BYU basketball: Cougars turn up the heat in second half, beat Santa Clara 96-79

Leading by only a point at halftime, BYU managed to turn up the heat in the second half and emerge with a 96-79 win over the Santa Clara Broncos on Saturday.

Santa Clara suffered a bout of cold shooting and soft defense during the second half. It watched BYU's lead climb up to as many as 23 points.

Matt Carlino led the Cougars in scoring with 28 points despite suffering through a first-half injury. Early in the game, Carlino was hit in the face while driving to the basket and had to leave briefly to take care of a cut on his right eyebrow. Although he played both halves of the game, he most likely will need stitches.

Santa Clara struggled offensively and shot just 38 percent from the field. The Broncos had a big showing from senior guard Kevin Foster, who finished with 18 points and nine assists.

Getting to the basket was not a problem for the Cougars against Santa Clara. The Cougars racked up 50 points in the paint.

Whitney O'Bannon is currently a new media sports intern for the Deseret News.