BYU Cougars vs Wyoming Cowboys Basketball Recap

BYU 102, Wyoming 78

It took three halves of basketball to shake off the shock of losing its best interior presence due to suspension. It took sixty minutes of basketball to purge the BYU Cougars of an emotional hangover which threatened to destroy their season. The second half redemption enacted on Saturday at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, was just what Cougar fans around the nation needed to witness. BYU scored a blistering 64 second half points as its opponent, Wyoming, was impotent in any effort to stop the rally.

It was a roller-coaster of emotion which most teams rarely experience: Just a week ago, the then ninth-ranked Cougars defeated fourth-ranked San Diego State by double digits for the second time in the year and put themselves on the front page of every newspaper in America. With teams around them losing, the Cougars rose to a number three national ranking. A first seed in the NCAA Tournament was not only possible but probable. If this was the mountain, BYU was about to fall to the valley. Starting center Brandon Davies was dismissed from the team for violations of the school’s honor code. Two days later the Cougars were thoroughly dominated at home by unranked New Mexico. It seemed that BYU’s season had collapsed in a mere four days’ time. The first half of its Saturday contest with Wyoming didn’t alleviate any of those concerns.

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The Cougars were lethargic and led cellar-dwelling Wyoming by just three points at halftime. Head coach Dave Rose must have found the right tone at halftime as the Cougars looked every bit like the formidable squad they had been just seven days prior. All-American guard Jimmer Fredette and backcourt mate Jackson Emery, playing their last game in front of the hometown crowd, didn’t disappoint. Fredette, the nation’s leading scorer, poured in 38 points and consistently used his dribble penetrating ability to get the Wyoming bigs in foul trouble. Emery, who struggled with foul trouble in the first half, was 4-of-5 beyond the arc and scored 18 points in just 26 minutes of action. By the time the two were finished, BYU had built an insurmountable 20-point lead. The only thing left for the two to accomplish was to receive the customary Senior Day curtain call, which they did to the delight of all 22,700 present on Saturday evening.

Wyoming played the Cougars toe-to-toe in the first half, using an effective inside-out offensive game plan and an impressive defensive scheme to stop Fredette’s ability to drive. Interim head coach Fred Langley, who took over the job from Heath Schroyer in early February, has done an admirable job during his time in Laramie. Those who have watched the Cowboys progress over the last month have been impressed with the newly-minted coach’s ability to get the most out of his players. For 20 minutes it looked as if he might just have a chance at a signature win. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, halftime awakened the beast of the Mountain West and Wyoming could do nothing to stop its progress in the second half.

With the absence of Brandon Davies requiring other players to stand up and be accounted, forward Charles Abouo was ready to heed the call. Abouo scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half and provided a spark on both ends of the floor to get the Cougar machine rolling again.

As March Madness looms in the distance, the real question is just what BYU team will show up? Have the Cougars successfully exorcised the demons of the past? Or, must we wait to see if this kind of performance can be sustained?

By: Zach Bloxham
DFN Sports Staff Writer