SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Caleb Lohner tied a career-high, scoring 11 points, and also pulled down eight rebounds to help BYU (9-2) win 87-79 over Weber State (3-3) Wednesday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

With the victory, BYU is the first in-state team in the last decade to go 5-0 against in-state foes—with wins over Westminster, UVU, Utah State, Utah and Weber State. 

Lohner came into the contest shooting just 28% from the field on the season but finished the night going 5-6 from the floor in a strong performance off the bench. Lohner, who leads the team in rebounding, collected a crucial offensive rebound and second-chance bucket to end a nearly-three-minute scoring drought with 30 seconds to go in the game. The bucket put the Cougars up sevn, 83-76.

“Caleb’s an awesome player,” said BYU forward Matt Haarms. “He’s just a freshman, but he’s already playing so much for us. He’s so strong—he’s probably one of the strongest guys on the team, and he’s just a freshman. His rebounding ability is what gets him in games. He’s going to be that for us. As this year progresses, he gets better and better every single day.”

Haarms led the Cougars in scoring with 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting. The 7-3 forward pulled down five defensive rebounds and blocked two shots. Alex Barcello continued to impress as he scored 12 points and dished out five assists. Trevin Knell helped set the tone early in the game with two three-point baskets and a drawn charge. Kolby Lee and Connor Harding helped the Cougars by combining for 15 points and seven rebounds to go along with four assists. Brandon Averette led BYU with a season-high seven assists.

The Cougars hit a season-low six three-pointers on 22 attempts. Previously, BYU had three games with only seven made three-pointers, two of which resulted in losses to Boise State (seven of 21 from three) and USC (seven of 30). The lone win came in its upset win over San Diego State on Saturday when it hit just seven of 23 from deep.

The bench came up big again for BYU and scored 32 of the team’s 87 points. The Cougars finished the night shooting 52% as a team and outrebounded the Wildcats by six, 41-35. The bigs for BYU continued to make a difference down low, and the team collectively scored 50 points in the paint.

“These guys have put in an unbelievable effort over the last two months—three months, really,” said BYU head coach Mark Pope. “This 11-game stretch has been incredibly challenging, with six top-100 teams in a row, and five in-state games, which are always just a bloodbath. Couldn’t be happier with where we are. We have a lot of improvement to do in order to be competitive in our league, but I’m excited with the way these guys have played so far.”

Up next, BYU begins conference play by traveling to Malibu to take on Pepperdine on Dec. 31 at Firestone Fieldhouse. The game will be televised on an ESPN Network and broadcast on the BYU Sports Network on BYU Radio — Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2 and KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM. 

BYU vs. Weber State Postgame Notes
Box Score

PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s basketball will face Weber State (3-2) on Wednesday in a neutral-court matchup at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Cougars are coming off of a 87-71 victory at home over Texas Southern on Monday. The Wildcats are coming off of a split against Portland State on Friday and Sunday on the road.

The game will be broadcast on BYUtv at 5 p.m. MST. It will also be broadcast live on the BYU Sports Network on BYU Radio – Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2 and KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM.

BYU Notes (8-2, 0-0 West Coast Conference)

• The Cougars are off to a 8-2 start, with wins over Texas Southern, No. 18 San Diego State, Utah, Utah State, St. John’s, Utah Valley, New Orleans and Westminster. The two losses were to USC and Boise State.
• BYU is led by Alex Barcello who is averaging 17.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. Barcello has scored 174 points in 10 games, good for No. 8 in the nation in points scored. He is shooting a blistering 62.8% from beyond the arc, which is No. 1 in the nation among players who have shot 40+ threes. 
• Barcello is 80 of 152 from beyond the arc (52.6%) in his BYU career. He is currently the Cougars all time three-point percentage leader. Nate Call is second at 45.6%. 
• Barcello’s (AB) partner in BYU’s ABBA backcourt is Brandon Averette (BA). Averette had 10 points in BYU’s big win over SDSU, knocking down a huge three with 52 seconds left in the game, putting BYU up 66-62. Averette followed up that performance with a season-high in scoring for any BYU player, dropping 30 points in BYU’s most recent contest against Texas Southern.

Head Coach – Mark Pope

• Alma Mater: Kentucky, 1996
• Division I Career Record: 108-66 (5th season)
• Record at BYU: 31-10 (2nd season)

Weber State Notes (3-2, 0-0 Big Sky)

• Weber State is 3-2, most recently opening Big Sky Conference play with a win and loss, both on the road against Portland State, this past Friday and Sunday respectively. The Wildcats won the first game handily, 94-66, and dropped the second game by a single basket, 74-72.
• The Wildcats’ other wins have come against Adams State and Westminster.
• The Wildcats’ other loss came at the hands of a common opponent that BYU also fell to: Boise State. WSU lost to the Broncos 70-59. BYU lost to them 74-70.
• Weber State is led by senior guard Isiah Brown who’s averaging 21.2 points per game. He is 0.1 points away from being in the top 20 in the nation in scoring.
• Senior forward Cody Carlson is No. 7 in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting 77.1% this season.
• This will be the 45th meeting between the Cougars and Wildcats. BYU leads the all-time series 33-11. BYU won last year’s matchup 91-61 in Provo. Weber State won the previous season’s matchup 113-103 in Ogden.

Head Coach – Randy Rahe

• Alma Mater: Buena Vista College, 1982
• Division I Career Record: 281-165 (15th Season)
• Record at Texas Southern: 281-165 (15th Season)

Series Information

• Series Record: BYU leads 33-11
• Last Meeting: BYU won 91-61, 12/21/2019

Broadcast Information

• TV: BYUtv
• TV Talent: Dave McCann (play-by-play) and Blaine Fowler (analyst)
• Radio: BYU Sports Network, BYU Radio Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM HD2, KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM
• Streamed Audio: BYURadio.org, BYUCougars.com/LiveRadio and the BYU Radio, BYUCougars and BYU Gameday apps
• Radio Talent: Greg Wrubell (play-by-play), Mark Durrant (analyst)
• Live Stats: BYUcougars.com