Tavernari in the South American Championships

Championship - Brazil 87, Argentina 77

NEIVA -- Brazil defeated Argentina to finish 5-0 and claim the 2010 South American Championship. Former Cougar Jonathan Tavernari had five points, two boards, one block and one steal.

Semifinals - Brazil 79, Venezuela 67

NEIVA -- Tavernari had eight points and six boards in helping Brazil defeat Venezuela 79-67 and advance to the final of the South American Championships. He was 3-of-5 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three. Former Cougar Luis Lemes saw five minutes of action for Brazil.

Group Play - Brazil 93, Paraguay 81

NEIVA -- Tavernari posted 16 points, six boards and a steal to help Brazil defeat Paraguay 93-81 in the final game of group play at the South American Championships. He shot 6-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-8 from downtown. For the tournament, Tavernari is averaging 13.7 points and 1.3 steals and has hit 7-of-12 (.583) from three.

Brazil won Group A with a 3-0 record and plays Venezuela, which finished tied for first in Group B at 2-1, on Friday.

Brazil Opens South American Championships with Two Wins

NEIVA -- Former BYU forward Jonathan Tavernari has helped Brazil to a 2-0 start at the 2010 South American Championships.

In his third summer playing for Brazil, Tavernari has helped his squad to wins over Chile (69-54) and Uruguay (89-63). Against Chile he had 10 points and four rebounds while shooting 3-of-5 from the field, including 2-of-2 from downtown. In the victory over Uruguay he posted a team-high 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Tavernari completed his BYU career as the program's all-time leader in made threes. He was a three-time conference champion and earned MWC Freshman of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year and three selections to the All-MWC Third Team.