BYU, Utah State basketball: Cougars hold off Aggies

BYU-Utah St. boxscore

PROVO — When caught in the heat of the battle, instincts kick in.

Unfortunately for the Utah State Aggies, and fortunately for the No. 23 BYU Cougars, the instinct Aggies forward Tai Wesley had when surrounded by defenders late in Wednesday's hard-fought in-state hoops rivalry was the final momentum boost in BYU's 78-72 win.

With the Cougars clinging to a 3-point lead with just over two minutes to play, Wesley rebounded a missed BYU shot but was quickly engulfed by Cougars before he could throw the ball down court. In an attempt to shake the crowd of Cougars around him, Wesley lifted his arms up and swung the ball back and forth.

The officials quickly whistled Wesley, who led the Aggies with 19 points, for his fifth foul. After a video review of the play, they ruled the foul was flagrant — according to a new college rule that says throwing of the elbows, whether contact is made or not, is a flagrant foul.

Cougar forward Chris Collinsworth sank both resulting free throws, and the Cougars, who trailed 69-68 two minutes earlier, were suddenly ahead 74-70. The Aggies got no closer than three again.

"I think it was a real game-changer for us ... I think that really put the momentum on our side," said BYU forward Noah Hartsock, who scored 15.

Both Wesley and Utah State coach Stew Morrill say they were familiar with the rule. In fact, they're reminded of it during every pregame captains meeting. The call just came at a bad time for Utah State, and ended a possession in which the Aggies could have tied the game with only a few possessions remaining, and sent their leading scorer to the bench.

"I was trying to protect the ball," Wesley said. "It's instinct. They were kind of swiping at it ... and when you get caught in the heat of battle you turn to your instincts."

Even though the call seemed to turn things permanently in BYU's favor, the Cougars prevailed for other reasons. And the Aggies lost for other reasons.

Utah State missed several critical free throws (15 of 26 for the game) in the final 10 minutes. The Cougars, on the other hand, made free throws down the stretch and scored following offensive rebounds on several key late possessions.

"It's good to have to go to the free throw line late in games, make free throws, get offensive and defensive rebounds late, get a stop here and there when there's a lot of pressure and a lot on the line," BYU coach Dave Rose said.