BYU will tangle with a Southland Conference foe for the second time in three games when it hosts Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday night in Provo, Utah.
The Cougars (2-0) opened their season with an emphatic 110-63 victory over Houston Christian.
They followed it up with a 74-65 defeat of then-No. 17 San Diego State on Friday. Hot perimeter shooting carried BYU. In both games, the Cougars shot at least 35 percent from 3-point range and made a combined 25 triples.
Against the Aztecs, Jaxson Robinson knocked down a pair of treys to help put the Cougars in front before halftime. Dallin Hall took over in the second half, knocking down four 3-pointers en route to scoring 16 of his team-high 18 points.
“Everyone had a moment where they really stepped up,” Hall said.
Rebounding has been a difference-maker for BYU early in the season. The Cougars attacked the glass with tenacity against San Diego State. It paid off in several opportunities for second-chance baskets and kept the Aztecs limited to a single look at the basket on numerous possessions.
BYU finished the game with a 42-32 edge in total rebounds.
“We have to be able to win this way,” Cougars coach Mark Pope said. “Our guys’ commitment to get to the glass on both ends was unbelievable tonight.”
Southeastern Louisiana is facing its second consecutive Power 5 opponent. The Lions (1-1) fell to Auburn 86-71 on Friday.
The Tigers led by double digits through much of the game. SELA cut the deficit to seven points with 7:30 left, but could not draw any closer.
Roger McFarlane finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and the Lions shot 35.7 percent from behind the arc. It wasn’t enough to overcome a deep Auburn attack that finished with a 46-9 advantage in bench points.
The Lions are coached by David Kiefer, who guided the team to a 19-15 record in 2021-22 and an 18-14 mark last season.
–Field Level Media