On January 14, the BYU Cougars hosted a game against The Pepperdine Waves at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. BYU won the game by scoring an average of 10 points per player. They increased their record to 14-7 overall and 4-2 in West Coast Conference play by scoring 50.9 percent of their points from the field.
First Half
The Cougars went on a six-minute 14-2 run. For the beginning 10 minutes, the Waves could have performed better. Three minutes in, the Waves had committed nine fouls, giving the Cougars an advantage.
The Cougars held the highest lead in the game at 41-28. Sophomore Forward Fousseyni Traore had 12 points in the first half. The Cougars won the rebounding battle.
Second Half
For the opening two minutes, the Waves’ offensive was strong, scoring 8-0. The Waves returned with a score of 53-55, 49% being field goals.
The offensive for both sides was intermittent. Five players from each side scored 10 points or more. Both teams increased their percentage of field goals.
It was a close game; several times the Waves were only down two points. The Cougars bought a home win by 91-81. Traore almost had a double-double game by scoring 19 points and nine rebounds.
Next week on Thursday and Saturday, BYU will travel to California to face the Santa Clara Broncos and the San Francisco Dons. The CBS Sports Network will broadcast the games.