3 keys in the BYU Cougars’ 65-51 win over the Saint Mary’s Gaels

The Brigham Young Cougars huddle during a game against the Saint Mary’s Gaels in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. | Annie Barker, Deseret News

BYU ended its regular season on a high note, beating Saint Mary’s 65-51 on Senior Night at the Marriott Center on Saturday.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

• The Cougars and Gaels both struggled with their shooting in the first half, but the Cougars (19-5, 9-3 West Coast Conference) were scorching in the second half, shooting 66.7%. That allowed BYU to outshoot Saint Mary’s 42.6% to 33.3% for the game. After the Gaels (13-8, 4-6 WCC) trimmed the BYU lead to 34-30 with 16:02 to play, the Cougars scored 14 of the game’s next 16 points to take control.

• BYU had a 43-33 rebounding edge, which led to an 8-0 advantage in second-chance points. The Cougars’ bench also outscored the Gaels’ 22-5.
• Trevin Knell had a team-high 15 points, including four 3-pointers, while the Cougars’ three seniors all had solid games. Matt Haarms finished with a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) and added five blocks, Brandon Averette had 11 points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal, while Alex Barcello put up eight points, five rebounds and a team-high five assists.

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