SALT LAKE CITY -- Jackson Emery scored 14 points to lead four BYU players in double figures as the Cougars defeated San Francisco 69-43 Saturday afternoon at EnergySolutions Arena.
"It was a good win," said BYU coach Dave Rose. "We were pretty fortunate. I was really happy with the way our guys were sharing the ball offensively, and it's just nice to get a win and get things working in a positive direction again."
Jimmer Freddette added 13 points, Tyler Haws 12 and Jonathan Tavernari 10 as the Cougars (6-1) bounced back from Wednesday's road loss at Utah State by holding the Dons (2-6) to 19 second-half points.
Emery was 5-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-5 on 3-point attempts. Tavernari's two 3-pointers pushed him past Mark Bigelow as BYU's all-time leader in 3-pointers with 214.
"I'm really proud of him," Rose said of Tavernari. "It's quite an accomplishment, and he really worked hard to achieve it. It's a good record to have, but it's nice to get it behind us so we can move on and keep winning games."
San Francisco lost its sixth straight after starting the season 2-0. The 43 points were the Dons' lowest offensive output since a 61-40 setback to Cal Poly last year.
Moustapha Diarra had 13 points and Kwame Vaugh 10 for San Francisco, which was playing without leading scorer Dio Lowhown (illness).
The crowd favorite plays of the first half both featured BYU freshman post Brandon Davies. Five minutes into the half, Davies pinned a USF shot against the backboard and four minutes later his one-handed throwdown brought Cougar fans to their feet. The dunk put BYU in front, 15-8.
The Cougars continued to be perfect from the free throw line throughout the entire game by shooting 12-of-12 from the charity stripe. The last time BYU was perfect from the line was in 2005 against Saint Mary's.
The Cougars will be back in action on the hardwood at the Marriott Center on Tuesday against Arizona State.
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