TERRIGAL, Australia -- Senior forward Mark Bigelow scored a game-high 21 points for BYU Wednesday in the first game of the Cougars' summer tour of Australia.
BYU coach Steve Cleveland gave all 12 players significant minutes in the 97-80 loss to the Hunter Pirates of the National Basketball League, Australia's top professional league.
The Cougars took an early lead with starters Bigelow, senior center Rafael Araujo, junior forward Jared Jensen, and senior guards Kevin Woodberry and Ricky Bower on the floor. Playing a professional length, 48-minute game, BYU still held the lead at 21-20 at the end of the first quarter before the Pirates made a strong surge in the second 12 minutes to take a 53-43 advantage at the half.
Bigelow had the most impressive outing for BYU, scoring 21 points in just 24 minutes. Araujo, who played a team-high 28 minutes, recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while redshirt freshman point guard Austin Ainge and junior guard Marc Roberts added nine points each. Roberts logged 23 minutes -- his most as a Cougar -- while Ainge played 16 minutes in his first game experience after redshirting last year. Also seeing his first game action, redshirt freshman forward Garner Meads grabbed five rebounds, including three offensive boards, and scored one bucket in 17 minutes.
Senior center Dan Howard had a solid performance with eight points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes, while senior guards Luiz Lemes and Woodberry contributed six and four points, respectively, in 23 minutes. Lemes and Woodberry joined Araujo and Bower with a team-high two assists.
All 12 Cougars scored and grabbed a rebound while on the court and eight players recorded an assist. Jensen received the least playing time, scoring two points and pulling down three rebounds in 14 minutes before fouling out. Bower had three points as one of four Cougars to hit a trey, while junior point guard Terry Nashif added a field goal and senior forward Jake Shoff a free throw to complete BYU's scoring.
Hunter's top performance was by Cameron Rigby, whose 17-point, 10-rebound double-double came in a game-high 35 minutes. In all, five Pirates score in double figures.
BYU's next game is Thursday in Alexandria against the Australian Institute of Sport.