BYU vs. Pepperdine Game Story

BYU vs. Pepperdine Box Score

PLAYER NOTES

With 19 points, Elijah Bryant reached double figures in scoring for the eighth time this season and set a new season high. He hit two 3-pointers for his first game with multiple 3s since Jan. 19 against Pepperdine in Provo.

Payton Dastrup had five points, his first time on the board since the last time the Cougars played the Waves. His points all came before the break for a first-half career high.

After just two points against both Gonzaga and Portland, Nick Emery had BYU's first five points. He wound up with 19 on the night, his highest total since Jan. 12, when he scored 22 against San Francisco.

With 18 points on the night, Eric Mika extended his double-digit scoring streak to 27 games.

Mika's four blocks gave him three-plus in five of his last six games and 12 times overall this season.

TEAM NOTES

BYU had six blocks as a team for its second-straight game with more than five rejections.

QUOTES

From the Cougar Locker Room Show on the Cougar IMG Network

BYU coach Dave Rose

"They were really efficient offensively. They're really atheltic, big and strong. They have three really experienced seniors. From the very beginning, our feet were slow and we weren't in position to attack them defensively. They would find that open guy and knock down shots. They were ready and they played that way. They were quicker. They were more aggressive. We were just trying to react to them instead of attacking and making it tough on them. Our team looked tired."

"We're too often responding and trying to respond to what teams are doing against us rather than imposing our will and our style of play on our opponents."

"It's been happening in the last three games that we have ill-advised plays where guys are trying to make a play for themselves instead of a play for the team."

Payton Dastrup

"Pepperdine played a solid game. Credit them and their preparation. We felt like we had a good game plan, but the game of basketball is played by two teams and they played better than we did tonight."

BYU Game Notes

Pepperdine Game Notes

BYU basketball will head to the coast to take on West Coast Conference foe Pepperdine Thursday in Firestone Fieldhouse at 8 p.m. PST. Thursday's game will be televised live on ESPNU and broadcast live on the Cougar IMG Sports Network, 102.7 FM/1160 AM and BYU Radio – Sirius XM 143.

BYU Storylines

• BYU leads the all-time series with Pepperdine 11-8 and won the first matchup against the Waves this season 99-70 in Provo. Eric Mika led the way for BYU with 22 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks while Yoeli Childs added 14 rebounds and Elijah Bryant came off the bench to score 15 on 5 of 8 shooting.
• Freshman TJ Haws has scored in double figures in each of the last five games, including a career-best 29 points against Gonzaga (the sixth-most points scored by a BYU freshman) and 15 against Portland last week. Over the last five games, Haws is averaging 18.8 points per game.
• Freshman Yoeli Childs has scored in double figures in three-straight games, the best streak of his young career. He is averaging 12.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks over the last three games.