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Provo • When the odd series of two games in three nights between BYU and San Diego was over, it wasn't nearly as weird as most people though it would be.
Saturday night, it was just plain awful.
Well, it was for visiting San Diego, which was routed 91-33 in front of 16,324 at the Marriott Center by the same BYU team that it almost beat on Thursday night at Jenny Craig Pavilion before falling 69-67 in the final seconds.
"If there is ever a time when you wonder why a coach acts like he acts, this should explain it," BYU coach Dave Rose said of the 58-point win, the largest margin of victory against a Division I program in school history. "Because both teams come to win every night, and it is very unpredictable. Everybody wants to predict the outcome of a game before it starts. They can't. I mean, these kids play, and they play hard, and they determine what is going to happen. Every night is a new night."
BYU's biggest win ever, against any opponent, is a 102-40 conquest of Division II Western Oregon in 2003.
And it was a laugher from almost the opening tip. BYU (21-8, 12-4 West Coast Conference) jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first six minutes and didn't allow a USD field goal until Duda Sanadze ended an 0-for-10 shooting start with a layup in the lane with 13:24 remaining in the first half.
That was simply a sign of things to come, because the Toreros (8-19, 13-3) would finish the first half with just 11 points, the fewest points for a team in a first half at the Marriott Center since Mississippi Valley State had 10 in 2010.
"Well, I think that might be as good as we've ever played with this group," Rose said. "We were really focused on the defensive end, and got them to take some tough shots early. We were good rebounding the ball, and then even when they beat us, and got the shot they wanted, they had a hard time making them."
After making 8 of 18 3-point attempts on Thursday, the Toreros went 0 for 20 from deep in the rematch.
Offensively, the Cougars weren't especially sharp, but they didn't need to be. Nick Emery led all scorers with 17 points — he had matched USD's scoring output when he went to the bench for the final time in the second half — and added nine rebounds and five assists. Fully healthy from a shoulder injury suffered on Jan. 28, fellow freshman Zac Seljaas added 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
"On Thursday night, we didn't come out ready," Emery said, explaining the difference in the games. "I think we gave them confidence at the beginning of the game, and once you give a team like that confidence, they're going to want it even more."
Leading 39-11 at halftime, the Cougars didn't let up, as they've been prone to do in past matchups. They opened the half with a 12-1 run, and Rose started clearing his bench.
"It is hard," Rose said. "You get a big lead sometimes and guys can kind of go all different places with where they want to finish the game on offense. I thought we shared the ball really well. There were a couple of plays in the second half that were almost picture-perfect, and it was just guys making good decisions, an extra pass."
It was also hard for the Cougars to take their foot off the gas, as all 12 players on the roster logged six minutes or more, and all scored except freshman Braiden Shaw. The Cougars' last two buckets were 3-pointers by reserves Noah Hartsock and Jordan Chatman, Chatman's coming with one minute remaining.
San Diego's coaching staff didn't seem to mind the late 3-pointers, and Rose said USD coach Lamont Smith congratulated him in the postgame handshake line for having his team ready to play.
"That's a tough spot to be in," Rose said. "You want that second group to go in there and play, and get valuable minutes. You wouldn't believe how much time they put in in practice, and how much they are getting beat up by these [starters]. They got about eight or nine real quality minutes. They might have been more efficient than our first group."
Twitter: @drewjay —
Storylines
R Two nights after downing the Toreros by two points, the Cougars wallop them by 58, their largest margin of victory ever over a Division I program.
• The Cougars hold San Diego to 11 points in the first half on 16 percent shooting.
• Nick Emery has 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists and fellow freshman Zac Seljaas adds 13 points.
BYU 91, San Diego 33
SAN DIEGO (8-19)
Carter III 1-7 0-0 2, Pusica 1-5 1-1 3, Harris 1-3 0-0 2, Bailey 4-6 1-2 9, Kok 1-1 0-0 2, Bedart-Ghani 1-5 0-2 2, Williams 2-7 1-2 5, Sanadze 2-12 0-1 4, Neubauer 0-2 1-2 1, Floresca 1-3 1-1 3, Summy 0-5 0-0 0, Oshita 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 14-57 5-11 33.
BYU (21-8)
Fischer 3-11 1-1 8, Emery 7-12 0-0 17, Collinsworth 5-11 2-2 12, Davis 4-5 0-1 8, Kaufusi 1-1 1-2 3, Seljaas 5-7 0-0 13, Guinn 3-3 2-4 9, Chatman 3-6 0-0 8, Shaw 0-0 0-1 0, Austin 1-2 1-2 3, Hartsock 2-3 0-0 6, Aytes 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 36-63 7-13 91.
Halftime—BYU 39-11. 3-Point Goals—San Diego 0-20 (Pusica 0-1, Oshita 0-1, Williams 0-1, Bailey 0-1, Harris 0-2, Bedart-Ghani 0-2, Neubauer 0-2, Summy 0-3, Sanadze 0-3, Carter III 0-4), BYU 12-27 (Seljaas 3-4, Emery 3-6, Hartsock 2-3, Chatman 2-5, Guinn 1-1, Fischer 1-8). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—San Diego 28 (Sanadze 4), BYU 49 (Emery 9). Assists—San Diego 5 (Bailey, Kok, Neubauer, Pusica, Sanadze 1), BYU 25 (Emery 5). Total Fouls—San Diego 16, BYU 15. A—16,324.
WCC Standings
Conference Overall
W L PCT W L PCT
Gonzaga 13 2 .867 21 6 .778
St. Mary's (CA) 12 3 .800 21 4 .840
BYU 12 4 .750 21 8 .724
Pepperdine 10 7 .588 17 11 .607
San Francisco 8 8 .500 15 12 .556
Santa Clara 6 10 .375 10 18 .357
Portland 5 10 .333 11 17 .393
Pacific 5 10 .333 7 18 .280
Loyola Marymount 5 12 .294 12 16 .429
San Diego 3 13 .188 8 19 .296
Thursday's games
Gonzaga 90, Pacific 68
San Francisco 82, Pepperdine 72
Saint Mary's (Cal) 74, Portland 72
Santa Clara 76, Loyola Marymount 72
BYU 69, San Diego 67
Saturday's games
Loyola Marymount 100, San Francisco 87, OT
Pepperdine 88, Santa Clara 76
BYU 91, San Diego 33
Portland 80, 67
Saint Mary's 63, Gonzaga 58