PROVO, Utah — BYU Basketball won its third game in four days, beating cross-town rival Utah Valley 82-60 in the UCCU Crosstown Clash Saturday.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” said head coach Mark Pope. “It’s been a terrific three games in four nights. They fought the whole time, and I couldn’t be happier with where we are. We’ve got a long way to go. We've got to get way better, but we made it through the first three-game set that we knew was going to be a big challenge for us, so we’re excited about that.”

Alex Barcello had a team-high 20 points and four other Cougars finished in double figures.

BYU opened the game with a high-low action from Kolby Lee to Caleb Lohner for a quick layup.

UVU’s Trey Woodbury knocked down a 3-pointer and the Wolverines took a 3-2 lead, but Lee followed with a hook shot on the other end to get BYU back in front 4-3.

After over four scoreless minutes, the Cougars tied things up at 6-6 on Matt Haarms’ first points in a BYU uniform, a dunk off a pick-and-roll with Jesse Wade.

Another Woodbury three put the Wolverines up 9-6. Averette followed with a driving layup to bring the score to 9-8, but UVU went on a 9-0 run to lead 18-8.

Trevin Knell stopped the run with a floater and and then hit a kick-out 3-pointer on the next possession to draw the Cougars within five at 18-13.

Barcello got on the board with a deep triple and Lohner followed with a jumper from the elbow on the next possession.

Barcello knocked down a corner trey the next trip down and BYU took the lead at 21-20, its first since 2-0.

Working around a screen from Lee, Barcello hit from close range and the Cougars had a 23-20 lead.

Spencer Johnson then scored on a fast break layup to put BYU up five. Averette got a tough layup to go and the Cougars led 27-22.

A Barcello three added to the lead, putting BYU up 30-22. Gideon George knocked down a floater for a 32-24 Cougar lead. Connor Harding then hit a 3-pointer and it was 35-24, BYU.

Barcello hit his fourth trey of the game with time winding down in the first half, and the Cougars took a 38-24 lead to the locker room. BYU went on a 30-6 run to close the half, holding UVU scoreless for the final 2:12 of the first.

The Cougars shot 50% in the first half and held the Wolverines to 33% shooting. UVU’s Woodbury paced the Wolverines early with 15 first half points, while Barcello led the Cougars with 14.

UVU opened the second half with a 3-pointer, but Harding answered on the other end with a three of his own for a 41-27 BYU lead.

Lee hit a floater with the shot clock winding down and Harding nailed a deep trey to put the Cougars up 46-30.

Barcello then knocked down another corner triple stretching the BYU lead to 19 at 49-30. A floater by Averette and two by Haarms put the Cougars up 56-38.

Averette added a 3-pointer and it became a 20-point lead, 59-39 BYU. Richard Harward scored his first points of the night on a reverse layup and Lohner hit two free throws for 63-43 lead.

Averette then hit a floater along the baseline and BYU led 65-46 with just under eight minutes remaining.

Knell knocked down a contested three to make it 68-46 Cougars, but UVU followed with a 12-0 run to cut the lead down to 10 at 68-58.

Barcello finally ended the run with a pull-up jumper in the paint and a Haarms went 1/2 from the free throw line to put BYU up 71-58.

A no-look pass from Barcello to Haarms for an easy layup, two free throws from Knell, and a layup by Harward gave BYU a 77-60 lead, putting the Wolverines away for good.

The Cougars had trips to the free throw line by Harding, Barcello and Harward to close the game out 82-60.

BYU held UVU scoreless for the final 3:03 of the game, who shot 36.8% from the field in its entirety. Woodbury (24 points) and Jamison Overton (21 points) led the way for the Wolverines.

The Cougars finished the game shooting 52.6% from the field and 44% from three. Averette had 11 points and five rebounds, Harding added 11 points, Knell contributed 10 points and five rebounds, and Haarms finished with 10 points in his BYU debut.

BYU will travel to Uncasville, Connecticut for the Roman Legends Classic next week. They’ll play USC on Tuesday, Dec. 1, and either UConn or Vanderbilt on Thursday, Dec. 3.

This story was originally published in BYU's Daily Universe

Postgame Notes and Quotes
BYU vs. UVU Box Score

PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s basketball will play its third-straight home game when the Cougars host Utah Valley at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Nov. 28, at 7 p.m. MST in the UCCU Crosstown Clash. The two schools last met during the 2018-19 season. 

Saturday's game will be televised live on BYUtv and the BYUtv app and broadcast on the BYU Sports Network on BYU Radio – Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2 and KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM.

The Cougars are coming off back-to-back wins to open the 2020-21 season. On Wednesday, BYU dominated in-state foe Westminster (0-1), 109-59 and picked up win No. 2 the following night over New Orleans (0-1), 86-61.

BYU Storylines

• BYU and Utah Valley have met five times between 2003-18, with four of the five games held at the Marriott Center. The Cougars hold a 4-1 on-court record in the series.
• Prior to coming to BYU, head coach Mark Pope led the Wolverines to a 77-56 record in four seasons (2015-19) at Utah Valley. Pope’s teams made improvements each season, going from 12 wins in 2015-16 to 25 victories in 2018-19. He also led UVU to three-straight postseason appearances (2017, 2018, 2019) and back-to-back 20-win seasons (2017-18, 2018-19)—both are Wolverine records.
• Three current players on the BYU basketball roster played for Pope at UVU before transferring to BYU— Wyatt Lowell (6-10 F), Brandon Averette (5-11 G) and Richard Harward (6-11 C).

BYU Cougars (2-0, 0-0 WCC)

• Head Coach: Mark Pope
• Alma Mater: Kentucky, 1996
• Division I Career Record: 103-64 (6th)
• Record at BYU: 26-8 (2nd)
• No. 18/16 AP/USA Today Coaches Polls in 2019-20

Utah Valley Wolverines (1-0, 0-0 WAC)

• Head Coach: Mark Madsen
• Alma Mater: Stanford
• Division I Career Record: 12-19 (2nd)
• Record at UVU: 12-19 (2nd)

Series Information

• Series Record: 4-1
• Last Meeting: BYU won 75-65, 11/09/2018
• H/A/N: 3-1/1-0/0-0

Game Information

• TV: BYUtv
• TV Talent: Dave McCann (play-by-play), Blaine Fowler (analyst), Spencer Linton (courtside)
• Radio: BYU Sports Network, BYU Radio Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2, KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM
• Radio Talent: Greg Wrubell (play-by-play), Mark Durrant (analyst)

Live Stats: BYUcougars.com