Trevin Knell scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as BYU bounced back from a lopsided loss with a 95-67 win over Fresno State on Wednesday in Provo, Utah.
Richie Saunders added 17 points and Dawson Baker contributed 14 points off the bench to help the Cougars (7-2) extend their nonconference winning streak at the Marriott Center to 19.
BYU played much better than it had in its 19-point loss at Providence, shooting 55.1 percent from the floor on Wednesday. Six Cougars hit double figures, including Dallin Hall (13 points), Keba Keita (12 points, eight rebounds) and Kanon Catchings (10 points).
Jalen Weaver topped Fresno State (3-7) with 15 points, and reserve Amad Augillard added 12. Mykell Robinson tallied 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
The Bulldogs struggled from the field, shooting 34.8 percent while going 12-for-37 (32.4 percent) from beyond the arc.
BYU played without Egor Demin, who leads the Cougars in scoring and assists. The freshman phenom sustained a knee contusion last week against Providence. He will be re-evaluated in a week and a half, the team announced.
A dunk by Mor Seck gave Fresno State a 20-19 lead after a strong start by the Bulldogs.
Fousseyni Traore fueled a BYU surge, first by hitting a go-ahead jumper and then capping a 10-0 run with his first 3-pointer of the season.
The Cougars then scored seven straight to end the first half, taking a 44-27 lead after a buzzer-beating jumper by Knell.
AJ Dybantsa, the nation’s No. 1 recruit, was given a loud ovation by Cougars faithful when he was introduced at halftime a day after announcing his commitment to BYU on ESPN.
The teams came out of the locker room on fire. Each squad traded a pair of 3-pointers in the first 64 seconds of the second half, with Weaver and Robinson hitting for Fresno State and Catchings and Knell connecting for BYU.
Keita interrupted the 3-point contest with a layup before the Bulldogs’ Elijah Price hit a trey at the 18:13 mark for his team’s third deep shot in less than two minutes. That basket cut BYU’s lead to 16 points, but Fresno State never got closer than 14 the rest of the way.
–Field Level Media
