ALEXANDRIA, Australia -- In the second game of its Australian exhibition tour, the BYU men's basketball team had no trouble defeating the Canberra Australian Institute of Sport from the South East Australian Basketball League, winning the game 94-60.
For the second straight game senior forward Mark Bigelow led the way for the Cougars scoring 15 points, pulling down five rebounds and dishing out two assists in 19 minutes. Junior guard Marc Roberts contributed 12 points in 20 minutes of action while senior guard Luiz Lemes added 11 points in 14 minutes.
The Cougars jumped out to an early lead over Canberra AIS, outscoring the Aussies 21-12 in the first quarter. By halftime the game was all but out of reach for AIS as BYU posted a 45-25 lead at the break.
With University of Utah recruit Andrew Bogut, a 6-foot-10 center, out of the lineup for AIS, BYU post players Rafael Araujo, Jake Shoff, Jared Jensen and Garner Meads controlled the boards. All four Cougars grabbed eight rebounds apiece, including six offensive boards for both Shoff and Jensen. Meads also scored five points and had two blocked shots and two assists, while Araujo and Jensen chipped in nine and seven points, respectively.
BYU had a strong night from long range, hitting 11 three-point shots on 50 percent shooting. Bigelow led the way with three triples while Terry Nashif (eight points), Kevin Woodberry (six points) and Ricky Bower (six points) were each a perfect 2-for-2 from behind the arc. Bower also contributed a game-high four assists.
Most improved after BYU's first-game loss Wednesday was its defensive intensity. The Cougars were able to keep the pressure coming all night and all 12 players turned in strong performances. Led by Roberts, Lemes and Nashif, the BYU bench outscored Canberra AIS 51-26. Shoff added six points, Meads and Austin Ainge five points, and Dan Howard four points.
Brad Newley was the only AIS player to score in double figures, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds in a game-high 35 minutes of play.
The Cougars continue their exhibition schedule Friday when they travel to Brisbane to face the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League.