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Alex Barcello nearly unstoppable as BYU opens basketball season with a win

Cleveland State forces Cougars into 14 turnovers

BYU's Alex Barcello is bumped by a Cleveland State player in both teams' season opener at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. Barcello led all scorers with 24 points.

  | Nov. 10, 2021, 7:01 a.m.

Alex Barcello almost couldn’t miss Tuesday night during BYU’s men’s basketball season opening win over Cleveland State at the Marriott Center.

Barcello went 5 for 6 from the field, 1 of 2 from behind the arc and a perfect 13 of 13 from the free-throw line to ring in a game-high 24 points in the 69-59 victory. He also dished out a team-high four assists.

Spencer Johnson added 13 points, the only other Cougars player in double digits. Caleb Loner paced the team on the glass with nine rebounds.

BYU led 34-27 at the half.

The Cougars left some room for improvement, however. They made 14 turnovers to Cleveland State’s six. They’ll have a chance to improve on that Friday when they host San Diego State in Provo.