Men’s basketball opens with win

Photo by Jamison Metzger. BYU guard Jimmer Fredette shot 6-for-6 from the field on Friday in the Cougars’ 101-55 win over Laval.

Many BYU fans expect perfection from guard Jimmer Fredette after all the preseason hype, and that’s exactly what he delivered during a 101-55 exhibition game win over Laval on Friday.
Two nights after sending the Cougar Tipoff into overtime with a last-second 3-pointer, Fredette went a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, including three 3-pointers, and didn’t turn the ball over once. Backcourt teammate Jackson Emery proved to be just as sharp with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in just 14 minutes played.
BYU coach Dave Rose said the play of the two seniors exceeded expectations.
“If they play like they played tonight in the short minutes that they played, we’re going to be really good,” he said. “They were the most comfortable on the floor.”
Laval started out the game with a layup by guard Beaulieu Maheux to take an early 2-0 lead, but it would be Laval’s last. The Cougars soon opened up a 22-9 lead behind the sharp shooting of captains, Fredette, Emery and forward Logan Magnusson. Following Fredette’s substitution halfway through the half, the Cougars struggled to score, only putting up six points in six minutes.
Recently returned missionaries Chris Collinsworth and Nick Martineau also seemed to struggle, as Collinsworth picked up three early fouls and Martineau missed some easy shots.
Rose said he wasn’t surprised by their struggles.
“That’s very typical,” he said. “Those two guys had very good freshman years, and then went on a mission. I’ve been in that situation where you have waited two years to play and you have so much anticipation that you need to control, and I think both of them were just a little bit sped up.”
Second-half scoring flowed more smoothly without Fredette on the floor, as BYU opened up a 76-38 lead after forward Brock Zylstra went on an 8-0 run by himself with back-to-back 3-pointers and a layup. Backup guard Kyle Collinsworth also shook defenders on a couple of occasions, bringing fans to their feet as he finished above the rim. The freshman also had two blocks and two steals that helped the Cougars pick up the tempo offensively with Fredette on the bench.
Zlystra said he could feel the team’s chemistry during the second half.
“Kyle does a great job pushing the ball and that’s why we have him in there more as a combo guard,” he said. “Everybody was looking for the extra pass, so it was an amazing thing to see everyone unselfish and giving the ball up.”
The crowd rose to its feet in anticipation of breaking the 100-point mark as Martineau stole the ball and took it down the court for a layup with 14 seconds left, capping the score at 101-55.
The highlight of the night was toward the end of the first half when center Brandon Davies passed the ball out of a double team to streaking forward Charles Abouo for a dunk, putting BYU up by 20. Abouo was literally all over the floor for the Cougars, grabbing a team-high seven rebounds, costing him a cut above the eye in a collision with a Laval player.
Zylstra said Abouo’s aggressiveness definitely has its effect.
“When you see someone trying that hard, it inspires,” Zylstra said. “We have some great guys that lead by example on this team, Charles being one of them.”
The Cougars will play their final exhibition game against BYU-Hawaii at 7 p.m. on Friday in the Marriott Center.
The regular season for BYU will begin on Nov. 12 against Fresno State in the Marriott Center.
 

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