We had a lot of fun, shared the ball, everyone contributed and it was great to play somebody else for a change. – BYU center Brandon Davies
PROVO — Southeastern Oklahoma State had no answer for BYU senior center Brandon Davies, who scored at will in BYU's 103-57 exhibition win in the Marriott Center on Friday.
Davies scored 25 points in 18 minutes of play and converted 9 of 12 field goals. Brock Zylstra came off the bench for 17 and Tyler Haws added 15 to pace the Cougars.
"We had a lot of fun, shared the ball, everyone contributed and it was great to play somebody else for a change," said Davies.
"Our post guys played very well tonight," said BYU coach Dave Rose. "Their inside guys are a pretty skilled group, but I thought we were more mobile and able to run the floor and get the ball in spots we wanted to get it."
Sophomore Nate Austin, redshirt freshman Ian Harward, Josh Sharp and Agustin Ambrosino combined for 20 points on BYU's front line. The Cougars shot 51 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3-point land. BYU took a 50-25 halftime lead after a 23-8 start.
Southeastern Oklahoma State coach Kelly Green, who tutored former Cougar Rafael Araujo at a junior college in Arizona, had no answer for Davies, who hit a pair of threes in the first half and continually scored 3-point plays the old fashioned way.
Freshman guard Cory Calvert fed Davies a looping set up for a one-handed dunk in the first. In the second, Davies' first two baskets were finishes on the break, the first a no-look behind the head lay-in bucket.
Point guard Matt Carlino had a game-high 8 assists, many off the fast-break by pushing the ball. Rose said Carlino should be more comfortable dictating the pace of play for the Cougars this season.
Davies had 17 points and 6 rebounds in the first nine minutes of the game.
Transfers Ambrosino and Raul Delgado made their first field goal attempts, both from beyond the arc. Delgado made 3 of 5 from distance.
Anxious to get a look at transfers Ambrosino, Delgado and freshmen Harward and Calvert in a game setting in the Marriott Center, Rose said he was pleased with their debut.
Ambrosino, a 6-8 forward from Salt Lake Community College, had a team-high 8 rebounds, although he was only 1 for 6 from the floor. "He's going to get most of his shots from beyond the 3-point line," said Rose. "We need him to rebound and play defense, and he showed he can do that tonight."
Rose started Carlino and Cusick in the backcourt with Haws and Sharp at forward and Davies at center. Sophomore guard Anson Winder did not suit up due to an ankle sprain. "He got hurt the second week of school, a torn ligament in the ankle, and it ballooned up this week, so we had more X-rays," said Rose. "We'll see how it goes."
The Cougars host Findlay in a second exhibition game Nov. 3.
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