PROVO — After going into halftime tied 44-44 with Arizona Christian, BYU's offense woke up in the second half.

And it didn't take long.

Jake Toolson's 3-pointer capped an 18-2 run over four minutes early in the second half, and the BYU men's basketball team pulled away from the Firestorm 103-75 in an exhibition win over the NAIA school Friday night at the Marriott Center.

Toolson finished with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including six 3-pointers for BYU. Former Lone Peak star Nick Emery added 20 points, four assists and a steal for BYU, and Cory Calvert and Jakob Hartsock supplied 12 points apiece.

"I think we started off really slow on defense, and we knew that these guys were going to attack us and get up and down," Toolson said. "They went small and created matchup problems. But we feel like we handled what we can do and what we practice, and then everything else works itself out."

Toolson and recently returned missionary Emery accounted for 26 of BYU's 44 first-half points. Mike Navar scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half for the Firestorm, who lost 82-72 at Dixie State on Thursday night.

BYU set an unofficial school record with 18 3-pointers. The Cougars made 17 against Chaminade last December, setting the formal school mark.

Oddly, it was Toolson (a sophomore) who settled the team down defensively in the second half and helped the Cougars figure out the Firestorm's offensive set, which was run similar to BYU.

"For the most part, I was really happy with the way we responded in the second half," said Toolson, who shot 6-of-8 from 3-point range. "We were overthinking in the first half, and in the second half I feel like we dug down and started getting stops that led to easy buckets."

BYU struggled to put away its lower-division opponent early in the Cougars' first competitive game against a college team in 2015-16. The Cougars shot 47 percent from the field, but got little production from anyone without a Toolson or Emery nameplate on their newly redesigned white jerseys.

Arizona Christian shot 51 percent from the field with its first-half explosion, but settled down to 37 percent after the break. Defensive adjustments proved to be the key for BYU.

"In the second half, we did a much better job of getting the ball under control and getting in the gaps. Our ball-screen defense was much better in the second half," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "It was good to get a lot of guys out in front of a nice crowd, a nice atmosphere, and get those guys that experience."

The Cougars also played deep into the roster, with freshmen, sophomores and transfer students getting the bulk of the minutes. In addition to Toolson and Emery, newly returned missionaries Calvert and Hartsock played double-digit minutes, and true freshman Zac Seljaas spent the most time on the court at 33 minutes, totaling eight points and four assists for a BYU team that dished out 29 assists on 39 made-buckets.

"That's our deal, our thing; we run our stuff, and when we do, we get buckets," Toolson said. "When it's your time to be open, you jump up and take a shot. We have that confidence in everyone on the team. If we are going to pass up a good shot, we'll have a great shot. Everyone knows that when it is their time, they need to take their shot."

Chris Sterling led Arizona Christian with 18 points and three assists, and Bobby Gray added 12 points, seven assists and four steals for the Firestorm.

Stray thoughts:

— Jamal Aytes came down hard on his right ankle midway through the second half for BYU, and he was escorted — while walking gingerly — back to the locker room for the remainder of the game. Aytes, who struggled with ankle injuries since transferring from UNLV, finished the night with two points, two assists and seven rebounds in six minutes off the bench.

"I feel for him," Rose said of Aytes, who came down on his non-surgically repaired ankle. "He's tried so hard to get on top of this.

"We won't know a whole lot until tomorrow."

The Cougars were also missing starters Chase Fischer and Kyle Collinsworth, as well as Jordan Chatman and Corbin Kaufusi, with injuries. All four were dressed in street clothes on the BYU bench, along with Elon transfer Elijah Bryant.

— With four players out with injuries, including starting point guard Collinsworth, BYU started freshmen Nick Emery and Zac Seljaas, sophomores Jake Toolson and Kyle Davis and fifth-year senior Nate Austin against the Firestorm.

"It was a challenge, missing so many guys coming in," Toolson said. "Those are our captains, and we needed leaders. But it shows that this team is deeper, and the next man up can step up."

— Jakob Hartsock can shoot it. Another of BYU's returned missionary freshmen, the younger brother of former Cougar post Noah Hartsock scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in his role off the bench Friday night. The confident forward stepped out and nailed a 3-pointer just minutes after making his first appearance in the game, and he showed versatility from a big man who could be beneficial to BYU for years to come.

Hartsock gave credit to his father for the smooth, step-back jumper that each of the brothers inherited.

"I would call him a step-back player, a good shooter. It's just something that came natural to Noah and I," Jakob Hartsock said. "We love that step-back. I watched Noah do it growing up, so I tried it, and it just became a normal part of my game."

Related topics