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Provo • It has been a long few days since the BYU Cougars walked off the court at Jenny Craig Pavilion as 77-74 losers to San Diego on Saturday — days filled with introspection, team meetings and hard practices designed to develop more consistency offensively and cut down on defensive lapses.
The good news, said star guard Tyler Haws, "is that no one is going sideways."
Having lost two straight West Coast Conference games to fall off the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble, the Cougars' unity and resiliency will be tested Thursday night as they begin the back half of the WCC season. They host San Francisco at 9 p.m. at the Marriott Center to open a two-game homestand. Santa Clara visits Saturday.
"We still have a lot of fight left in us," Haws said of the 15-7 Cougars, who are tied for third in the WCC with a 5-4 record. "I think that showed in our practices. We just got to translate that to the game. We are ready to play another game."
BYU blew out USF 99-68 on Jan. 3 in San Francisco, making 15 of 28 3-point attempts and shooting 60 percent from the field. But the Cougars have lost three of their past five games and are fighting to save their season, a season that has been filled with spectacular play — like that weekend in the Bay Area — and head-scratching losses to subpar teams.
The Cougars have lost all seven of their defeats by seven points or fewer.
"What I really like about this team is that when we are good, we are at a really high level," said BYU coach Dave Rose. "I think that the issue with our team is that we kind of have some real peaks and valleys in our execution and our urgency and our communication."
Hence, the Cougars spent as much time watching film and discussing roles and communication on the court as they did practicing the last three days. Against San Diego, blown defensive assignments cost them at least a dozen points as the Toreros feasted inside to pull off the mild upset at home.
The Cougars gave up 13 offensive rebounds, which San Diego used to turn into 16 second-chance points, including a 3-pointer by Johnny Dee that flipped the game's momentum.
"I think the biggest thing for us right now is to become a really consistent rebounding team," Rose said. "If we can improve our rebounding, if we can grab misses on the first try, it will really lead to positive things."
The Cougars will again be without their best rebounder, as Rose said senior forward Nate Austin "is still a ways away" from returning from his hamstring injury. On Monday, Rose said there's a chance Austin won't play again this season and will seek a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA to get his senior year back. He's played in 10 games, but none since Dec. 10.
Guard Chase Fischer, who went 6 for 9 from 3-point range against the Dons at Memorial Gymnasium, shot well in practice Wednesday and showed no ill effects from a sprained thumb suffered in practice before the San Diego game.
"Guys are hungry, and the last two games have definitely hurt," Haws said. "We've had a lot of team meetings, and we've addressed a lot of things and talked about different weaknesses and ways that we can get better. There is still a lot of season left, but we haven't forgotten what has happened in the past."
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU vs. San Francisco
P At the Marriott Center, Provo
Tipoff • 9 p.m.
TV • TWC/Root Sports
Radio • 1160 AM/102.7 FM
Records • BYU 15-7, 5-4 WCC; USF 9-12, 3-6 WCC
Series • BYU leads, 12-6
Last Meeting • BYU 99, USF 68; Jan. 3
About the Dons • Coach Rex Walters is 107-106 at the school in his seventh season. … They have lost four straight games to BYU, and 8 of their past 9. … F Kruize Pinkins leads their scoring (15.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg).
About the Cougars • Tyler Haws is third in the country in scoring with a 22.4 ppg and is third on the school's all-time scoring list with 2,437 points, 30 away from tying Danny Ainge for second. … The Cougars lead the country in scoring, at 86 ppg. … Freshman Dalton Nixon was 4 for 4 for eight points in Saturday's 77-74 loss at San Diego.