This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
San Francisco • The Cougars found some heart in San Francisco on Saturday night — and their defense.
Staying unbeaten at War Memorial Gymnasium since it joined the West Coast Conference, BYU routed the cold-shooting Dons 68-52 to take sole possession of third place in the WCC with four games remaining.
Freshman Yoeli Childs scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 17 rebounds and TJ Haws added 17 as BYU improved to 18-9 overall, 9-5 in league play.
The Dons had their four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 18-9 and 8-6.
It was the fifth double-double of the season for Childs.
But the story of the game was BYU's defense, as San Francisco shot 24.7 percent from the field and hoisted up 43 3-pointers, making just 12 (27.9 percent).
Eric Mika added 12 points for the Cougars despite second-half foul trouble, his 28th-straight game in double figures, and Elijah Bryant had 11.
The Cougars made three of their first four shots in the second half, and were up 43-25 when Mika went to the bench with his third foul with 16 minutes remaining.
San Francisco's shooting woes continued though — the Dons were 2 of 21 from 2-point range with 11:55 left — and BYU weathered the absence of Mika and Bryant, who got two quick ones to start the second half.
Mika was assessed a technical foul for dunking and then hanging on the rim a couple seconds after a whistle, and went back to the bench with 10:02 left. The Dons couldn't take advantage, however.
A 6-0 BYU run gave the Cougars a 58-39 lead with 5:57 remaining, and the Cougars cruised from there. They shot 46.2 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle by nine, thanks to Childs.
The Cougars played one of their best halves of the season in the first half and took a 36-22 lead at intermission.
Defense was the key, as San Francisco shot 22.2 percent and attempted 22 3-pointers in the first half alone. The Dons hit six of those long-range shots.
Childs became BYU's go-to guy in the first half, and finished the first 20 minutes with 13 points and seven rebounds. Mika had 10 at the break.
The Cougars improved their shot selection dramatically two nights after losing 99-83 at Pepperdine, and shot 52 percent in the first half.
The Dons missed 17 of their first 19 shots before Jordan Ratinho hit back-to-back 3-pointers to get the home team within three, 15-12.
Childs made three consecutive shots to cap a 14-4 BYU run and give the Cougars a 29-16 lead with just over three minutes left in the half.
Twitter: @drewjay —
Storylines
R Freshman Yoeli Childs scores a career-high 23 points and grabs 17 rebounds as BYU stays unbeaten at War Memorial Gymnasium in WCC play.
• The Cougars take over sole possession of third place in the WCC.
• USF's leading scorer, Ronnie Boyce, goes 2 of 15 on Senior Night.