Stockton, Calif. • BYU entered its West Coast Conference opener at Pacific having lost three straight games because of poorly played first halves.
Thursday night, a bad second half almost cost coach Dave Rose’s struggling team.
But the Cougars rallied after star forward Yoeli Childs fouled out with three minutes remaining and held off Pacific 90-87 at Spanos Center to improve to 1-0 in league play, 9-7 overall.
The Cougars almost gave the game away at the free-throw line, missing several down the stretch while the Tigers were making theirs in a foul-filled contest. Luke Worthington and Yoeli Childs missed five free throws in the final four minutes — three by Worthington and two by Childs — and Childs fouled out with three minutes remaining with 13 points and 12 rebounds.