This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • The fine-tuning is nearly over for BYU — the West Coast Conference season begins next week.
Before the Cougars can start focusing on Gonzaga, Saint Mary's and the rest of the WCC, however, there's one more task to undertake.
It won't be easy.
BYU plays UC Bakersfield on Thursday night at the Marriott Center.
The Roadrunners are 8-4 and coming off the best season in school history. They finished 24-9, won the Western Athletic Conference tournament and went to the NCAAs for the first time.
As a No. 15 seed, UC Bakersfield lost to Oklahoma in the first round, 82-68. The Sooners, who led by four points with four minutes remaining, ended up in the Final Four.
"Any time you play a team that, before Christmas, has won eight games, you're playing a team that's going to be tough," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "They don't quit. They don't back down. …
"They have a group of guys who are used to winning and we're going to have to break that. We have to break their spirit. We're going to have to compete, play hard and get into a good start for next week."
BYU opens WCC play at Santa Clara on Dec. 29.
The Cougars come off an 84-58 win over Idaho State on Tuesday night. They pulled away in the final 15 minutes to score their third victory in four games.
Sophomore Eric Mika and freshman Yoeli Childs combined for 32 points, 26 rebounds and six blocked shots.
Mika scored eight points in the first 3:55, when the Cougars played the way Rose believes they are most effective: inside-out.
"I think what that shows is we've got guys who understand that the ball needs to go in there," he said. "… Throwing that ball inside to Eric and Yoe is a pretty good formula."
Defensively, BYU limited Idaho State to 33.9 percent shooting. The Bengals' leading scorers this season, guard Ethan Telfair and Brandon Boyd, were a combined 6 for 24.
BYU owned a 39-31 halftime lead and Idaho State got as close as five with 19 minutes remaining. Then, the Cougars' defense took over.
"Great teams play as hard as they can, no matter who they play or what the score is," Childs said. "I think we struggled with that in the first half. But in the second half, we figured that out and said, 'Hey, if we want to be a great team — the best we can be — we have to play as hard as we can every possession.' "
Twitter: @sluhm —
BYU vs. UC Bakersfield
P At the Marriott Center, Provo
Tipoff • 7 p.m.
TV • BYUtv
Radio • 1160 AM, 102.7 FM
Records • BYU 8-4; UC Bakersfield 8-4
Series • First game
About the Cougars • They are 6-1 at home. … They have won three of their last four games. … In the last five games, freshman guard TJ Haws averages 14.8 points, 4.2 assists and 2.4 steals. … In six games as a starter, freshman forward Yoeli Childs averages 9.3 points and 10.3 rebounds. He's shooting 62.2 percent.
About the Roadrunners • They have won three straight. … They defeated Northern Arizona (81-47), Portland State (81-79) and Bethesda (105-78) during the winning streak. … Their top scorers are sophomore G Damiyne Durham (17.5), senior F Jaylin Airington (16.0) and senior G Dedrick Basile (13.2).
— Steve Luhm