Big Second Half Run Sparks Cougars to Victory

PROVO -- BYU defeated the Dominican Republic National Team, 92-55, in its final exhibition contest Wednesday night at the Marriott Center.

All 11 Cougars that dressed scored in a game that saw many lineup changes. BYU coach Steve Cleveland wanted to use a large rotation to give his players more experience entering the regular season.

Both teams got off to slow start during a sloppy first half that featured a combined 17 turnovers. Following a timeout, BYU closed out the half on a 12-6 run to earn a nine-point lead going into the locker room.

Cleveland was not happy with his team's effort to begin the game, but was pleased with how they bounced back.

"We did a better job of getting the ball into the post in the second half," Cleveland said. "We just need to make sure that we sustain our effort and compete on every possession."

For BYU, five players scored in double figures, led by forward Travis Hansen with 18 points and eight rebounds. Mark Bigelow scored 16 points, Jared Jensen chipped in 12, while Kevin Woodberry and Ricky Bower each added 10.

A bright spot for the Cougars was JC transfer Rafael Araujo. The big center scored nine points and pulled down eight rebounds in just 17 minutes.

The Dominican Republic shot 27 percent from the field in the second half compared to BYU's 56 percent shooting. The Cougars began the second half with a 20-4 run, extending its lead to 57-32, and never looked back.

Amaury Fillion led the Dominican Republic with 11 points while Carlos Panniagua pulled down a team-leading six rebounds.

BYU shot just four free throws in the first half, but earned easy scores in the final 20 minutes, shooting 17 of 22 from the stripe. With the win, BYU improves to 20-5 overall against foreign touring teams.

"We know what our team is capable of, we just need to continue to work hard," Cleveland said.

BYU now makes its final preparations before taking its show on the road at the University of The Virgin Islands Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Nov. 22-25. BYU squares off against Toledo in its first game and will play Kansas State on Nov.23. The Cougars will then face Michigan, Virginia Tech or St. Bonaventure in the final round on Nov. 25.

Official Basketball Box Score -- GAME TOTALS -- FINAL STATISTICS
Dominican Republic vs BRIGHAM YOUNG Cougars
11/13/02 7:00 PM at Marriott Center
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VISITORS: Dominican Republic
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
05 PANNIAGUA, Carlos... *  0-6    0-0    3-4    1  5  6   0   3  2  0  1  1  23
08 PAULINO, Henry...... *  1-3    1-2    2-2    1  1  2   1   5  1  1  0  0  17
10 ARIAS, Christian J.. *  2-2    0-0    0-1    1  4  5   1   4  1  3  0  0  21
12 FILLION, Amaury..... *  3-11   0-1    5-6    0  2  2   4  11  0  2  1  1  25
15 MARTINEZ, Marlon.... *  1-3    0-0    4-4    2  2  4   4   6  0  4  0  1  17
04 GOMEZ, Erik.........    0-3    0-2    0-0    1  0  1   2   0  0  0  0  1   7
06 VANTROY, Otto.......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   2   0  1  2  0  1  10
07 PAULINO, Ramon......    2-5    0-1    0-0    2  1  3   1   4  0  2  0  0  12
09 AYBAR, Junior.......    4-4    0-0    1-2    0  2  2   3   9  0  0  0  2  14
11 LALANE, Henry.......    3-11   3-7    0-0    0  2  2   1   9  2  3  0  1  20
13 LENDERBOR, Okaris...    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  2  1  0  1  11
14 SOLONO, Julio.......    2-5    0-0    0-3    1  1  2   4   4  1  3  1  2  23
   TEAM................                         3  2  5
   Totals..............   18-53   4-13  15-22  12 23 35  25  55 10 21  3 11 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-27 40.7%   2nd Half:  7-26 26.9%   Game: 34.0%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  1-4  25.0%   2nd Half:  3-9  33.3%   Game: 30.8%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-8  62.5%   2nd Half: 10-14 71.4%   Game: 68.2%    0
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HOME TEAM: BRIGHAM YOUNG Cougars
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
02 HANSEN, Travis...... *  8-14   0-3    2-3    3  5  8   2  18  3  2  0  2  25
03 BIGELOW, Mark....... *  5-8    1-3    5-6    1  1  2   1  16  1  1  1  3  23
24 WOODBERRY, Kevin.... *  4-7    1-3    1-4    0  1  1   2  10  3  0  0  2  20
52 JENSEN, Jared....... *  4-8    0-0    4-5    2  1  3   3  12  1  0  0  0  22
55 ARAUJO, Rafael...... *  4-5    0-0    1-1    1  7  8   2   9  2  2  0  1  17
04 LEMES, Luiz.........    0-4    0-2    2-2    0  4  4   0   2  2  2  0  1  19
10 NASHIF, Terry.......    2-4    2-3    0-0    0  1  1   2   6  1  0  0  0  17
14 BOWER, Ricky........    4-7    1-4    1-1    0  0  0   2  10  2  2  0  0  18
15 ALLEN, John.........    2-4    0-0    0-0    0  2  2   5   4  2  3  0  0  19
32 JEPSEN, Bart........    0-1    0-0    1-2    1  5  6   1   1  1  2  0  0  10
40 HOWARD, Dan.........    1-3    0-0    2-2    1  4  5   0   4  1  0  1  0  13
   TEAM................                         3  1  4
   Totals..............   34-65   5-18  19-26  12 32 44  20  92 19 14  2  9 203
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 16-33 48.5%   2nd Half: 18-32 56.3%   Game: 52.3%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-10 30.0%   2nd Half:  2-8  25.0%   Game: 27.8%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  2-4  50.0%   2nd Half: 17-22 77.3%   Game: 73.1%    1
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Officials: Duane Allen, Mike Littlewood, Scott Thornley
Technical fouls: Dominican Republic-None. BRIGHAM YOUNG Cougars-None.
Attendance:
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Dominican Republic............   28   27  -   55
BRIGHAM YOUNG Cougars.........   37   55  -   92

PROVO -- BYU plays its final exhibition basketball game Wednesday when it hosts the Dominican Republic National Team at 7 p.m. in the Marriott Center.

"These exhibition games give our players, especially the new guys learning our system, a chance to compete and get more game experience," BYU coach Steve Cleveland said. "We hope to see improvement as we continue to prepare for the start of the regular season."

The Cougars are coming off an 89-84 exhibition victory over the EA Sports Southwest All-Stars on Nov. 5. Junior forward Mark Bigelow led the Cougars with 23 points while newcomer point guard Kevin Woodberry added 16 and senior guard Travis Hansen 15.

Cleveland is expected to play a large rotation Wednesday as players like junior forwards Jake Shoff and Bart Jepsen, who have been limited by injuries, could get some playing time. Likely starters include Hansen, Bigelow, Woodberry, sophomore forward/center Jared Jensen and junior center Rafael Araujo.

Wednesday's game in the Marriott Center will be the Dominican Republic's third game of its five-game tour of the United States. Coached by Jose Dominguez, the Dominican Republic (0-2) opened with a 73-56 loss at Northern Iowa on Saturday before an 82-63 defeat at Southwest State (Marshall, Minn.) on Sunday. They finish their schedule at San Francisco on Friday and at Tulsa on Sunday.

BYU has a 19-5 overall exhibition record against foreign touring teams. Last year BYU defeated a professional club team from England, the London Leopards, 90-70. 

The Cougars will use Wednesday's exhibition to prepare for the regular season opener on Nov. 22 at the University of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. BYU will play Toledo Nov. 22, and Kansas State Nov. 23, before facing Michigan, Virginia Tech or St. Bonaventure in the tournament's final round on Nov. 25. The Cougars open their regular season home schedule against Rice on Dec. 30 in the Marriott Center.