Game Highlights and Post-Game InterviewsSAN FRANCISCO – BYU's complete offensive arsenal was on full display Thursday night in the Sobrato Center where the Cougars made 17 three-pointers en route to a 114-89 victory over USF.
Six Cougars scored in double figures, led by Nick Emery, who made 10-of-12 three-point attempts and finished with a game-high 37 points. Chase Fischer added 22 while Kyle Collinsworth chipped in with 17 to go along with eight assists. Kyle Davis (12), Jordan Chatman (11) and Corbin Kaufusi (10) also hit double figures for BYU, which improved to 18-8 overall and 8-5 in the WCC.
Devin Watson led all USF scorers with 29 points,
Tim Derksen finished with 25 and
Ronnie Boyce added 15. No other Don player managed to score more than five points on the night.
Dont'e Reynolds pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.
For Watson, it was his 14th game this season in which he has scored 20 or more points, while Derksen topped the 20-point mark for the eighth time.
The Cougars shot 57.6 percent from the field for the game, including a staggering 63.0 percent from long distance, where BYU made 17-of-27 of their three-point attempts. In two games against USF this season, BYU has made 32 three-pointers.
USF (13-11, 6-7) shot 42 percent from the floor, including 25 percent (6-of-24) from beyond the arc.
USF led briefly at 5-2 just minutes into the game and trailed by just eight points at 29-21 with 9:16 left before intermission. A pair of three-pointers by Emery and one by Fischer keyed a 9-0 run which opened the Cougars lead to 17 at 38-21 with 7:48 left in the first.
BYU, the WCC's highest-scoring team, made nine of their 17 three-pointers over the first 20 minutes and opened up a 58-39 lead at the break.
The Cougars enjoyed as much as a 26-point lead at 99-73 with 7:53 left before cruising to the 114-89 victory. The 114 points were the most allowed by a USF team since the Dons dropped a 117-73 decision at Duke on Jan. 26, 1993.
"Defensively, we did a poor job obviously in eliminating their catch and shoots," said USF head coach
Rex Walters. "You want to seize the pressure and the moment in a big game like tonight and we just didn't do it. They had guys who believed in their ability and purpose tonight and it showed in the final score.
"We weren't ready for this moment and it's a hard pill to swallow."
USF will return to action on Saturday afternoon when the Dons play host to the San Diego Toreros beginning at 3:00 p.m.
