BYU shoots their way past Santa Clara

Nov 26, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard

(3) shoots as Wichita State Shockers guard

(15) defends during the second half of the game at Sprint Center. Wichita won 75-62. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The BYU Cougars used their offensive prowess once again to defeat the Santa Clara Broncos 89-76 on Thursday night at the Marriott Center. Tyler Haws had his 5th straight 20+ point output, leading the Cougars with 27 points.  Kyle Collinsworth added 18 points, 4 assists, and 5 steals, while Skyler Halford added 12 points and 4 assists.  Big men Eric Mika and Nate Austin combined for 18 rebounds, while Mika also added 15 points.

Brandon Clark and Jared Brownridge each scored 16 points, though it took Brownridge 19 shots to score his points.  Freshman Jalen Richard also added 10 points.

BYU led by 13 at the half and steadily increased their lead in the first part of the second half, leading to an easy victory for the Cougars.

KEYS TO THE GAME

BYU

X – Get Carlino on track: Carlino had an average game despite playing a season-low 15 minutes.  5 points, 1/4 shooting, 2 assists, 2 turnovers.  Clearly Carlino is in Coach Rose’s doghouse, as he didn’t enter the game until the 10:37 mark of the first half.  BYU didn’t need him tonight, but they will need him against better WCC teams.

Santa Clara

✓ – Jerry Brown: Brown played fairly well despite only playing 16 minutes.  He had 7 points on 3/5 shooting, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.  Kerry Keating should have played him more as he was not in foul trouble and was very effective while he was on the floor.

KEY MATCHUP

Tyler Haws vs. Jared Brownridge: Brownridge shot 5/19 from the field (0/6 beyond the arc), while Tyler Haws shot 9/12 from the field.  These two players absolutely made the difference in this game.  Had Brownridge had a breakout game, he could’ve allowed Santa Clara to remain close in the second half.

MOVING FORWARD

BYU had another good offensive game, and they will need to continue to play well offensively and maybe play some defense when they host San Francisco on Saturday.  Last year, San Francisco beat BYU at home 99-87, and the Cougars do not want to let history repeat itself.

Santa Clara will look to score enough defeat San Diego on the road on Saturday when they travel to the Jenny Craig Pavilion.  If Evan Roquemore gets going (I’ve been saying this all season long), the Broncos can be very dangerous.