BYU rolls over Mount St. Mary’s to remain undefeated


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PROVO — Junior guard Anson Winder scored a career-high 22 points and freshman forward Eric Mika also had his best offensive game of the season with 20 points to lead the Cougars to a 108-76 victory over the visiting Mountaineers Friday night.

Playing without junior guard Tyler Haws (abdominal strain) and his 29.5 points per game, BYU used a balanced attack that resulted in six players reaching double-digit point totals.

“Anson came in and had a really good game filling in for Ty and the rest of the bench – everyone kind of stepped up,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “Guys got a lot of playing time and they responded with really positive nights with that playing time, so that’s a good sign.”

Winder went 9-of-12 from the field, hitting two three-pointers and finishing with six assists, three rebounds and a steal.

“We all played with a lot of confidence and we shared the ball,” Winder said. “I don’t know how many assists we had, but it seemed like we had a ton.”

BYU racked up a season-high 26 assists, one of which came on a picture perfect alley-oop from freshman guard Frank Bartley IV to Mika, the Cougars' athletic big man.


Anson came in and had a really good game filling in for Ty and the rest of the bench – everyone kind of stepped up. Guys got a lot of playing time and they responded with really positive nights with that playing time, so that's a good sign.

–Dave Rose


“A lot of my baskets were easy ones from pretty close range and that’s because, first of all, we have a pretty good rebounding team,” Mika said. “I have help on the boards and that gives me the freedom to run, and then I have guys that will find me in transition.”

Bartley chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds while junior guard Skyler Halford, who transferred from Salt Lake Community College over the summer, had 15 points off the bench.

“All in all, I think the best thing from this game is a lot of young guys got a lot of minutes and they produced, which is a good sign,” Rose said.

Sophomore guard Kyle Collinsworth continued to buck the trend of returned missionaries needing time to readjust to game speed by tallying 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Junior point guard Matt Carlino shook off a difficult night from the field (3-of-13) to finish with 10 points, eight assists and three steals.

“I think we all knew coming in we’d have bigger roles because Tyler is such a big key to our team and he scores so many of our points,” Winder said. “We all knew we had to step up and I felt like we did that.”

Rose said that Haws is doubtful for Saturday's home game (7:30 p.m.) against Colorado Mesa (0-2) and that the junior will undergo an MRI Saturday morning.

The versatile Mika showed that he is ready to shoulder more of the offensive output in the victory. The Lone Peak High School product was one of the key cogs in a similar style of play that propelled his former team to state dominance.

“It’s really similar (to high school),” Mika said of BYU’s run-and-gun offense. “I think about that all the time in practice and in games. We play really similar to how we played last year so that’s really been helping me out.”

Rose praised the progress of the newcomers following the Cougars’ third win of the season.

“These guys – they’ve been amazing,” Rose said. “Their effort has been so good. Their attitude in practice has been so good. This is where there begins to get separation.

“When you start playing and guys are practicing all preseason thinking they’re going to play 25 or 30 minutes, and maybe now they’re only playing 10 or 15 minutes or maybe even less, what are you going to do now for your team? That’s where we are. The first eight to 10 games are really important to find your chemistry.”

BYU raised its team scoring average to 100.3 points per game despite going just 18-of-30 (60 percent) from the free throw line. Kyle Spencer is a contributing writer and digital content manager for ksl.com. He is studying journalism at Utah Valley University and is the sports editor of the UVU Review. Follow him on twitter @kyledspencer.

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