BYU vs Adams State recap: Cougars stifle the Grizzlies 97-56

After a miserable performance on Monday the BYU Cougars were looking to get back on track as the Adams State Grizzlies came into Provo. Some of the concerns that Coach Rose was looking to correct were the free-throw shooting, turnovers, and the transition offense. Early in the first half the Cougars struggled in all three areas and the Grizzlies took advantage. Although BYU took an early lead off a block by Corbin Kaufusi that led to a Kyle Collinsworth dunk and then a layup by Kaufusi, The Grizzlies had three pointers on their mind as they hit from deep early and played with the Cougars most of the half. The teams would trade leads through the first 15 minutes of the half and but Adams State held their last lead at 23-22. With just minutes left in the half the Cougars found their rhythm and started to pull away.

With the Cougars down one, the run started with an inside shot by Nick Emery and then an assist from Collinsworth to Jordan Chatman. After a pair of free throws for the Grizzlies, Collinsworth hit a circus shot as he went under the rim and bounced the ball off the backboard for the bucket and the foul. After hitting the free-throw the Cougars went up 29-25 before Collinsworth found Emery for an up and under shot. The Cougars would allow the Grizzlies to get back within three at 32-29 before Chase Fischer drove for a bucket, Emery stole a pass and tossed it for an easy Kaufusi dunk, and then Emery hit a three pointer himself. After playing close the majority of the half the Cougars pulled away to a 42-29 lead walking into the locker room.

The second half didn't fare any better for the Grizzlies as the Cougars stifled them on defense and dominated on offense. While the defense created turnovers, the offense went on a 34-4 run to start the half, putting the game away for good. Nick Emery led the Cougars on their run and continued it throughout the game as he finished the game as the leading scorer. By the final media time out the Cougars were getting valuable minutes from their young bench players and they were making it count. The Cougars large lead was at 44 before the young team gave up some garbage time points as they finished the game with a 97-56 win.

The Cougars improved in all three categories of concern but the adjustments in transition was the most obvious as they shared the ball in transition, leading to a number of quick baskets. The turnovers looked bad at first as they had eight in the early part of the first half but the team ended with only 11 for the game. The least progress was made by the free-throw shooting, but it did improve to 53% instead of 38%. Emery was a big part of the Cougars offense and defense as he scored a game high 20 points, dished out six assists, and had three steals. Kyle Davis added 10 rebounds to his 10 points and Jamal Aytes added 11 from the bench. The KC triple-double watch didn't materialize in the blowout win but he did add 14 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, and one assist.

The Cougars will next play on Wednesday November 25th at 7pm against Mississippi Valley State in the Marriott Center.