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4 takeaways from BYU men’s basketball’s first loss of the season

The Cougars lost 82-75 to the No. 19 San Diego State Aztecs.

San Diego State guard Matt Bradley, left, wrestles for the ball with BYU guard Rudi Williams during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

The BYU men’s basketball team had plenty of chances to win. The Cougars led by 10 on two separate occasions, and had a six-point lead down the stretch with the momentum going their way.

But they still lost, 82-75, to the No. 19 San Diego State Aztecs on the road. It was a game that, based on how they played throughout, probably should have gone their way.

So what happened? Here are four takeaways from the game.

1. Turnovers still a huge problem

Coach Mark Pope didn’t sound too concerned when his team committed 19 turnovers in an exhibition win over Ottawa from Arizona. Some of them, he said, made sense because they came in instances where his players were trying to practice what they’d been learning in practice.

Still, he acknowledged that 19 is too many. They wouldn’t win too many games with 19 turnovers, he said.

Well, that’s one major reason they lost to the Aztecs.

BYU committed 20 turnovers Friday. In their game against Idaho State, it committed 23 — that game was a win, though.

But San Diego State is in a much higher tier of basketball than Idaho State, so it’s much more difficult to get away with turning the ball over too much. The Aztecs finished with a 17-9 advantage in points off turnovers in a game decided by seven points.

2. More aggressive defense led to foul trouble

You have to hand it to the Cougars. They’ve talked for weeks about a new, more disruptive defense, and they’ve delivered. Rudi Williams had three steals by himself against San Diego State. The team as a whole has forced tons of turnovers in two games as well.

But there’s been a drawback thus far to being more aggressive on defense. Jaxson Robinson fouled out Friday, and Gideon George and Fouseeyni Traore had four fouls apiece. In all, the Cougars fouled 26 times, leading to 37 free throw attempts (26 makes) for San Diego State.

By comparison, BYU shot 10 of 16 from the free throw line. That’s a 16-point advantage for the Aztecs.

So even though the Cougars held SDSU to just 40% shooting (29% from the 3-point line), it didn’t matter much due to the amount of fouls they committed.

3. BYU had no answer for Jaedon LeDee

The Cougars did a decent job holding San Diego State’s players in check for large chunks of the game. But the 6-foot-9 Jaedon LeDee wasn’t one of them.

LeDee had a game-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting. He was dominant from the opening tip, and made some shots down the stretch to complete San Diego’s comeback.

It didn’t matter who the Cougars guarded LeDee with — he still got practically everything he wanted. He had 16 points in the first half.

4. Spencer Johnson, Mr. Reliable

Johnson made a clutch 3-pointer to help the Cougars beat Idaho State in their home opener. Against the Aztecs, he continued to make the case that he can be the guy who can be relied upon when they desperately need a bucket.

Johnson scored seven straight points late in the second half to give BYU a six-point lead. He made a 3-pointer to pull it within three points with less than two minutes to play.

Even though Johnson’s efforts came in a loss, he may have shown just enough to make a strong case that he should get the ball in close games. He’s already earned a starting spot after spending his entire BYU career on the bench prior to this season.

Johnson scored a team-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting.