PROVO, Utah — Trevin Knell led the BYU Cougars with an impressive performance, scoring a season-high 22 points and securing a career-high of 10 rebounds, as the team triumphed over Fresno State with a convincing 95-67 victory on Wednesday night.
Alongside Knell, five other players from BYU contributed significantly to the scoreline. Richie Saunders netted 17 points, while Dallin Hall added 13 points. Keba Keita and Kanon Catchings each chipped in with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Off the bench, Dawson Baker also made his presence felt with 14 points.
For Fresno State, Jalen Weaver was the standout player with 15 points. Amar Augillard added 12 points and Mykell Robinson recorded a solid performance with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, but it wasn’t enough to overcome BYU’s offensive onslaught as the team fell to a 3-7 record.
BYU set the pace early, shooting 56% in the first half and taking a commanding 44-27 lead by halftime. They maintained their momentum at the start of the second half, racking up 29 points in just the first eight minutes. A three-pointer from Saunders pushed their lead to 73-46 with 12 minutes still on the clock.
Despite a brief scoring drought where BYU missed five consecutive shots and went without a score for over 3 minutes, Fresno State capitalized, narrowing the gap to 73-57. However, Hall responded by sinking a couple of three-pointers during a 10-2 run, helping the Cougars regain control.
The game began with a competitive atmosphere, but BYU created a separation with an 11-0 run that established a 30-20 advantage with just under nine minutes till halftime. They allowed Fresno State to score only seven points in the final stretch of the first half. BYU’s shooting during the half was impressive, hitting 11 out of 14 two-point attempts and making 7 of 18 attempts from beyond the arc, while Fresno State struggled with a 35% shooting percentage.
In the end, BYU wrapped up the game with an overall shooting percentage of 55%, successfully making 14 of their 34 three-point attempts and converting 5 of 6 free throws. Conversely, Fresno State finished the game with a shooting percentage of 35%, including 12 of 37 from three-point range, and went 7 for 10 from the charity stripe. BYU also dominated the boards, finishing with a rebounding margin of 50-27, showcasing their complete control on both ends of the floor.