars could do no wrong in thee second half.
To say BYU dominated the boards would be an understatement. With six minutes remaining in the game, BYU had 40 rebounds to only 9 rebounds for the Pilots.
Everything was working for BYU on Thursday night. A Trevin Knell three gave BYU a 94-52 lead.
BYU had six players in double figures. George (19), Haarms (15), Averette (15), Barcello (12), Lohner (11), and Harding (12).
A three-point play by Caleb Lohner cracked triple digits for BYU. Lohner's free throw gave BYU a 102-58 lead.

The bad

BYU started off hot offensively, but the Cougars couldn't get stops to build a lead. BYU led 13-11 after the first four minutes.
The only thing that could slow down the Cougars were turnovers. In the first 14 minutes of the game, BYU committed five turnovers. That was a turnover on 21% of their possessions during that time.