Cougars cruise past Tigers

BYU vs. Colorado College Postgame Notes and Quotes

BYU vs. Colorado College Box Score

PROVO, Utah – Matt Carlino finished with a game-high 23 points to lead the BYU men's basketball team to a 94-59 victory over Colorado College on Saturday at the Marriott Center.

"I think that we accomplished a lot of things tonight and we got a lot of players a lot of minutes," BYU basketball head coach Dave Rose said. "For the most part, we accomplished what you hope to accomplish in an exhibition game. We saw some good things, saw a lot of things we need to improve on. Hopefully this week of practice and this experience will really help our team move forward." 

Highlights and Coach Rose Interview

Carlino added three rebounds, three steals and an assist to his 23 points, while Tyler Haws added 14 points and two assists in 20 minutes of play. Sophomore Kyle Collinsworth finished with a double-double, 13 points and 11 rebounds, five assists and a block with Anson Winder adding 13 points (3 of 5 from three), five rebounds, two assists and two steals of his own. 

"I think coach wanted me to get in rhythm in the second half," Collinsworth said. "It's my first game in two and a half years. I'm just getting my legs under me and getting my confidence up. The second half felt more like me. Less thinking and more playing."

Carlino led the way in the first half with 16 points, two rebounds and two steals, while Haws scored nine. The Cougars shot 48.6 percent from the field and dominated in the paint outscoring the Tigers 26-14 and outrebounding them 23-17. 

The Cougars went on an 11-0 run to start the game with freshman Eric Mika scoring the first two with his back to the basket and Carlino scoring the next seven consecutive points in two minutes.

With 9:28 remaining in the half, freshman Bartley got the steal and assisted Nate Austin for a two-hand dunk over a Tiger in transition. Austin was fouled on the dunk and completed the three-point play to grab the 26-24 lead. The 6-foot-11 junior finished with five points, seven rebounds and two assists. Bartley’s strong move to the basket at the 7:17 mark capped the Cougars’ 11-0 run over 2:11 minutes that gave BYU a 34-24 advantage.

Skyler Halford, who finished with eight points, two assist and three steals, made a jumper at the buzzer to give BYU the 49-39 lead going into halftime.  

The Cougars ran away with it in the second half going on a 13-2 run over the first five minutes to extend their lead by 21 points, which included a three-point play from Haws. BYU also held the Tigers to a 7.7 field-goal percentage for the first 11 minutes of the half, only allowing one field goal. 

"In the second half we were more aggressive defensively," Rose said. "In the first half, we stood a lot on the weak side, our on-ball defense was really light. We gradually got more aggressive as the game went on, which was good for our defense." 

Later in the half, Halford drove to the basket and completed the three-point play as part of BYU’s 14-0 run to extend the lead to 77-43. Mika scored on a putback dunk at the 4:57 mark that was followed by a block at the other end.

Five players scored in double-figures including Carlino (23), Haws (14), Collinsworth (13), Winder (13) and Worthington (10). As they prepare for the regular season, the Cougars look to make a deep run into the postseason. 

"Hopefully win the conference championship, getting in the tournament and going as deep as possible," Winder said. "That's been our goal every year and hopefully we get there this year." 

The Cougars stay at home for their second exhibition game against Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. MT. The game will be televised live on BYUtv and broadcast on the Cougar IMG Sports Network on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM.