FILE- BYU’s Gideon George, proper, hugs Dallin Corridor (30) following the staff’s NCAA school basketball recreation towards Missouri State on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, in Provo, Utah. George scored a team-high 21 factors, hit three 3-pointers, and grabbed six rebounds in BYU’s win over Dayton. Rick Bowmer, Related Press
As if issues didn’t begin out badly sufficient for BYU Friday with beginning guard Spencer Johnson out resulting from an damage, it took the Cougars seven minutes to attain their first level towards Dayton within the last-place recreation of The Battle 4 Atlantis.
BYU proceeded to dig an unlimited gap for itself, falling behind by 23 factors, 32-9, with six minutes left within the first half.
It appeared that the Cougars have been about to lose their third recreation in three days at Imperial Enviornment in The Bahamas — and this time in embarrassing vogue.
However within the second half, all the pieces modified.
The Cougars mounted a livid rally — tying the rating on the finish of regulation and pulling out an unbelievable, dramatic 79-75 additional time victory over the Flyers.
“I couldn’t be extra proud,” mentioned coach Mark Pope. “These gamers are so hungry to get higher and do it collectively. It’s fairly particular.”
It marked the biggest comeback within the historical past of The Battle 4 Atlantis match.
Talking of historic, 10 years in the past, BYU recorded the biggest comeback in NCAA Event historical past after trailing Iona by 25 factors and successful 78-72 — which occurred, mockingly, at College of Dayton Enviornment, the Flyers’ house court docket — within the First 4.
That was Pope’s first season as an assistant coach with the Cougars.
Anyway, Friday was a symmetrical victory for BYU — it was outscored 40-24 within the first half and it outscored Dayton 40-24 within the second half.
In additional time, Jaxson Robinson knocked down a 3-pointer that put the Cougars up 69-66, giving them a lead they'd not relinquish.
Robinson drilled one other large 3 with 1:43 left in OT to provide BYU a 74-68 lead.
However there have been quite a few gamers that stepped up for the Cougars on a day after they have been with out Johnson, certainly one of their staff leaders and their second-leading scorer.
“I felt prefer it wasn’t only one individual on the staff. It was all people,” mentioned Robinson, who scored 14 factors and made 4 3-pointers towards Dayton. “Everyone needed to contribute otherwise, whether or not that be on the bench or on the court docket. Everyone did an amazing job of that within the second half. The primary half was actually tough for us. All you are able to do is battle and claw again and that’s precisely what we did and we obtained the win.”
Gideon George scored a team-high 21 factors, hit three 3-pointers, and grabbed six rebounds. George made an enormous free throw with 1:03 left in regulation to assist ship the sport to OT.
With 2:19 remaining in regulation, a George 3-pointer gave BYU (4-3) its first lead of the sport, 63-62.
Freshman Dallin Corridor got here off the bench to attain a career-high 12 factors and dished out a team-high 5 assists.
“We obtained down early however we confirmed loads of battle and got here again. A whole lot of guys stepped up and hit large photographs,” Corridor mentioned. “Coach helped us, put the proper gamers in and put us in the proper place and we have been in a position to have a comeback victory.”
One other freshman, Richie Saunders, got here off the bench so as to add eight factors and three assists.
As a staff, BYU knocked down 13 of 27 from 3-point territory — 9 within the second half.
Fousseyni Traore scored six factors and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. Rudi Williams completed with 11 factors.
Down 16 at intermission, the Cougars steadily chipped away on the deficit, thanks largely to 3-point taking pictures.
How did BYU get thus far behind within the first place?
“I most likely didn’t do an amazing job making ready us for this recreation. A lot of it was our head area,” Pope mentioned. “We actually began out on our heels. We have been making an attempt to play cautious. Now we have some holes in our recreation that we’re making an attempt to deal with.
“… Dayton’s an amazing staff. They have been within the prime 25 per week in the past. They’re veteran guys they usually know the right way to play collectively they usually’ve been by means of these wars. All of that put collectively obtained us off to a troublesome begin.”
Whereas BYU was with out Johnson, Dayton went into the additional time interval down three starters — one resulting from fouls and two resulting from damage.
In the meantime, the Cougars by no means stopped believing that they might salvage a victory amid the wreckage that was the primary half efficiency.
“It was a tough first half and I knew all people felt down. However all of us knew that we couldn’t exit like that,” Robinson mentioned. “All of us knew we needed to battle and that’s precisely what we got here out and did.”
“Tonight confirmed so much about our character. It exhibits that we are able to all the time come again and win. However after they jumped us early after which we got here out and we had a timeout and coach instructed us that we would have liked to compete,” Corridor mentioned.
“We had a few defensive rebounds the place we actually boxed out and we obtained out and ran. After that, I felt like we had an opportunity at successful. We needed to do it one possession at a time. It was a course of. With this group of fellows, I all the time consider we've got an opportunity at successful.”
So after dropping to USC and Butler within the first two days in The Bahamas, the shorthanded Cougars offered a powerful, memorable end to the week.
Not coincidentally, BYU had its season-low with solely 11 turnovers. The Cougars additionally held the Flyers (3-4) to 38.9% taking pictures within the second half.
What did Pope find out about his staff over the previous three days at The Battle 4 Atlantis?
“We’ve obtained an extended strategy to go, clearly, if we’re going to be nationally related,” he mentioned. “The primary night time, we simply weren’t nice. Our aggressive nature wasn’t nice. Our spirit wasn’t nice. We actually struggled. Then final night time, our aggressive spirit was glorious … we made big progress and nonetheless ended up with a loss.
“Tonight, these guys managed to place two issues collectively — unbelievable aggressive spirit and slightly wholesome dose of execution. These guys can get higher. They’re hungry to get higher. Our expectation collectively as a staff is that we’re going to get higher and higher. We’re not an amazing staff proper now. However all of us consider that we've got an opportunity to develop into a very, actually good staff. We simply have gotten loads of work to do.”
Actually, because the Cougars pursue enchancment, not less than they'll achieve this basking within the glow of an unbelievable comeback victory.
BYU takes on Westminster at Vivint Enviornment Tuesday.