BYU controls the paint and moves past UC Riverside to a 2-0 start

PROVO — If there was a moment when BYU men's basketball endured a sluggish first half in its second game of the season against Big West rival UC Riverside, it may have been the final play of the half on Friday night.

At that point, Egor Demin took the ball from a long timeout by the referees, dribbled at the top of the key and drove to the rim for a shot as time expired to put the Cougars ahead by 7 points.

Like Demin's dribbling, it was all downhill from there.

The Russian international had 20 points, five rebounds and seven assists and Fousseyni Traore added 13 points and six boards as BYU improved to 2-0 with an 86-80 victory over the Highlanders in front of an announced crowd of 17,381 fans at the Marriott Center.

Keba Keita totaled 14 points, 10 rebounds and two assists, and Richie Saunders had 12 points with six rebounds for the Cougars, who outscored UC Riverside 48-14 on the season.

“I feel like we had a good game plan. It was different to the last game,” said Traore about the increased contact with the post. “The team played in the zone the whole time, but we knew I would get a lot of catches and they might have to rely on me on offense. I’m just glad we played well as a team.”

Kaleb Smith scored 20 points, including 3 of 7 from 3-point range, for the Highlanders (0-2), who got 18 points from Nate Pickens and 16 points from Isaiah Moses.

Reigning Big West Freshman of the Year Barrington Hargress scored 16 points and four assists for UC Riverside, which was picked to finish fourth in the Big West as one of three teams awarded the No. 1 seed.

After the visitors' slow start, Moses capped a 12-2 run with a three-pointer midway through the first half, bringing the Highlanders within 18-15.

Smith tied the game at 20-29 a minute later with a basket off the glass, then tied the game again at 29-29 with another three-pointer with 4:29 left to score 13 points in the first half.

Keta and Traore combined for 19 points and 10 rebounds, but the Cougars shot just 2 of 11 from 3-point range and led only 40-33 at the end of the first half on Demin's dunk.

The Moscow, Russia native had 10 points, four rebounds and four assists for BYU, which outscored the Highlanders 24-4 before halftime over Real Madrid.

“I wasn't happy with our shot selection overall, but I was happy with Keba and Fouss,” BYU head coach Kevin Young said of the post tandem, which combined for 27 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks on 11-of-1 -14 shooting.

“To collectively score 48 points as a team against everyone is a good number. I just wish some of our non-rim attempts had been extra passes that could have given us a couple more three tries.”

Kanon Catchings' 3-pointer capped a 10-2 run as the Cougars knocked down two of their first attempts from deep to start the second half.

After opening the first half 0-for-3 from the field, Catchings put up nine points, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal after halftime in a game in which BYU never trailed.

Still, win No. 2 left a lot to be desired.

The Cougars shot just 6 of 22 from 3-point range and 14 of 26 from the free throw line as the Highlanders outscored BYU 47-46 in the second half, with the biggest celebration coming in the final minutes when Pickens missed 2 of them 3 free throws to award a free Chick-Fil-A as part of a company promotion.

The hosts shot 53.2% from the field but just 27.3% from 3-point range, while the visiting Highlanders — who shot 12 of 34 from long range in a 91-76 loss Monday at Oregon — 11 of 28 three-pointers were converted.

“We have to understand each other. I think that’s the first thing,” Saunders said. “We overcame some adversity and came away with a win. I think that’s the biggest thing we have to show for it.”

“We have a lot of things we need to improve and we will do that,” he added. “But we’re new to each other. That's why we have these games. We make small adjustments, but we applaud them; They shot the ball incredibly well.”

A win is a win. But in a program with two projected first-round NBA draft picks that had as many as 70 scouts walking through Provo in the week leading up to Friday night's game, everything is being picked apart.

“Making shots, defensive mistakes,” Young said of Riverside. “You have some guys that can really put pressure on your defense. They didn’t want to leave.”