Slow start dooms BYU at 74-70 loss to Boise State

In the first half of Wednesday night against Boise State Francois, BYU’s offense was one of those ugly Christmas sweaters. The Cooks trailed 14-0 and did not score for the first 8 minutes of the match.

“They came out with fire and enthusiasm and we couldn’t respond,” BYU coach Mark Pope said of Francois. “It was so frustrating for us. We were really stagnant. We didn’t have speed and flow.”

In the second half, BYU fought back, searching for a Christmas miracle at the Marriott Center.

The Cougars got almost twice, including Alex Barcello’s 70-70 with 36 seconds left in the move – but Barcello’s former Arizona team’s 3-pointer with 13 seconds left on the key and Wassatch Academy product Emmanuel Agot Boise lifted the state to a 74-70 victory.

With three seconds left Barcello had a chance to connect the game with a 3-pointer, but it missed that mark.

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  BYU guard Alex Barcello is defended during the Cougars game against Boise State Francois on December 9, 2020 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
  
  

  Courtesy BYU Photo
  

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  BYU guard Brandon Avert reaches a loose ball during the Cougars game against Boise State Francois on December 9, 2020 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
  
  

  Courtesy BYU Photo
  

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  The BYU Cougars fight during a game against the Boise State Francois on December 9, 2020 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
  
  

  Courtesy BYU Photo
  

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  BYU players speak during a match against Boise State Francois on December 9, 2020 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
  
  

  Courtesy BYU Photo
  

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  Richard Harvard of BYU takes a shot against Boise State on December 9, 2020 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
  
  

  Courtesy BYU Photo
  

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  BYU’s Wyatt Lowell celebrates December 9, 2020 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
  
  

  Courtesy BYU Photo
  

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  BYU Cookers head men’s basketball coach Mark Pope instructs during the game against Boise State Francois on December 9, 2020 at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
  
  

  Courtesy BYU Photo
  

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  BYU’s Hunter Erickson defends Emmanuel Agott, Boise State, on December 9, 2020, at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
  
  

  Courtesy BYU Photo
  

“Alex had an open look,” Pope said. “We’ll take it every time.”

“All of my teammates believed in me … not every shot fell,” Barcello said. “Unfortunately, it did not fall. We lost the game. But we’re going to jump again. I’m not going to sleep tonight.”

The Coukers (5-2) never led in a game in which a 10-point deficit seemed like a 20-point hole.

Barcelona finished with a maximum of 22 points, with Matt Holmes adding a season-high of 18. Guard Spencer Johnson and forward Richard Harvard got off the bench to score 10 and eight points respectively, helping to spark BYU’s rally.

But Boise State (3-1) were able to stop the Cookers. Franோois Rage Tennis (19 points), Abu Kikab (14), Agot (13) and Derrick Allston (12) took the lead. Gigab had his 12 points in the second half.

“We were not together defensively in the second half,” Pope said.

On Tuesday, the Pope called last year’s performance against Boise County an “offensive defeat” in overtime. It would also describe what was on display in the first half at the Marriott Center as the couriers simply fell too big into a hole.

Not only is it somewhat reminiscent of what happened to BYU last year against Boise State, but it is also somewhat reminiscent of what happened to USC last week at a 26-point loss, as the Cougars struggled with the Broncos ’athletics.

“Their length bothered us,” Pope said.

As bad as the Cougars played in the first half, they re-entered the game with an excellent second half performance. BYU shot 61% from the field and hit 6 out of 11 from the 3-point range.

“It was a big step for us and we had the same frustration against the USC,” Pope said. “There was a difference in this game. We came out in the second half and dialed, emotionally locked into the game, if not acting enough.”

In the first half, Boise bottled up Barcello, the leading scorer for State BYU. Each time the senior guard touched the ball, the Broncos rallied around him.

“They kept Alex open, they want to. That’s what every team is going to do,” Pope said. “The more interest we got, the more stuck on one side, we broke every policy we worked on … it was a domino effect. This is a truly immature approach to the game. I have done a bad job in gaining the confidence of our comrades in how we approach this game. We will fix it. ”

Barcello only took one shot in the first half. With nine seconds left in that period it came to the 3-pointer he had buried. He scored his first points in the first half with a couple of free throws with 44.8 seconds remaining.

A visual performance for the first half BYU, especially the first 12 minutes. The Cougars had six turning points in the first eight minutes and Boise State missed the first eight shots from the ground as they took a 14-0 lead.

To reduce the deficit to 14-2, Harmes did not score BYU until 11:21 in the first half in a setting.

Later, the Cooks began to find some life with 8-2, making it 21-13 for PSU. BYU finished the half on 8-4, with the Cooks going into the locker room 30-21.

“That slow start is often the reason I don’t ask the coach,” Harmes said. “The coach teaches a crime, every time we do what he says, we play the way we know we play … it’s always about ball movement. That’s what’s important to this team.”

At half, BYU had made only 1 in 10 of the 7 and 3-point range in 21 shots from the field. The Cooks had 11 breakthroughs, with the Broncos scoring 10 of them.

Boise State did not shoot very well in the first half – 38%. The Broncos took a 14 (30-16) lead in the first 20 minutes of the game.

BYU struggled again from the free throw line, making only 11 of 18, leaving valuable scoring opportunities at the Foundation.

BYU hosts Utah on Saturday (4pm MST, BYUtv).