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Stockton, Calif. • Why is BYU so wary of Saturday afternoon's rematch with Pacific?
It was just two weeks ago that the Cougars routed Pacific 91-62 at the Marriott Center, holding the Tigers to 34 percent shooting from the field, 19 percent from 3-point range and drubbing the visitors 49-39 on the boards.
Well, the Cougars know how they can be out on the road, despite a 5-2 record in the West Coast Conference. The Tigers are 8-12 overall, but like the Cougars, they are a different team at the Alex G. Spanos Center, having led No. 4 Gonzaga 34-29 at halftime Dec. 31 and by seven points in the second half before running into foul trouble and out of energy in the eventual 81-61 loss.
"The [Provo] game, the separation was pretty big, but it will be a whole different deal when we go over there," BYU coach Dave Rose said.
And that was before the Cougars laid that big egg at San Diego last Saturday, losing 88-75 at Jenny Craig Pavilion to a team they were favored to beat by 12 points. BYU is 4-0 in WCC home games, winning by an average score of 91-67, but it is 1-2 in league games on the road, and they trailed by 13 at halftime in that one win, against Loyola Marymount.
"Even the one conference win that we have, we weren't the same team," Rose said. "We found a way to make some shots late to win it. But hopefully we can kinda find a new attitude and a new execution to us when we go out there on Saturday. … It is going to be a challenge. We are going to have to go get it."
Pacific gave No. 23 Saint Mary's all it wanted Thursday night in Moraga, just 72 miles from Stockton, and is 7-4 at home.
Sophomore forward Anthony Townes had a team-high 18 points at BYU and has added depth to rookie coach Damon Stoudamire's solid starting lineup of upperclassmen such as T.J. Wallace, Ray Bowles, David Taylor and Jacob Lampkin.
"I think we just have to stick together and trust the coaches," said BYU sophomore Elijah Bryant, analyzing the Cougars' road woes. "We are such a young team that when we get punched in the face [on the road], there is a different mentality as to when we should fight back. Without the home crowd, it is harder. So we just have to finish this Saturday."
BYU's Eric Mika had 17 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes in the last game against Pacific, and he will go after his seventh consecutive double-double. The sophomore has been just as effective on the road as at home but realizes it has been different with his teammates.
"Both home and away, we will get a lead or a string of stops or scores, but it is hard to keep it going on the road," he said. "We are just kinda up and down on the road. … We have to find a way to get ourselves going, find an internal energy when we are on the road, and I think we can do the same thing we do at home."
Rose said staying out of foul trouble or managing foul trouble better if key players pick up two whistles in the first half is something the coaching staff has emphasized the past week.
"We sat Elijah and Nick [Emery] the whole half the other day [vs. San Diego], and I thought that it was too long, and so we talked about it as a staff," Rose said. "They are all pretty inexperienced guys, but we gotta trust them in certain spots where we can keep them and their mind and their body in the game.
"I think it is easier for an older guy to sit for awhile and then come back and play," Rose continued. "A younger guy, I think they need to stay in there and compete and hopefully we don't get burned by it.
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU at Pacific
P At the Spanos Center, Stockton, Calif.
Tipoff • 4 p.m. MST
TV • ROOT Sports Rocky Mountain
Radio • 1160 AM, 102.7 FM, Sirius XM 143
Records • BYU (14-6, 5-2 WCC); Pacific (8-12, 2-5 WCC)
Series history • BYU leads 8-5
Last meeting • BYU won 91-62 (Jan. 7, 2017)
About the Cougars • Sophomore C Eric Mika extended his double-double streak to six games with 22 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's 99-70 win over Pepperdine, tying him for fourth longest in school history. … Sophomore G Nick Emery has made a 3-pointer in 29 consecutive games, a BYU record.
About the Tigers • They are coming off a 62-50 loss at No. 23 Saint Mary's in which senior G T.J. Wallace led four Tigers in double figures with 13 points. They outscored the Gaels 30-18 in the paint, and trailed by 19 in the first half before trimming the deficit to five early in the second half. … Wallace leads them in scoring with a 13.4 average.