After getting blown out by 31 points by the Gaels 364 days ago in the same conference tournament game at Orleans Arena, the Cougars began plotting their revenge. They spent hours in the summer working on ways to beat Saint Mary’s and control WCC Player of the Year Jock Landale, and the extra work paid off.
Yoeli Childs scored a career-high 33 points and outplayed the foul-plagued Landale from start to finish, while Elijah Bryant chipped in 25. But every Cougar contributed mightily, as BYU snapped a five-game losing skid against Saint Mary’s and advanced to the WCC championship game for the first time since 2015.