No. 1 Gonzaga reverses BYU’s near-perfect first half to capture the West Coast Conference tournament title

LAS VEGAS – BYU was close to perfect in the first half of the West Coast Conference Tournament final against No. 1 Gonzaga.

But not perfect enough.

Jalen Suggs had 23 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Kispert scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half to help Gonzaga turn a 12-point halftime deficit and rally BYU, 88-78, to the West Coast. Conference Tournament. title Tuesday night in Orleans Arena.

Joel Ayayi added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Zags, who improved to 26-0 with their 30th consecutive dating back to last season.

Trevin Knell had 20 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead BYU; and Alex Barcello added 15 points, six rebounds and four assists; and Matt Haarms accounted for 13 points, four rebounds and a blocked shot for the Cougars.

Brandon Averette had 11 points and four assists for the Cougars (20-6), and Gideon George added 11 points and five rebounds.

The Cougars played about as perfectly of a first half as can be played against the top league Gonzaga. They shot 68% of the field, including 82.3% in effective field goals, beat the Zags 17-13 by a 15-9 margin on the defensive goggles, and claimed themselves in the paint 18-16.

It all came down to a 53-41 lead at half time. But the Zags weren’t down.

Especially not Kispert.

The senior attacker knocked out three three-pointers from the break and passed the game on 57 points from the free-throw line at 13:49. When BYU missed its first nine three-point tries of the second half, Kispert led another point 12-0, leading the Zags 71-68 with just six minutes left.

Suggs hit back-to-back threes to enter a 23-5 run late and retire for good.

This story is being updated.

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