Central Arkansas vs. BYU: Box score, stats, game summary and more ft. Egor Demin

BYU opened the 2024-25 college basketball season with a clash against Central Arkansas at home on Tuesday. The Cougars started a new era this season with the arrival of Kevin Young who replaced the departed Mark Pope, ushering in a lot of anticipation ahead for the game.

With many things changed about the Cougars from last season, including roster and play schemes, John Shulman and his team entered Provo, Utah, with the mindset of staging an upset. However, Young and his team hoped to start the season on a bright note.

The matchup against Central Arkansas serves as an early warm-up for BYU, with a double-digit win being the expectation. The Cougars were heavily favored, with a 28.5-point spread.

Central Arkansas vs. BYU box score

Team	First Half	Second Half	Final Score
Central Arkansas	23	27	50
BYU	46	42	88

Central Arkansas Bears

Name	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
D. Seixas	23	1-4	1-3	0-0	0	1	1	4	0	0	1	1	3
U. Etim	16	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	3	4	0	0	0	0	2	0
E. Cato	30	9-13	3-6	0-0	0	3	3	1	0	1	4	1	21
L. Taylor	28	2-10	1-7	0-0	1	1	2	0	3	0	1	1	5
B. Fagbemi	34	3-9	1-6	1-2	0	3	3	7	0	0	6	1	8
M. Ebbagharu	11	1-3	1-3	2-2	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	5
C. McCormick	10	1-2	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
N. Turner	23	2-6	0-1	1-6	4	7	11	2	1	1	2	2	5
J. West Jr.	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
T. Robinson	14	0-6	0-3	0-0	2	1	3	0	0	0	1	0	0
B. Fox	10	0-1	0-1	1-3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1

BYU Cougars

Name	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
K. Catchings	26	6-13	4-11	1-2	0	3	3	1	1	2	2	0	17
R. Saunders	26	6-11	3-7	1-2	3	5	8	2	1	0	0	0	16
K. Keita	18	2-2	0-0	2-2	4	6	10	0	1	1	2	3	6
E. Demin	31	7-13	4-7	0-1	0	4	4	11	4	0	1	1	18
T. Knell	21	2-6	2-6	2-2	0	4	4	1	1	0	0	2	8
M. Boskovic	19	5-7	1-3	0-0	1	2	3	2	1	2	2	0	11
M. Mag	13	1-4	1-2	0-0	2	0	2	1	1	0	1	2	3
F. Traore	19	3-5	0-0	0-0	4	2	6	0	0	2	0	2	6
E. Crawford	10	1-4	0-2	0-0	3	1	4	2	1	0	1	3	2
D. Baker	17	0-7	0-6	1-2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1

Central Arkansas vs. BYU summary

BYU's life under Kevin Young started brilliantly as the Cougars were able to control the game against Central Arkansas on Tuesday night with a lot of confidence. The Cougars opened the scoring in the encounter with a three-point jumper from Trevin Knell and took it on from there.

Egor Denim announced himself to the college basketball world with an astonishing performance in the first half, leading the game in points. The freshman guard is BYU’s first five-star recruit, giving him a huge reputation even before he stepped onto the court for the program.

Elias Cato was the outstanding player for the Bears in the first half. The senior forward's effort kept his team pushing back in the game while their opponent was in control. He scored more points in the first half than every other player except Denim and went on to lead the game in points.

The dominant first-half experience already gave a glimpse of what fans can expect under Kevin Young at the program and the Cougars resumed the second half with the same momentum. Egor Denim continued his brilliance in his first game on American soil in the second half.

The game saw BYU be pretty effective in shooting, converting 45.8% of their field goals, contrary to Central Arkansas's 34.5%. The Cougars also made 34.1% of 3-pointers, while the Bears recorded 22.6%.

It was a good way to start life under Kevin Young for BYU as the program is looking to achieve something big in the new era. The win is a confidence booster for the rest of the non-conference schedule.