SALT LAKE CITY – Once a one-man show of scoring with Alex Barcello, BYU basketball continued to find other options Thursday night.
This time it was Caleb Lohner’s turn.
The Wasatch Academy freshman scored 19 points in his career, including five 3-pointers, and went on nine rebounds in 28 minutes as BYU rolled to an 80-52 victory in Pacific in the first game of the Cougars in nearly two weeks Thursday on Thursday . night at the Alex G. Spanos Center in Stockton, California.
After a 10-day layoff with no games, Barcello added 15 points, five assists and three steals for BYU, and Brandon Averette scored 8 of his 10 points in the second half to go along with seven assists and three rebounds. Trevin Knell contributed 15 points, including four 3s, off the bench for the Cougars (16-5, 7-3 WCC).
“This is exactly what I had in mind,” Lohner told BYU Radio. “The last 10 days of not playing, we’ve worked so hard. I think a lot of teams in the country don’t train that hard … but I think we really took advantage of that time. We figured out what we need. had to do to get better, and I think we showed that we got better tonight. ”
Matt Haarms delivered 8 points and seven rebounds for BYU, which made 13 3-pointers and the Tigers came out 31-22.
However, no one got any hotter than Lohner.
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“It just felt right from the first to the second, I was progressing with increasing confidence,” said Lohner. “I shot the ball well and knocked it down all night.
“I just think we’re getting better. We work hard and find ways to improve. I’m really proud of the way our team comes together and keeps getting better.”
Broc Finstuen had 12 points and two rebounds to lead Pacific, and Jordan Bell added 5 points and seven rebounds for the Tigers (6-7, 3-6 WCC) just three weeks after taking BYU to double overtime in Provo .
Instead, after losing to No. 1 Gonzaga on their last outing, the Cougars have still never lost consecutive games to head coach Mark Pope’s second season.
“It’s ingrained in the culture of how our boys react,” Pope told BYU Radio. “We wonder that after every game … and the fact that they think about it all the time and that’s where their focus is, it’s a tribute to the guys. We have a very special group of guys.”
Lohner, which started Thursday night, saw a major burst of touch when Gideon George was forced onto the bench with early foul problems, and the Texas native made good use of it. Lohner had 8 points, four rebounds and an assist in just seven minutes as the Cougars reached an 18-13 lead with 9:55 left in the half.
BYU never lagged behind.
Knell closed a 7-0 run with a 3-pointer with 7:26 left, giving the Cougars a 26-19 lead. Spencer Johnson extended the advantage to double digits just under three minutes later, and BYU took a 38-26 lead at half-time.
BYU made three of the first six three-point attempts to open the half, including back-to-back triples from Barcello and Averette, to drag an 8-0 run over 90 seconds to a 50-33 lead.
There are two so far @caleblohner #BYUhoops X # MACU3pic.twitter.com/1OUqzRfClH
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It didn’t stop there.
Lohner pushed his third 3-pointer of the game 12:55 over, pushing the Cougars’ lead to 55-35, just three weeks from a 7-point, double-overtime victory in Provo over the Tigers. Moments later, the Wasatch Academy product from just outside of Dallas canned its fourth triple to bring in a 16-2 run – and BYU never looked back.
His only field goal scored from inside the arc was an alleyway in the transition, where Lohner showed his hop and helped the Cougars carry their lead at half-time.
“We see his athleticism over and over again,” said Pope. “He came up with some incredible offensive rebounds… and that lane-oop was certainly incredible.
“But the best thing he did tonight was his defensive performance. Caleb was fundamentally healthy all night defensively, and it’s not easy. He’s done so well.”
On a night that brought good news for two BYU basketball teams – the women’s squad upset No. 16 Gonzaga, 61-56 in Provo – the Cougars looked like an NCAA tournament from multiple angles.
BYU shot 13 of 27 from a 3-point range, 13 of 27 from a 2-point range and assisted in 17 of 26 field goals. The Cougars also kept the Tigers shooting up to 40% in the second half, including 0 for 7 from deep.
“I thought Trevin was great tonight,” Pope said. “He came in earlier on the rotation because of Gideon’s dirty problems, but I love Trevin when he comes in with a chip on his shoulder. Then he’s at his best.”