BYU-Pacific Postgame Notes & Quotes

PROVO, Utah — The following notes are from BYU's 95-87 2OT win over Pacific on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, at the Marriott Center.

ALL-TIME SERIES RESULTS: BYU leads 13-6

The Cougars have won the last five matchups with the Tigers, dating back to the 2016-2017 season. 

TEAM NOTES

3-Point Shooting

BYU knocked down seven treys in the first half. Seven is the most three-pointers made in any half this season. The Cougars finished with 11 threes, their third-best from beyond the arc and third time they have tallied 11 from deep this season.

Big Three

Three Cougars finished in double figures. Brandon Averette had 24 points, Alex Barcello was right behind with 23, and Matt Haarms added 13 points.

Box Score Tidbits

BYU got back in the win column in the rebounding battle, grabbing 46 boards to Pacific’s 38. The Cougars also outscored the Tigers in the paint, 36 to 28, but lost the bench points battle for just the second time all season, 38-32. 

Free Basketball

This was BYU’s first overtime game this season. The last time the Cougars went to OT was at St. Mary’s on Jan. 9, 2020. Today was BYU’s first 2OT game since a 92-87 loss against San Diego State in the 2014 Maui Invitational on Nov. 24, 2014. 

Playing with the Lead

The Cougars led for 35:30 of the 50 minutes of the game. Up until the 1:18 mark of 2OT, their game-high lead was seven, a 16-9 lead at the 15:57 mark of the first half. Their eventual game-high lead would be 10, a 95-85 lead at the :31 second mark, held for nine seconds until Pacific hit two free-throws to trim the lead to eight, which is the margin BYU would win by.

The Mark Pope Era

BYU has yet to lose back-to-back games with head coach Mark Pope at the helm. Pope is now 1-3 in OT games. His OT record was previously 0-3, with all three of those losses occurring on the road. Coach Pope’s record at BYU is now 38-12, the second best 50-game start in BYU men’s basketball coaching history. 

PLAYER NOTES

Kolby Lee For Three

Kolby Lee has hit triples in back-to-back games after connecting from long range in the first half. It is the first time Lee has done so since Feb. 20, 2020 and Feb. 22, 2020 against Santa Clara and Gonzaga, respectively. 

Brandon Averette

Brandon Averette had a team-high 11 points in the first half. He finished with 24 points in the game, his most since dropping 30 against Texas Southern on Dec. 21, 2020.

Notable career-highs:

Rebounds: Alex Barcello (9)

Rebounds: Matt Haarms (8, tied)

COACH AND PLAYER QUOTES 

Head coach Mark Pope

General thoughts on the game

"The game was so incredibly awesome because we won. We went through our whole lineup, and everyone contributed in different ways. We might not know a lot about ourselves, but we know that we fight until the end."

On what was on the line 

"These guys have worked really hard and we're in a good spot right now. Every game is a must win right now. Looking down the road at seating and tournament bids, I think these guys have found a way to just care about right now. I don't think their resolve is anything more spectacular right now than it has been any other time this season. We are not going to relent. we are going to keep pushing and then live with what happens. What they cared about tonight, was winning this game. they have a skill of being in the moment. They don't get distracted by what happened in the past or what is coming in the future."

On what is ahead

"Covid mania. We will recover and then all the game prep and travel on Monday. They're a tough opponent for us. We barely escaped with our life last year. We are grateful for every chance to play."

Senior guard Brandon Averette

On the emotions of the game

"The perfect way to describe that game would be a roller coaster ride. You go up, you go down, but you keep going. That's basketball. You have ups and downs, but it's how you respond. Those are my favorite types of games to play in."

On if the postseason was in jeopardy

"Yes, definitely. We understand the situation we are in. We for sure feel that pressure. That has added to our spark to keep battling. We're going to battle to the end and be good with the outcome."

On what Alex Barcello means to the team

"Alex is our engine. He gets us going. He's always bringing us together and talking to us. Everything he says is 100 percent true, every time. You never have to question him. He's a lead by example kind of guy. He brings it every single day. You never don't hear his voice. He's a great leader and I love playing with him."

Senior guard Alex Barcello

On what sparked him tonight

 "I give credit to the coaches. Shots are going to fall. But they say, at the end of the day, how can you help the team win? They help me refocus on how I can best lead the team. Coming off of a loss, it's extremely tough. I'm not too worried about missing some shots. I want to be bring all the energy I can to the defensive end. I think we handled the game well."

On his thoughts of the game

"They're a talented team. Their guys hit tough shots down the stretch. There were times where we were playing good defense and they still hit those shots. They were able to miss a couple and that gave us a sense of confidence. We started focusing on rebounding and staying hungry. We had to get stops. I wouldn't rather do this with any other team."