It was one big night for the 17th-ranked Cougars in Provo, Utah, as CJ Wilcox scored 14 points and No. 18 BYU beat Utah 75-64 on Thursday night.
Marial Shayok added 14 points, Devon Conway 14 and Yoeli Childs 11 for the Cougars (22-6, 12-4 Pac-12), who won for the 10th time in 11 games.
Jayce Johnson made six three-pointers and finished with 24 points and nine rebounds, and Luke Falk added 15 points for the Utes (17-11, 8-8).
It was tight early, but BYU went on a 14-2 run to take a 19-10 lead five minutes into the game. Utah responded by outscoring the Cougars 12-4 for a 28-24 lead midway through the first half, but didn’t score again for about four minutes as BYU gradually pulled away.
The Cougars increased their lead to 49-33 at halftime and went up by 20 at 64-45 in the final minutes.
BIG PICTURE
Utah: The Utes scored more points in the paint than in transition in the first half, but then the Cougars went on a 16-3 run to end the first half and the game. Utah can be disappointing when it doesn’t shoot well, as it has the last two games, but it is solid on defense, tops in the Pac-12 in the unassisted steals category.
BYU: The Cougars have the home court and a high-flying offense that has powered it to an impressive run in conference play. BYU had a turnover on its first possession and a four-point deficit less than three minutes into the game, but the Cougars pulled away as they dominated the paint, recording 20 offensive rebounds.
UP NEXT
Utah: The Utes host No. 9 Washington on Sunday night.
BYU: The Cougars host Washington State on Sunday night.