PROVO – Thanks to a solid performance by the BYU bench, Agustin Ambrosino scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help the Cougars to a 95-62 victory over Eastern New Mexico on Thursday at the Marriott Center.
BYU (8-3) shot 53 percent from the field while holding ENMU (5-6) to 36 percent shooting. A solid team effort on defense amounted to 12 steals and four blocked shots for the Cougars.
“It was a good win for our team,” BYU coach Dave Rose said. “I think our guys consistently played well throughout the game. Number 22 (Jordan Romero) got away from us a couple times in the first half and made some big shots but I’m happy for some of the bench guys who got in and had big nights. It’ll help their confidence and it’ll help our team as well.”
Tyler Haws led BYU in scoring with 19 points, shooting 9 of 15 from the field. Brandon Davies chipped in 17 points in 21 minutes, shooting 60 percent from the field and making 4 of 5 free throws.
Matt Carlino scored first for the Cougars on a 3-pointer assisted by Davies. Consecutive baskets by Haws put the Cougars up 7-4, but ENMU’s Dennis Hardwell tied it on the next possession with a 3-pointer of his own.
About four minutes into the first half, Davies drove right from the top of the perimeter and found the defense collapsing on him. He scooped the ball around the help defender to find Ambrosino cutting along the baseline for a bucket and the foul to make the score 16-11. Along with his 17 points, Davies chipped in six boards, three assists, two blocks and a steal.
The Cougars head to Waco, Texas, to face Baylor on Friday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MST.
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