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BYU Basketball Holds on to Beat UCF

Originally posted on FanNation Cougs Daily
By Casey Lundquist | Last updated 2/14/24

The cardiac Cougars were back at it on Tuesday night. No. 19 BYU held off a furious UCF rally to win 90-88. With 1:30 remaining, BYU had an 80-69 lead and was cruising to its second consecutive victory. UCF caught fire, scoring 17 points in the final 85 seconds. The Knights hit four threes and another pair of twos during that time. The Knights needed a miracle to pull off the comeback, and they nearly got one.

For BYU, Jaxson Robinson was clutch at the free throw line allowing BYU to hold on for the victory. Robinson went 9/10 from the free throw line in the final minute. Over the last two games, Jaxson Robinson has emerged as the go-to guy for BYU in the final minutes. Robinson had 21 points on the night, including 12 points in the last 2:12 minutes.

Three more players scored in double figures for the Cougars. Trevin Knell and Noah Waterman had 17 each. Those two were a combined 19/23 from the free throw line.

Dallin Hall continued to show why he's arguably the most valuable player on the team. Hall had 10 critical points, all in the second half, when UCF was trying to cut into BYU's lead. Hall also had 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block. Hall continues to get better and better as the season progresses.

With the win, BYU improved to 6-5 in conference play. The Cougars will hit the road to take on Oklahoma State on Saturday.

This article first appeared on FanNation Cougs Daily and was syndicated with permission.

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