PROVO, Utah (AP) - Yoeli Childs scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Elijah Bryant added 22 points with a career-high 15 boards, and BYU beat Portland 68-45 in a West Coast Conference opener on Thursday night for its ninth straight win.
It’s the fifth 20-point game for Childs and Bryant this season and the second time they both scored 20 in the same game.
The Cougars held the Pilots to 29 percent shooting from the floor, outrebounded them 46-28 and outscored them 40-18 in the paint.
The Pilots closed to 38-37 early in the second half on Franklin Porter’s jumper, but Childs scored six straight before the Cougars went on a 12-0 run for a 56-39 lead with 6:14 left while Portland went scoreless for nearly six minutes. Bryant hit a 3 and BYU outscored the Pilots 13-3 from there.
Josh McSwiggan hit consecutive 3-pointers and Portland led 8-6, but BYU pulled ahead on an 11-3 run and led 31-24 at halftime after Childs scored 10 straight points, including three dunks.
Jojo Walker led Portland (6-8) with 11 points.
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