PROVO — It was only an exhibition game, but for BYU freshman Trent Plaisted it was a coming-out party of sorts.

The 6-foot-11 center scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Cougars' 86-72 victory Thursday over Division II foe Seattle Pacific before a crowd of 7,788 in the Marriott Center.

BYU needed Plaisted's points and rebounds as the Cougars trailed at halftime, 35-33.

Plaisted helped fuel a 30-8 run in the second half that lifted BYU to a 65-55 advantage. From there, the Cougars cruised.

"I was really pleased with Trent," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "You want to have, especially when you have a young team, guys to have breakout games. He really bailed us out when we needed it. We were having a hard time hitting shots. We got a good matchup inside, and we took advantage of it."

"It always feels good to have some points," Plaisted said. "I'm ecstatic that (teammates) found me, and they did a good job of that. They put me in great situations."

Plaisted hit 11 of 19 shots from the floor, and eight of his rebounds were on offense.

"He's a different look as a post player because he's so athletic," said guard Jimmy Balderson, who scored 13 points. "He's as athletic as a guard. He's 7 feet tall, and he runs like an antelope or gazelle, whatever. He played great tonight. He's getting some good low-post moves. He put up big numbers."

Seattle Pacific had no answers for Plaisted.

"He's got mobility and he's very tough around the basket," Seattle Pacific coach Jeff Hironaka said. "He had a good matchup down low, and he exposed us well."

In the second half, the Cougars outscored the Falcons by 16 and outshot them 63 percent to 36 percent.

"We had a hard time starting the game, which is indicative of a young team playing an experienced team," Rose said. "We got in a hole. It changed the mindset of everybody. We were very impatient in the first half. We did a better job in the second half. I was proud of the way this team responded to adversity. It was a good experience for our team, and I think we'll learn from it."

"There were some defensive issues that we had," Plaisted said. "We were too impatient in the first half. We got a little jumpy and we didn't take our time."

Guard Mike Rose, who suffered a laceration on his face last week, did not play Thursday but should be ready to go for the season opener next week.

Rashaun Broadus scored nine points in 21 minutes despite playing in foul trouble; Austin Ainge recorded a team-high eight assists and scored seven points in 25 minutes.

The Falcons had three players score in double figures — Dustin Bremerman (22 points), Robbie Will (19 points) and Tony Binetti (10 points). They visit another Mountain West Conference opponent, New Mexico, on Saturday.

For the Cougars, the win marked their final exhibition contest of the season. They won their first one, last week over the University of Victoria, 81-54.

BYU opens the season Nov. 18 at home against Loyola Marymount.

CORRECTION: BYU rescheduled its game against Lamar to Wednesday, Nov. 30. A story in Thursday's edition had a different day. It will be played at the Delta Center.

SOUTHERN UTAH 59, ADAMS STATE 54: At Cedar City, four Thunderbird players scored in double figures, led by Rand Janes with a game-high 17 points, as Southern Utah rallied to defeat Adams State in the T-Birds' exhibition finale.

Adams State led48-42 with just under nine minutes to play, but SUU held ASC to just six points the rest of the way. Southern Utah took the lead for good on a Lubor Olsovsky jumper with 2:28 to go. Olsovsky scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, including five of SUU's final seven points.

Southern Utah opens the regular season next weekend with three games at the New Mexico-hosted Jim Thorpe Tournament. SUU starts with Mississippi Friday, Nov. 18, followed with a date vs. South Carolina State Saturday, Nov. 19, and will wrap up the tournament against the Lobos Sunday, Nov. 20.

MESA STATE 59, UTAH VALLEY STATE 57: At Orem, Utah Valley State fell to Division II foe Mesa State. The Wolverines were down nine points with a minute to go in the game, but a furious rally fueled by full-court pressure helped UVSC tie the score at 57 with 20 seconds to play. The Mavericks held the ball for the final shot, but Andy Classick missed a short turnaround in the paint, which Stephen Soriano tipped in with 0.7 seconds left. A last-gasp, full court pass by UVSC fell short.

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Classick led the Mavericks with 13 points. Jones added 12. Senior guard Sylvester Allison was the leading UVSC scorer with 12 points. Matt Peterson and Pierre Thomas contributed nine points apiece.

WOMEN'S HOOPS

BADEN SPORTS NORTHWEST 76, UTAH STATE 65: At Logan, former WNBA and UC Santa Barbara standout Stacy Clinesmith scored a game-high 23 points, including 18 in the second-half, to lift Baden Sports Northwest to a 76-65 exhibition win. Utah State finished with four players in double figures, led by Brittany Hagen and Ali Marchant, who each had 16 points. Utah State will open its 2005-06 season on Nov. 18 as it hosts the University of Montana.

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