Provo, UT — In the first game played in the newly-renovated Marriott Center, BYU’s Navy squad came back from an 18-point deficit in the first half to put away the White squad, 66-60.
The Navy squad was plagued by a slow start and were down by as many as 23 points with about two minutes left in the first half. They were a combined 3/7 from the charity stripe and had 9 TO’s. On top of that, veteran F Kyle Davis got into foul trouble early on and had to spend some time on the bench once he got to 4 fouls.
The White squad was able to take advantage of the woes of the Navy team and were led by Cory Calvert and Zac Seljaas who were able to go 3/3 each beyond the arc.
Seljaas, fresh out of high school, was impressive in his first game at the Marriott Center, “It’s not really about age right now. Spain helped us get our jitters out and now it’s time to play as a team. Scoring is all that matters during the game. It doesn’t matter who the scorer is or not. It’s how we play as a team.”
Seljaas finished the game as the leading scorer for the White team, he finished the game 4/7 beyond the arc.
Elijah Bryant was another standout for the White squad, as a transfer from Elon he’ll have to sit out the year, the tip off gave BYU fans an opportunity to see him play in a live setting. Bryant finished the game with 14 points and 4 assists showing his versatility that earned him Rookie of the Year honors from the Colonial Athletic Association.
The Navy squad was able to shake off a slow start and put together a 25-14 run to take their first lead with 5:28 remaining in the game and closed the game with a 9-3 run in the last 2:30.
The team rallied after losing senior Chase Fischer to a thigh bruise from a nasty collision with Braiden Shaw. Kyle Davis had a huge game in the post, notching his first double-double in a BYU uniform with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Nick Emery led the Navy squad in scoring and finished the game with 19 points, 13 of which came in the second half. He said of his team’s second half performance, “I think that the second half comeback shows just how much heart this team has and how we trust each other. What we played in the second half was fun basketball.”
Jake Toolson also had an impressive game for the Navy team after a standout performance at Boom Shakalaka on Friday night, he had 13 second half points and was instrumental in his team’s comeback. Toolson has earned plenty of praise from Coach Rose for his progress during the offseason and has been recognized as one of the most improved players from last year’s team.
The Cougars will play their first game against an opponent on Friday against Arizona Christian at 7 pm in the Marriott Center. Currently, Jordan Chatman, Chase Fischer, Kyle Collinsworth, and Corbin Kaufusi could possibly miss the game.
