LAWRENCE, Kansas — BYU picked up its biggest win in the Mark Pope era Tuesday night at Phog Allen Fieldhouse, stunning No. 7 Kansas 76-68 in a pivotal Big 12 game.
The Cougars (8-7, 20-8) trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half before making a spirited comeback at one of the most difficult places to play in college basketball.
Kansas fell to 9-6 and 21-7 and lost at home for the first time this season.
The Cougars took advantage of KU’s 19-of-31 shooting from the free-throw line, going 12 of 15 from the charity stripe themselves.
They were 13 of 34 from 3-point range, three days after going 6 of 31 from deep in a loss at Kansas State.
Here are 3 keys to the Cougars’ big win:
• For the third-straight game, the Cougars got off to an awful start. They fell behind 8-3 and 12-6, and to make matters worse, starters Noah Waterman and Trevin Knell picked up two quick fouls apiece in the first 10 minutes.
It was almost the third-straight road game in which the Cougars never played with the lead, joining their performances at Oklahoma State and Kansas State; however, the Cougars rallied in the second half, and led 62-60 with 3:35 left when Dallin Hall nailed a 3-pointer.
Kansas had shot 15 of 30 from the field to take a 35-29 halftime lead and was up by as many 12 points in the second. The Jayhawks finished shooting 40% from the field.
• BYU had no answer early for KU’s KJ Adams Jr., who scored his first nine points inside and got a couple Cougars in foul trouble. He was 4 of 7 in the first half, and 1 of 2 from the line. But he scored just two points in the second half.
Kansas big man Hunter Dickinson, the Big 12 player of the year candidate, had a mediocre first half, by his standards, with seven points and six rebounds. He finished with 17 points, but was a frosty 6 of 15 from the free-throw line.
Kansas’ poor free-throw shooting cost the Jayhawks the game.
• The Cougars stuck to their game plan and hoisted 3-pointers every opportunity they got. They were 6 of 19 from deep in the first half — Jaxson Robinson was 2 of 4. They finished 13 of 34 from deep — after going 6 of 31 three days ago at Kansas State.
Dallin Hall battled foul trouble and eventually fouled out, but not before scoring 18 points; Robinson also had 18, while Noah Waterman had nine.
Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
