3 keys to No. 21 BYU’s 72-66 victory over visiting Kansas State | Top Vip News

BYU bounced back nicely from Tuesday’s loss at Oklahoma and got back to .500 in Big 12 play with a 72-66 victory over visiting Kansas State at the Marriott Center on Saturday night.

The 21st-ranked Cougars improved to 5-5 in the league, 17-6 overall. Kansas State, which defeated rival Kansas in overtime last Monday, fell to 5-6 and 15-8.

Fousseyni Traore scored 14 points off the bench for the Cougars, while Spencer Johnson and Jaxson Robinson each added 12.

Robinson hit a 3-pointer with 51 seconds left after Kansas State got within two, 66-64.

Arthur Kaluma scored a game-high 18 points for KSU and made a jumper with 37 seconds left to make it a one-score game again, but Johnson made a layup and a free throw to seal BYU’s victory.

The Cougars led 36-27 at halftime despite shooting 2 of 13 from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes.

They finished 8 of 25 (32%) from deep, but were just 10 of 21 from the free throw line, allowing KSU to get back into the game late in the second half.

Here are three keys to BYU’s fifth win in the Big 12:

• Kansas State committed 16 turnovers, many of them unforced, a malaise that cost the Wildcats a chance at the upset victory in their first trip to Provo since 1971. Leading scorer Tylor Perry was held to nine points , and the Wildcats were held to 43% shooting overall.

• The Cougars were in control with just under six minutes left when Noah Waterman and Trevin Knell hit consecutive 3-pointers, giving BYU a 64-48 lead. But the Cougars failed on their next six possessions and Kansas State got back into the game.

• Coach Mark Pope changed his starting lineup for the Wildcats, moving Knell back into a starting role and having Robinson come off the bench.

Additionally, big man Aly Khalifa returned to the starting lineup after missing the last two games, and Traore came off the bench after scoring 21 in Tuesday night’s loss at Oklahoma.

Point guard Trey Stewart also played for the first time since the loss at Baylor, and paced BYU in the first half with two points and three rebounds in seven minutes. He finished with four points in nine minutes.