We need to get better point guard play in order to compete with a team like Florida State. – BYU coach Dave Rose
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — It's still early in the season, but BYU coach Dave Rose is already looking for more consistency out of his point guards.
Starter Matt Carlino missed all nine of his attempts from the floor, and had three turnovers, in the Cougars' 88-70 loss to Florida State in the Coaches vs. Cancer semifinals at the Barclays Center Friday night.
Craig Cusick hit a pair of 3-pointers, but was 3 of 11 from the field, while freshman Cory Calvert, playing in his first collegiate road game, was 2 of 5. The trio combined for seven assists.
"We need to get better point-guard play in order to compete with a team like Florida State," said Rose. "Matt tried real hard and he wasn't really effective. Craig was pretty good at times. He hurried quite a few shots. Cory got in for a few minutes and we got some positive plays for him. Hopefully we can get better and be more consistent at that position."
Rose said Carlino, a sophomore, is still learning.
"Matt's a lot stronger and he's in a lot better shape than he was last year. But (Florida State) seemed to rush him a little bit. The more he plays, the more experience he'll get and the more comfortable he'll feel. I thought for the most part he took good shots. He just had a hard time making them."
STRUGGLING FROM DISTANCE: BYU made 6-of-25 shots from the 3-point line against the Seminoles.
The way the Cougars play, good 3-point shooting is a must. It didn't happen Friday.
"We play through our post guys, but our perimeter guys hit shots," Rose said. "If we're going to take 25 3's, we probably need to make more than six."
NOTES: Florida State shot 38 percent from 3-point range in its first two games, but shot 55 percent from beyond the arc Friday. … Brandon Davies had gone 1 of 4 from 3-point territory in his career going into the game. He made his only 3-point attempt against FSU. … Tyler Haws scored a game-high 23 points, just one shy of his career high. Haws has scored more than 20 points in all three games this season.