BYU basketball: Cougars put on a show for fans

PROVO — Considering the way the teams were put together, it was little surprise to anyone that the White team — loaded with the veterans — knocked off the Blue team 59-51 Wednesday in BYU's Cougar Tipoff.

Coach Dave Rose put most of the inexperienced players on the Blue team so he could see how they'd respond without a top-scoring veteran to lean on. In the first half they looked lost, making only 4-of-18 shots. But in the second half they closed a 17-point lead down to seven, before falling by eight.

"I was really pleased with the improvement from the first half to the second half ... I thought that they were able to get those first-start jitters out and in the second half settled in and played more like we wanted to play," Rose said.

Realistically, the score was meaningless. What fans and coaches wanted to see was how returners Lee Cummard and Jonathan Tavernari looked, and how the guys fighting for the open guard and post spots played.

Tavernari was by far the sharpest Cougar on the court with 23 points and eight rebounds. His long-distance shooting was already in midseason form with 5-of-11 shooting from behind the arc. Cummard, also on the White team, didn't look to score as much but still finished with 11 points and five boards.

Rose, looking to fill the vacancy left by Trent Plaisted's departure in the middle, liked what he saw from center Chris Miles, who played a very physical game for the White in finishing with 14 points and six boards. Gavin McGregor also played strong in his minutes on both squads.

"Defensively in the post, I thought we were good," Rose said.

Fighting for time at both the No. 2 and No. 3 positions are sophomore Jackson Emery and freshman Charles Abouo. Both, playing for the Blue, were hesitant in the first half but came out a little more confident in the second half. All of Abouo's 11 points came after the break and Emery finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.

In the battle for the critical point guard job, Rose said it appears to be between Jimmer Fredette and Lamont Morgan. Fredette, who is more of a scorer, also led the Blue team with 11 points, but had four turnovers to three assists. Morgan, more of a penetrator, was the game's high assist man with five and only two turnovers to go with his five points.

"Those are guys who compete for the position, probably, for most of the year," Rose said.

Freshman forward Noah Hartsock, hoping to avoid a redshirt season, scored four points on 2-of-6 shooting and grabbed five boards. Michael Loyd, seeking time at both the point and No. 2 guard position, had six points and three assists in 40 minutes.

The game's surprise performer was redshirt freshman Matt Pinegar, who sparked the Blue team's second-half rally with three 3-pointers and 11 points in a quick span.

"We've got a long way to go, but I really believe this team has a lot of good pieces," Rose said.

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