BYU vs. Portland: Report card

PORTLAND, Ore. — It wasn't a pretty game, but the Cougars got it done -- defeating the Pilots 79-60 with a scrappy and effective defensive effort Saturday night.

Grades are in for every position group and for the team as a whole.

Frontcourt

Noah Hartsock struggled after sitting out almost the entire first half due to foul trouble. He finished with just 12 points on 0-of-6 shooting from the field and 12-of-12 shooting from the stripe. To his credit, he didn't force the action with his shot being off.

Brandon Davies saw much more production than his frontcourt counterpart, scoring 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting. His more impressive stats were his eight steals and 13 rebounds as he dominated the course of play on the defensive end.

Nate Austin added four points off the bench with Josh Sharp adding a free throw in limited time in the first half. Grade: B

Wings

Charles Abouo had another inconsistent effort — sitting out most of the second half after picking up his fourth foul early. He finished with just seven points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field.

Anson Winder got his second straight start and again provided good perimeter defense. He was very quiet on the offensive end, however, going scoreless on 0-of-2 shooting.

Brock Zylstra had a quiet game coming off the of the bench, but finished strong — scoring 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting. DaMarcus Harrison saw limited time in the first half, but was unable to make much of an impact. Grade: C+

Point

Matt Carlino again struggled with his shot, hitting on just 3-of-11 attempts and going 0-for-4 from the arc for 13 points. He also drew BYU coach Dave Rose's ire for defensive lapses early in the second half when the Pilots were making their run.

Craig Cusick provided some very effective minutes spelling Carlino in the first half. He finished with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting. He provided the type of steady play fans have come to expect and also had four assists. Grade: B-

Overall

The Cougars did what was expected, defeating the Pilots by double-digits while leading throughout most of the contest. It wasn't pretty, but the Cougar proved scrappy on the defensive end while again struggling with their perimeter shooting. Grade: B

Email: bgurney@desnews.com

Twitter: @BrandonCGurney