Behind the strong inside play of Eric Mika and the hot outside shooting of Nick Emery, the BYU Cougars held off the Loyola Marymount Lions 89-81 on Saturday to advance to the WCC Tournament semifinals.

Mika finished with a game-high 25 points to go along with eight rebounds and four assists while Emery totaled 21 points on 4 for 6 shooting from 3-point range and 7 for 7 from the foul line.

The Cougars also got a big performance out of Yoeli Childs who finished with 13 points, nine assists and five rebounds while Elijah Bryant chipped in with 15 points and two steals.

Brandon Brown carried the Lions with 22 points while Petr Herman added 15 points on 7 for 8 shooting with seven rebounds in just 18 minutes.

Why the Cougars won

The Cougars had a solid day shooting the basketball as they hit on 50 percent of their shots from the floor, including 43.8 percent from beyond the arc. They also did an excellent job getting to the free-throw line and converting at a high level as they connected on 32 of 39 attempts in the eight-point win.

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