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The BYU Cougars men's basketball team started hot and stayed hot on the way to blowing out the San Francisco Dons 99-68 in War Memorial Gymnasium. Anson Winder started off the Cougars scoring by hitting two straight three point shots en route to scoring 17 points in the first half alone. The Cougars shot 74% from the field and 73% from three while jumping out to a 57-29 halftime lead.
It wasn't just Anson who seemed to find the basket early and often. Jake Toolson hit his first three three point jumpers while Chase Fischer also hit three and Tyler Haws hit two as the Cougars finished the first half shooting 11-15 from three for the half.
BYU continued to play defense aggressively holding the Dons to 39% shooting from the field and 25% from three. BYU played man to man and their zone defense. San Francisco also turned it over 8 times which let the Cougars get into transition, which is where they are at their best.
The Dons made some adjustments at halftime by picking up BYU full court and trapping. This confused the Cougars initially, causing some turnovers, but BYU adjusted and kept up their scoring barrage. The other big adjustment was actively trying to get Mark Tollefson, their 6-9 post player who is scoring 15 ppg, the ball. He was able to find to find soft spots on the defense, whether it was sealing the player guarding him on a switch, or taking advantage of the open spots in the zone. It was just way too little to get San Francisco back in the game.
BYU was powered by another triple double by Kyle Colllinsworth who had 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Tyler Haws scored 22 points, Anson Winder had 17, Fischer had 20, and Jake Toolson had 11. BYU ended up shooting 60% from the field and 53% from 3 (15-28).
Next Game
BYU will come home for their next game on Thursday, January 8th against the Pepperdine Waves. The game is scheduled for 9 pm MST and will be televised on ESPNU.