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Provo • Not many teams can hold the BYU Cougars to fewer than 60 points in the Marriott Center.
But the No. 22-ranked Saint Mary's aren't like many other teams.
Dominating the Cougars even more than No. 1 Gonzaga did 16 days ago in Provo, Saint Mary's took a 70-57 win in front of 18,987 fans to snap a three-game losing skid at the sold-out Marriott Center.
"It seemed like we shot it when we should have passed it and passed it when we should have shot it," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "… Tonight we played a team that played way better than we did."
The Gaels improved to 14-2 in league play and clinched at least second place in the WCC standings with two games remaining. BYU dropped to 19-10 overall and 10-6 in the WCC.
Freshman guard TJ Haws called the loss "frustrating" and was disappointed the Cougars didn't put up a better fight. Saint Mary's led by as many as 25 points with 7:25 remaining before the Cougars finished on a 13-1 run to make the result appear closer than it was.
"I feel like we are better than we showed tonight," Haws said.
Past BYU teams have been able to slow down SMC at home, but not this time, and especially not without senior starters Kyle Davis and L.J. Rose, honored before the final home game but unable to play due to injuries.
Saint Mary's shot 57 percent in the first half to build a 41-30 lead at the break and was never threatened in the second half.
"The key to the game was they were comfortable the entire time in our gym, and that's on us," Rose said. "The game went pretty much exactly how they wanted it to go. … We are really uncomfortable playing from behind."
Calvin Hermanson was 3 of 4 from 3-point range in the first half and led the Gaels with 17 points on a night where leading scorer Jock Landale got into foul trouble and had just seven points in 14 minutes. But the Cougars couldn't take advantage of SMC's backup post players, and couldn't get to the free-throw line like they usually do at home.
"You got a full house and you got a top 25 team in here and there are going to be nerves," Rose said. "We didn't respond to that very well. … It seems like every opportunity we've had [to make a national splash], we haven't played our best."
Eric Mika led BYU with 18 points on 7 of 14 shooting, but looked tired at times and was short on several free throws.
"That has been our team all year," said Mika, after acknowledging he was fatigued. "It is hard to put a full game together."
Freshman Yoeli Childs turned an ankle in the second half after making a bucket, and was helped to the locker room. He returned to the game a few minutes later and finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. TJ Haws added 11, but Nick Emery had just four points two nights after scoring 26 in the 82-70 win over San Diego.
"The season is not over," Haws said. "We still got a shot at this thing."
It was SMC's first win in Provo since the 70-69 victory in 2013 when Matthew Dellavedova hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Gaels cooled off in the second half, shooting just 36 percent, but the damage was done.
"Hermanson hurt us in the first half," Rose said.
The Cougars started well, and took a 12-11 lead when Mika made a 3-point play with 14:12 remaining in the first half. But Emmett Naar scored five straight points for SMC, including a banked-in 3-pointer, and the visitors never trailed again.
L.J. Rose and Davis spoke to the team before the game, but it was the first time in Rose's 33 years as a coach that he didn't have a senior on the floor on Senior Night.
"We needed those guys tonight," he said.
The Cougars got just three points from their bench, a meaningless 3-pointer by Colby Leifson in the final minutes, and have gotten a total of six points from the reserves the past three games.
"It is something to learn from and improve on, but we are confident we can do it," Mika said.
Twitter: @drewjay —
Storylines
R Calvin Hermanson scores 17 points and the No. 22 Gaels snap a three-game losing streak in Provo.
• Eric Mika leads BYU with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
• Saint Mary's shoots 57 percent in the first half to build an 11-point lead.