Four Cougars score in double digits in win over Findlay

BYU vs. Findlay box score
BYU vs. Findlay: Postgame Notes & Quotes

PROVO, Utah – Tyler Haws scored 19 points and Brandon Davies had a double-double Saturday as the BYU men's basketball team defeated Findlay 90-61 in the Marriott Center. The Cougars finish the exhibition season with a 2-0 record.

“I thought that playing against a team that really likes to control the tempo gave us an opportunity to try and force our pace," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "I thought that they did a really good job at times taking us out of things and denying things, which caused us to kind of get confused. But I thought that we adjusted well. There were a lot of things that we did well in this game but there are a lot of things that we can learn from. I think that it’s a good step in our process of getting better. I look forward to evaluating this tape and getting back on Monday and getting ready for the start of the season next week.”

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Four BYU players scored in double figures including Haws (19), Davies (14), Craig Cusick (12) and Brock Zylstra (14). Every player that dressed scored and recorded at least one rebound.

Davies, who finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds, got started early by dunking the ball home for the first points of the game. Haws made a couple mid-range jumpers in a row to put the Cougars up 10-3 early. Davies wore the jersey of former Cougar and Provo High School teammate Chris Collinsworth. Collinsworth's career ended earlier this fall due to injury.

“That’s a pretty sensitive subject because Brandon is so close to that family," Rose said. "He talked about a lot of things to honor Chris, including switching his number to 41 at the beginning of the season. But with a lot of discussion, we felt that he was pretty sure that this was what he wanted to do. He’s pretty close to the family and he thought that this was something that he could do to honor him.”

After Findlay used a 9-2 run to tie the game at 12, Craig Cusick and Davies scored back-to-back three-point plays to spark a 15-2 run that put BYU ahead 27-14 at the 8:08 mark in the first half.

Cusick was a spark off the bench for the home team, hitting a trio of three-pointers in the first half. He finished the game 4 for 6 from downtown with 12 points. Cusick also showed some hustle, diving to save a ball from rolling out of bounds, which led to a layup for Davies in the first half.

Josh Sharp provided another lift for the Cougars, grabbing five offensive rebounds in the game. He finished the night with six points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes.

The home team entered the second half with a 40-24 lead. On the first possession of the half, Cusick hit his fourth 3-pointer of the night. A jumper by Haws followed and put the Cougars up by 20.

During one stretch, newcomer Raul Delgado scored or assisted on four-straight possessions. It was part of a 17-4 run that put the Cougars ahead 62-33 wth 11:13 to go in the game. BYU shot 45.5 percent (5 of 11) from behind the arc in the second half and made nine three-pointers in the game.

After getting fouled on a reverse layup, Brock Zylstra completed a three-point play to put BYU up by 30 at 72-42 with 7:29 to play. Zylstra finished the night with 14 points, all in the second half.

The season-opener for the Cougars is Friday, Nov. 9, against Tennessee State at 7 p.m. MT in the Marriott Center. The game is the first of two home games for BYU that are a part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The Cougars also host Georgia State on Nov. 13 before playing Florida State and either Notre Dame and St. Joseph's at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Nov. 16 and 17.