After three really tough games on neutral floors, the Cougars were back in the friendly confines of the Marriott center on Tuesday night to take on the Mean Green of North Texas.

North Texas came into the game with a 5-3 record on the season.

BYU started out the game very sluggishly and the Mean Green were able to hang around for most of the first half.  The Cougars were able to create some separation in the last few minutes of the first and went into halftime with the 42-35 lead.

The Cougars came out with a lot more fire and determination in the second half and it showed from the opening minute.

BYU was able to get out in transition and score plenty of easy baskets on fast breaks.

As the Cougars picked up the pace the Mean Green couldn’t stay close.

BYU was able to out score North Texas 55 to 32 in the second half on their way to a 30 point victory.  The play of the game also came in the second half when Nate Austin blocked a shot that led to a BYU fast break which freshman Frank Bartley finished with an emphatic one-handed dunk.

BYU was led on the night by Tyler Haws you finished the game with 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor as well as four rebounds.  He also passed a milestone during the game.  Haws was able to overtake his father for 20th all time on BYU scoring list.

He wasn’t the only one who made huge contributions for the Cougars on Tuesday though. Four other Cougars scored in double figures and three registered double-doubles.

Eric Mika had one of his best games of the season totally 17 points and 11 rebounds.  Nate Austin also had a double-double on the night with 10 points and 13 boards.

They were joined in double figures by Skyler Halford and Kyle Collinsworth.  Halford finally got out of his shooting slump from three-point range by making 3-of-5 from deep on his way to 16 points in just 20 minutes of action.  Collinsworth has a solid all-around game making 8-of-12 shots from the field on his way to 17 points.  He also added five rebounds and six assists.

The weirdest  stat line of the night  may have come from point guard Matt Carlino. Carlino really struggled with his shot making just 2-of-11 attempts and  finished the game with five points, but still managed to get a double-double of his own.  Even without scoring much, Carlino made massive contributions for the Cougars by grabbing ten rebounds and handing out 11 assists.

The Cougars improved to 7-2 on the season with the win.  They will be back on the floor on Saturday as they take on the number-21 ranked University of Massachusetts Minutemen in Springfield, Massachusetts.