PROVO -- Kicking off the season on what BYU coach Dave Rose said is "one of the best homecourt advantages in college basketball" at the Marriott Center Friday night, the Cougars split up into the White and Blue squads to preview the season and give fans a show at the annual Cougar Tipoff.
"I honestly believe fans will come out and see a team who plays hard and is successful," added Coach Rose. "I think if this team plays to their potential they'll be a fun team to watch."
Returning junior Sam Burgess, the leading scorer on the White team, ended with a game-high 21 points. Burgess started and ended the first half with buckets, laying up the first two points of the game off a rebound and the last two of the half at the free-throw line. In between, Burgess brought in another eight points, going 4-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 from behind the three-point line, leading the White team to a close 30-29 lead at the break. Freshman Trent Plaisted followed Burgess on White with six points, including a dunk fed by junior Austin Ainge. Junior Keena Young, also on White, led both teams under the hoop in the first half, bringing down eight rebounds, four from both ends of the court.
Freshman Jackson Emery and junior Fernanado Malaman made a good showing in the first half for Blue, leading their side with six points each and keeping their team in the game. Junior Rashaun Broadus and freshman Lee Cummard also brought in five points each for the Blue team.
The second half started with Young bringing in four fast points for White and forecasting the remainder of the half. Young added two more rebounds in the second period to finish with a double-double, 10 rebounds and 16 points, and a team-high four steals. Sam Burgess continued his hot shooting streak in the second half, finishing 7-for-12 from the field and 4-for-6 from behind the arc. Junior Mike Rose also caught fire in the second half to the White team's advantage, sinking three of his four treys and a jump shot to equal 11 points in the game.
Malaman followed Sam Burgess in scoring for the Blue team, bringing in 20 points while making four of his five three-point attempts in the second half. Freshman Emery and Cummard both finished with 10 points each. Redshirt freshman David Burgess, who recorded a game-high 11 rebounds, also stepped up for Blue in the second half, bringing in seven extra points, including a slam dunk for the final basket of the game. White finished with a 69-61 win, but both teams finished with Coach Rose's approval.
"We saw a lot of good things out there that tend to make us think we are on the right track," Coach Rose said. "It was a really competitive game."
BYU opens its exhibition season Friday when the Cougars host the University of Victoria at 7 p.m. in the Marriott Center.