BYU blasts San Diego, grabs first WCC victory

It simply was never in doubt. After a disappointing opening salvo in their West Coast Conference opener, the BYU Cougars took out their frustrations on the San Diego Toreros in Provo on Saturday evening. On the back of a monster night from Brandon Davies, who finished with 21 points and 22 rebounds, the Cougars provided the Toreros an unsavory welcome to the Marriott Center. Just over 16,000 fans were treated to a New Year's Eve demolition as BYU opened up lead of 18-5 and the Toreros couldn't find any sort of offensive rhythm. BYU's defensive effort, which was in dire need of resuscitation after some missed opportunities against St. Mary's, showed signs of improvement on Saturday.

The Toreros shot a paltry 23 percent from the field. San Diego's starters combined to score just 23 points and the Toreros found themselves down 52-28 at the under-16 timeout. Ken Rancifer played 28 minutes off the bench and scored a team-high 12 points. The Toreros lost their fourth game in a row.

It was a night to remember for Brandon Davies. The Cougars seemingly followed his emotional lead and took the fight out of the underdog Toreros early in the contest. BYU is such a dangerous team when Davies is heavily invested in the outcome. An active, assertive Davies allows guys like Noah Hartsock and Charles Abouo more space to operate. The rebounding battle was just as out-of-hand, with the Cougars holding a massive 47 to 30 advantage.

Hartsock and Abouo had 15 points apiece as the Cougars shot a collective 47 percent from the field.

BYU improved to 12-4 on the season and scored its first West Coast Conference win.

NEXT UP: 1/5 @ Loyola Marymount