Report Card: BYU 95, Santa Clara 78

Brigham Young Cougars

95

Final

78

Santa Clara Broncos

STARTERS

	Matt Carlino, PG 7-12 FG | 3-6 3PT | 4-6 FT | 3 REB | 8 AST | 21 PTS This was Carlino's best performance yet as a Cougar. He finally found the sweet spot between being a distributor and being a scorer, and the results were downright magical. He played the role of floor general to near-perfection, dishing out 8 assists with only 2 turnovers, but he also scored the ball with ruthless efficiency. If he can strike that balance on a consistent basis, BYU will be virtually unstoppable.
	Brock Zylstra, SG 3-6 FG | 1-3 3PT | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 7 PTS After lighting the world on fire with a perfect shooting night against San  Francisco, Zylstra was just OK on Saturday. He didn't do anything particularly poorly, but he also didn't stand out in any meaningful way. Yet, with Carlino, Hartsock, and Davies all firing at full capacity, it was inevitable that somebody would fade into the background — and Brock filled that role.
	Charles Abouo, SF 3-6 FG | 1-2 3PT | 6-6 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 13 PTS Abouo struggled with foul trouble throughout, and played only 21 minutes as a result. However, he took full advantage of that time and attacked the rim with an aggressiveness that has been missing in recent weeks, getting easy shots and drawing a boatload of fouls to boot. He'll never be the Cougars' first option, but this is the kind of solid supporting performance BYU needs out of Charles every night.
	Noah Hartsock, PF 8-11 FG | 1-1 3PT | 4-6 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 21 PTS I don't know how this guy does it. Every night, no matter the opponent, Noah finds a way to dissect their defense like a master surgeon. He doesn't have bad games, and Saturday was no different. He didn't rebound quite as much as he normally does, but that's really just nit-picking. Another great Hartsock performance.
	Brandon Davies, C 9-13 FG | 0-0 3PT | 5-7 FT | 5 REB | 2 AST | 23 PTS It seems somebody flipped a switch in Davies' head prior to WCC play, because he has been on a tear ever since. He destroyed the Broncos' interior defense in the first half, overpowering anyone in his way. Duly chastened, they started double-teaming him after intermission, which opened up more opportunities for Hartsock and Carlino. When Brandon plays this well, opponents have to pick their poison.

BENCH

	Nate Austin, C 1-1 FG | 0-0 3PT | 1-2 FT | 7 REB | 2 AST | 3 PTS Austin will always bring two things to a game, no matter what: rebounding and hustle. To his credit, his motor never shuts off — and that's what makes him a valuable rotation player. However, I'd like to see him be a little more aggressive offensively than he was on Saturday. Nate has proven he can make shots — now he just needs to look for them.
	Craig Cusick, PG 1-1 FG | 1-1 3PT | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 3 PTS A below average performance from Craig, who has been so good of late. With Carlino playing a massive 33 minutes at the point, Rose used Cusick as the off-ball guard — a position where he's obviously not entirely comfortable. Without the ball in his hands, his contributions were limited to just one shot and, most notably, zero assists. Not what we've come to expect from him.
	Stephen Rogers, SF 1-6 FG | 0-3 3PT | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 2 PTS Rogers verged on Jonathan Tavernari territory tonight, seemingly firing at will despite being woefully off-the-mark. I realize he's still finding his legs after an extended layoff, but Stephen needs to recognize when it's not his night and quickly stop throwing up bricks. Those shots could have gone to Davies, Hartsock or Carlino, all of whom would have likely used the possession more effectively.