BYU closed out the preseason Saturday as the Cougars beat Seattle Pacific 75-44 at the Marriott Center. Junior Chase Fischer led all scorers with a game-high 21 points and added four assists and two steals.
The game started out with a back-and-forth battle, until the Cougars went on an 11-0 run to take their first double-digit lead of the game at 2:39 leading 29-19. BYU finished the half up 40-30 after shooting 51.5 percent from the field and dishing out 11 assists.
BYU extended its lead to 20, 58-38, following a layup by Anson Winder. With only 0:40 remaining, Jordan Ellis drove in to give BYU its largest lead of the game, 75-44.
“I thought we did a good job of protecting the rim tonight,” BYU coach Dave Rose said. “We played well on defense and just needed to finish some of our plays a little better.”
Tyler Haws finished with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and four steals. He also scored the first points in both halves of the game.
After being cleared to play, junior Kyle Collinsworth added two points and four assists in his first start of the season after his injury from last season. His points came on a two-hand dunk in the first half.
Surprising fans and giving them something to scream about was freshman Corbin Kaufusi, who finished with a game-high eight rebounds and three great blocks in 15 minutes of playing time.
“In the second half, we made a lot of adjustments,” Fischer said. “The main thing was our pressure. We caused a lot of turnovers, and our weak-side help was there. In the second half, we came out and really executed well.”
Frank Bartley IV added four points to the game, including a dunk a charge on defense to keep BYU ahead.
Freshman Dalton Nixon contributed with five points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
The Cougars finished the game shooting 50 percent from the field while holding SPU to a 23.1 shooting percentage in the second half to only allow 14 points. BYU played a solid game overall but will need to continue to stay out of foul trouble and expand its shot from the three-point line.
BYU scored 34 points on 24 SPU turnovers, and the Cougar bench contributed 35 points for the game.
“I’m pleased with what happened tonight,” Rose said. “I’m pleased we were able to get so many guys in. I thought everybody who came in added something positive to the game. We had an opportunity to gain some experience and learn, and we’re looking forward to Friday’s game.”
As a team, the Cougars shot 50 percent from the field, 32 percent from three and 83 percent from the line for the game. Twelve of the 13 players who entered the game for BYU scored, and 10 Cougars recorded at least one steal. BYU also dished out 17 assists, while forcing 24 turnovers.
