Three-Point Shooting Among Observations From BYU’s Loss At Pacific

PROVO, Utah – The BYU basketball team lost back-to-back games in the WCC for the first time in the Mark Pope era with a 76-73 loss to the Pacific Tigers.

The Cougars trailed by double digits late in the game. A furious rally came up short with Alex Barcello turning the ball over when BYU trailed by two points.

Here are my observations from a tough loss in Stockton, California.

1. Cold shooting

There were a number of reasons BYU lost to Pacific, but the one statistic that jumps out is the three-point shooting percentage.

The Cougars were 7 of 21 and two of those three-point makes came in the final minute of the game.

Alex Barcello has now hit three or more 3-pointers in 27 games.#BYUHoops @BYUMBB

— BYU Game Notes (@BYUGameNotes) January 30, 2022

Pacific went 9 for 21 from deep. Those six points turned out to be the difference in a close game.

It’s hard to win games on the road when you struggle to shoot the ball efficiently.

2. Atiki Ally Atiki jump hook

Freshman Fousseyni Traore is having one of the best debut seasons in BYU basketball history.

It’s easy to forget the other foreign freshman on the team, Atiki Ally Atiki whose role continues to expand.

He played significant minutes in the first half in relief of Traore who was ineffective.

Atiki looked lost when he was called upon in the Utah Valley loss after Gavin Baxter injury. Fast forward two months and he’s become a reliable rotation player.

It’s easy to forget the development of Atiki Ally Atiki with the emergence of Fouss Traore, but Atiki has come a long way since the UVU loss back in December.

He’s developed a nice jump hook in the low post. #BYU @kslsports

— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) January 30, 2022

The biggest leap in his game comes on the offensive side of the court where he made three jump hook shots in the low post in the first half.

He set a new career high with eight points.

There is a bright future for Atiki.

3. BYU basketball full-court press

The Cougars were dead in the water until they switched to a full-court press defense.

In a matter of minutes BYU was able to cut the deficit to two points with less than a minute remaining.

The outcome of the game is likely different if BYU switched to the defensive press earlier, because it caused several Tiger turnovers.

They’ve got a chance to right the ship with a huge weekend at home next week with San Francisco and Gonzaga visiting the Marriott Center.

You can hear Matt Baiamonte every Saturday on KSL Newsradio for Cougar Sports Saturday from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. or you can find him on Twitter here.