BYU basketball at Gonzaga

The senior center made two game-changing blocks in crunch time to help the Cougars upset Gonzaga on its home floor, 69-68, on Thursday night.

Gonzaga lost at home to BYU last season, breaking a 41-game home winning streak.

Denzel Valentine had a relatively lackluster game with 14 points, five assists and four rebounds for the stunned Spartans.

“Our effort and energy was there the whole game”, Collinsworth said.

“We are really good at not freaking out”, Kalani said of the intense fourth-quarter play.

The Zags led by 10 in the first half and by 13 in the second half but couldn’t hold off the Cougars down the stretch.

Michigan State (16-2, 3-2) was down by 22 points at halftime, its largest deficit at home since at least the 1996-97 season and its biggest anywhere in the regular season since trailing at Michigan by 23 points at halftime in 1997, according to STATS.

However, there is reason for optimism: BYU has dominated offensively, and should be able to test this Gonzaga defense. The Cougars were also forced to put Collinsworth on the bench after his second foul at the 8:46 mark.

The conference’s leading scorer, Lexi Eaton Rydalch scored nine of her game-high 18 points in the final quarter.

Fischer finished the night with 18 points, and Kyle Davis racked up a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Forward Kyle Wiltjer tried to carry the team himself, scoring 35 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as Gonzaga (13-4, 5-1 West Coast Conference) saw a seven-game winning streak snapped.

Shelby Cheslek led Gonzaga with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Nate Austin, who left the game with injury in the first half, may have saved the season for the Cougars.

Then the Cougars got hot late, and freshman guard Nick Emery hit a 3-pointer with 1:38 left that provided the winning points. BYU heated up in the second half to finish at 41.5 percent. Damion Lee scored 18 points for the Cardinals (14-3, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).

BYU and Gonzaga exchanged misses over the next 1:40 before Wiltjer drew a foul, going to the line with a chance to tie the game with eight seconds to go. Wiltjer made the front end but missed the second free throw, but when Collinsworth grabbed the rebound in the lane he was called for traveling as he fell to the ground with the ball. On the Wiltjer drive, Austin came off his man and blocked the shot.

The Cougars will stay on the road and play at Portland on Saturday, Jan. 16.