Rose tinkers with Cougar lineup

PROVO — Hidden somewhere behind Lee Cummard's career-high 27 points and Trent Plaisted scoring his 1,000th point as a Cougar in Wednesday's 88-66 BYU win over Lamar, was the first career start for freshman Chris Collinsworth and the return of gunner Jonathan Tavernari off the bench.

BYU coach Dave Rose wanted Collinsworth's rebounding for more second chances early and he wanted to see what it was like to get a scoring punch from Tavernari as a change of pace for opponents.

Neither disappointed.

Collinsworth had six rebounds in 15 minutes, and Tavernari entered the game and immediately dumped in a pair of mid-range field goals, buried a 3-pointer and made a reverse layin. He set up Cummard for a pick-and-roll layup in the first half.

Tavernari, whose shooting has slumped to one of every three tries, finished 4 of 12, and those shot attempts were second to Cummard's 16.

It was only a three weeks ago that Tavernari scored 29 points against No. 1 North Carolina. He had eight rebounds and 11 points against Lamar.

Collinsworth took just five shots, but he made the only trey he attempted.

How did Tavernari feel about bench work again after he carried that role as a freshman last year?

Well, he didn't look like a drum major at the head of the parade before and during the game, but he accepted the job and played 25 minutes — two below his average.

Tavernari was not available for comment after the game.

"I think the coach wants to evaluate it and see how it works," said Cummard. "As long as I've been here, he likes to have a scoring punch off the bench to give us a lift. I think he's going to evaluate that over time."

Part of Cummard's career-best 27 points included a sizzling 5 of 7 from three-point land, a stat Cummard said is the best he can remember, even back to his high school days.

"I haven't taken that many outside shots. I've gone 3 for 3 from there before, but even in high school, I never took a lot of 3-pointers."

In Lamar the Cougars got a run-and-gun opponent who tried to press and push the ball on the Cougars. At times, the game looked like something out of a Harlem Globetrotter exhibition with Cummard leading one fast break after a Jimmer Fredette steal and turning down an easy layup for an off-the-glass pass and dunk by trailing Plaisted. Lamar made plenty of layins and had nine steals.

"We weren't trying to be the Harlem Globetrotters out there," said Cummard. "We believe we can break anybody's press, and we want to come out and attack it."

Lamar's coach, Steve Roccaforte, who enjoyed an overtime win over the Cougars in Beaumont, Texas, a year ago, saw his team fall 51 points short of the 117 notched against its last opponent — Louisiana College.

"They are a Top 25 team that's well coached and has played some tough teams," said Roccaforte of the Cougars, who got No. 36 straight in the Marriott Center. "We didn't do what we needed to offensively or defensively to win a game like this."

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