PROVO, Utah – Austin Ainge and Mike Rose scored 14 points each in BYU’s 77-52 win over Southern Utah Tuesday night.
Ainge scored all his points in the second half, drilling four 3-pointers and completing the night with five assists and three steals. Rose led the Cougars in the first half with 11 points.
BYU (4-8) shot 65 percent in the second half to build a 15-point lead early in the second half and keep the Thunderbirds (6-4) from a comeback.
The Cougars were also 12-of-21 from behind the arc, making nine 3-pointers in the second half. The Cougars had five scorers in double figures, including Mike Hall with 12 points.
Derek Dawes helped the Cougars inside, scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
The Thunderbirds could not get going offensively all night, shooting 17-for-47 from the field. Tim Gainey and Rand Janes led the Thunderbirds with nine points each.
Gainey, who averages 15.3 points a game for Southern Utah, struggled to find his shot against Hall, last year’s Mountain West Conference Defender of the Year.
The win marks the first time this year BYU has won two consecutive games and ended a four-game win streak for Southern Utah. BYU is now 8-0 all-time against the Thunderbirds.
