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Provo • Moments after they lost 71-65 to Pepperdine in Malibu, the BYU Cougars were already talking about the rematch, which is Saturday at the Marriott Center.
"I think [the Waves] are a very physical team, and I think they out-physicaled us tonight, and that's tough, because they are great fighters, great competitors, and a great team," guard Nick Emery said. "You know, we've got them next week at our place."
But first, BYU must take care of Loyola Marymount again.
That rematch is Thursday (9 p.m., ESPNU) as the Cougars return home for the first time since Jan. 9, when they rolled past San Francisco 102-92. In what has become a pattern of a strong offensive showing followed by a subpar one, the Cougars waxed LMU 91-80 on Thursday before struggling to score against Pepperdine — shooting just 35.9 percent from the field, 27.3 percent from 3-point range.
It was Pepperdine's third straight win over BYU.
"I don't know [why the Cougars can't beat Pepperdine]," guard Kyle Collinsworth said. "I wish I could figure it out, and then I could do something about it. But we've got plenty of games left. We've got to learn from it and get ready for Thursday. We just gotta learn and bounce back."
When Emery said the Waves played more physically than the Cougars, he was referring to the fact that Pepperdine won the rebounding battle 41-39 and got 15 second-chance points. BYU's inside trio of Kyle Davis, Corbin Kaufusi and Nate Austin was just 5 of 14 from the floor, and Jamal Aytes didn't even get off the bench, coach Dave Rose seemingly having lost confidence in the redshirt sophomore.
"It is hard to win when you shoot like that on the road, and in the first half, they killed us on the boards," Collinsworth said. "We've got to get better at that, rebounding consistently for 40 minutes, and give ourselves a better chance to win."
Emery agreed.
"They got a bunch of offensive boards on us," he said. "You can't win games like that. It is not only our big guys, but it is us guards, too, going down there and getting a rebound. That's just something we need to do."
Like BYU, Pepperdine is undefeated at home. The Waves lost at Portland, Gonzaga and Santa Clara on the road in the WCC earlier this season.
"They are good," coach Dave Rose said. "They haven't lost a home game here [at Firestone Fieldhouse]. It is a pretty good team."
Trouble is, the Cougars have played just four home games in a 16-game stretch, winning all four. They went 6-6 in road or neutral court games.
"I am just looking forward to playing the next game," Collinsworth said. "I don't care if it is in Alaska or Provo. I just want to play again and get back out there and get a 'W.' "
The good news for BYU is that seven of its next 10 games are at home — and a long way from Firestone Fieldhouse.
Twitter: @drewjay —
Loyola Marymount at BYU
P Thursday, 9 p.m.
TV • ESPNU