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Brigham Young Cougars | 79 | Final | 60 | Portland Pilots |  |
STARTERS
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Matt Carlino, PG 3-11 FG | 0-4 3PT | 7-8 FT | 4 REB | 4 AST | 13 PTS The Cougars' shooting woes continued on Saturday, and Carlino was no exception. For some reason, Matt just can't find his stroke. Nevertheless, he continued to do a good job attacking the rim and got himself to the free throw line for easy points. He continues to commit lazy defensive lapses occasionally, but he's getting better on that end of the floor. All in all, not bad for an off night. |
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Anson Winder, SG 0-2 FG | 0-2 3PT | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 0 PTS Rose went with Winder at shooting guard for the second game in a row, but didn't get the same results. It's not that Anson did anything poorly, he was just a non-factor. He's not bringing anything stupendous to the table on offense and, against a mediocre team like Portland, his lock-down defensive abilities aren't as vital. It will be interesting to see if Rose sticks with him in the starting five next week. |
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Charles Abouo, SF 1-6 FG | 1-4 3PT | 4-6 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 7 PTS Abouo spent a large amount of the game on the bench after picking up a multitude of stupid fouls. When he was actually on the floor, Charles brought great hustle and rebounding like he always does, but he also brought some really bad shot selection. The Cougars would benefit greatly from him making smarter choices on both sides of the ball. |
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Noah Hartsock, PF 0-6 FG | 0-0 3PT | 12-12 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 12 PTS A weird night for Noah, who didn't make a field goal for the first time in... well, as long as I can remember. A lot of that had to do with him going to the bench early after picking up two quick fouls, and the rest had to do with him drawing a foul on pretty much every touch in the second half. Still, he made all 12 of his free throws and, as is the Hartsock way, took care of business when BYU needed him. |
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Brandon Davies, C 7-13 FG | 0-0 3PT | 4-10 FT | 13 REB | 4 AST | 18 PTS A standout performance for Davies, who was literally all over the place. In addition to a strong offensive showing, Brandon also racked up 8 steals — a huge number by any standard, but unheard of for a big man. There's always room for improvement (he led the team in turnovers yet again and missed a boatload of free throws), but Brandon's excellent, balanced play was the driving force behind this win. |
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BENCH
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Nate Austin, C 1-2 FG | 0-0 3PT | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 4 PTS Another uncharacteristically lackluster outing for Austin, who picked up three quick loose-ball fouls in the first half and didn't get substantial time after that, due to Hartsock and Davies' strong play. I'm glad he managed to score 4 points in his 11 minutes, but grabbing only 1 rebound is really inexcusable for a guy who is 6-foot-11. |
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Craig Cusick, PG 4-9 FG | 2-4 3PT | 2-4 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 12 PTS Craig always brings a steadying hand to the BYU offense, but he also brought a little offensive aggressiveness against Portland. In addition to knocking down two 3-pointers, he penetrated the Pilots' defense several times, creating looks for himself and others in the process. As someone who has always pined for a more assertive Cusick, I liked what I saw. |
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Brock Zylstra, SG 3-5 FG | 0-2 3PT | 6-9 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 12 PTS After another invisible first half, Zylstra finally got things going after the break by — gasp! — going to the rack. I know Brock isn't the quickest man on earth, but there's no reason why he can't use his superior size and length to get to the rim against other athletically challenged guards (i.e., most WCC guards) when his shot isn't falling. If this shooting drought continues, BYU's success may depend on it. |
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