This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Los Angeles • BYU forward Eric Mika took nine shots from the field in the first half Saturday afternoon and connected only once.
That's not counting the punch he landed on a plastic trash can next to the Cougars' bench, after he went to the sideline with his second foul just inside the five-minute mark of the half.
Life got better for Mika and the Cougars in an 81-76 defeat of Loyola Marymount at Gersten Pavilion. Mika scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, helping BYU recover from the 18-point lead that LMU built with him on the bench late in the first half.
Mika finished only 4 of 17 from the field, but he grabbed 10 rebounds and extended his streak of scoring in double figures in all 15 games this season.
"Eric bounced back and he battled, man," said BYU guard TJ Haws.
Yoeli Childs, BYU's other starting big man, played consistently and posted 15 points and eight rebounds. Childs blocked a tying 3-point attempt by LMU's Steven Haney in the last seven seconds, and BYU's L.J. Rose then made two clinching free throws.
Knowing the feeling
When it was suggested to BYU coach Dave Rose that Saturday's game was fun, he partly agreed. "The outcome" fit that description, he said.
Rose felt empathy for LMU coach Mike Dunlap, saying that games when a team leads most of the way and loses in the end are "the tough ones."
The Cougars were ahead for only 52 seconds Saturday — including the final 39 seconds, after Haws' 3-pointer broke a 76-76 tie. The Lions are 7-6 overall; three of their losses have come by a total of seven points.
Travel adjustment
In the Cougars' first five seasons as West Coast Conference members, they would visit Loyola Marymount and play at nearby Pepperdine, in some order.
Not anymore. The WCC has mixed up the schedule, basically assigning each team one home game and one road game every week — with occasional exceptions.
So the Cougars went home on Saturday evening and will travel to Saint Mary's for a game Thursday, before playing at home Saturday vs. Pacific.
They will return to the Los Angeles area Feb. 9 to face Pepperdine and will visit San Francisco on the same trip.
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