BYU basketball locks down on defense to halt red-hot Kansas State
BYU put on a defending clinic and rocked the Wildcats to the tune of 80-65.
BYU had a block party. Keba Keita was right in the middle of it. The junior center finished with nine points, eleven rebounds, and a career-high five blocks. BYU started hot, leading by as much as 22 and winning it by 15. The Cougars put their foot on the gas early and never looked back.
BYU started the game on a 9-3 run, hitting a pair of threes and dominating on both sides of the ball. Kansas State stayed close in the early stages but fell apart as the first half went on. Both sides didn’t score for a stretch of five minutes but BYU got hot after the under-seven-minute media timeout and pulled away to lead 40-22 at halftime
Kansas State took control early, bringing the game within two possessions. BYU responded and built a 22-point lead. Again, Kansas State fought back, cutting the lead to single digits. BYU fought back and the Wildcats were only to get within eight points. Kansas State fought and fought but could not close the gap.
Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang called a few timeouts near the end as Kansas State’s full-court press succeeded in shutting BYU down. BYU missed a couple of free throws near the end but maintained control. The Cougars finished the night with a three-pointer from Egor Demin and snapped a six-game Wildcat winning streak.
3 Takeaways from BYU vs Kansas State
– Defense wins games: BYU was led today by the defense, with seven blocks and forcing 11 Wildcat turnovers. Kansas State shot 28.6 percent from three and never really got going.
– Just keep scoring: BYU got hot early and capitalized on the Kansas State miscues to make big plays. Despite the lulls the Cougars shot well and scored early and often.
– Move the ball: BYU had a lot of passing action tonight. These passes were a huge part of why BYU was so successful with scoring and Kansas State couldn’t recover defensively.
Overall, it was a solid performance from the Cougars, with the defense showing up and playing their best game of the season. BYU has a solid base to build off of and should be able to keep the momentum going.
