Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- While BYU Head Coach Dave Rose has toyed with several different starting lineups this season, Saturday's lineup in the 69-43 victory over San Francisco at the EnergySolutions Arena had a glaring omission.
Rose opted to bring senior forward Jonathan Tavernari, who has been a starter since early in his sophomore season, off the bench, and replaced him with sophomore forward Noah Hartsock.
Related:
BYU bounces back with 69-43 win over San Francisco
Jackson Emery scored 14 points to lead four BYU players in double figures as the Cougars defeated San Francisco 69-43 Saturday afternoon.Tavernari has had a rather erratic season, struggling to get his shot going early in the season. Although the senior native of Brazil is known for his impenetrable self confidence (positively and negatively), Rose said it was Tavernari's idea to make the change.
"He came in and talked to me Thursday morning after the game," Rose said. "He said, ‘coach, whatever you need me to do to help this team win, that's what I want to do.' We made the change on Friday, and (Hartsock) has been terrific, so we'll see what happens."
The experiment proved effective Saturday as Tavernari connected on four of his nine attempts from the field for ten points, adding a couple of rebounds. Hartsock made his presence known on the defensive side of the ball, recording two blocks, two steals and five defensive rebounds to go with two assists and five points.
The Cougars' change in the starting lineup may have caused Saturday's contest to be a bittersweet experience for Tavernari. After connecting on two consecutive three-pointers in the second half, he passed Mark Bigelow to become the all-time leader in three-point field goals for the Cougars. His coach said after the game that he is happy Tavernari broke the record because the pressure of reaching the milestone may have been a factor in the senior's early struggles.
"I'm really proud of him because that's quite an accomplishment. He's a terrific shooter," said Rose, noting how hard Tavernari has worked during his career at BYU. "I'm glad to see him hit a couple of big ones today and get the record over with. Now, hopefully we can move on and have them all start going in again."
Although breaking Bigelow's record was quite the personal achievement, Tavernari wasn't ready to take all the credit.
"It's a combination of my coaches running plays for me, my teammates finding me, and everyone around me," Tavernari said.
After shooting under 40 percent against Utah State, the Cougars had a solid shooting performance, finishing the game at 51 percent. Jackson Emery (14 points), Tyler Haws (13), Jimmer Fredette (12) and Tavernari all scored in double figures for BYU.
Moustapha Diarra led the Dons with 13 points and six rebounds.
The Cougars now turn their attention to Arizona State, which defeated BYU last year in a controversial game in Phoenix, with a last-second bucket by Charles Abouo being taken away after a review by the officials.
Tipoff is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. from the Marriott Center in Provo.
