BYU Defeats Ottawa 109-69 In Lone Exhibition Game

PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball defeated Ottawa University (Arizona), 109-69 at the Marriott Center.

The new-look Cougars shot 59% from the field and 48% from three-point range as they cruised to a blowout victory over one of the top teams in the NAIA.

BYU basketball updates

#BYU’s first starting lineup of 2022-23 season:

• Rudi Williams
• Spencer Johnson
• Jaxson Robinson
• Gideon George
• Fousseyni Traore#BYUHoops @kslsports pic.twitter.com/cyK9aQ0UDn

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 3, 2022

Starting Lineups

BYU (0-0)

• Rudi Williams, Guard
• Jaxson Robinson, Guard
• Spencer Johnson, Guard
• Gideon George, Forward
• Fousseyni Traore, Center

Ottawa (0-0)

• Kolten Hitt, Guard
• Devin Collins, Forward
• Alex Villi, Guard
• Keshawn Bruner, Guard
• Josiah DeLaCerda, Forward

First Half

• 19:30 – Spencer Johnson knocks down BYU’s first three. Good start for a team that struggled last year from distance. BYU 3, Ottawa 0
• 16:56 – Ottawa’s Keshawn Bruner throws down a nice slam dunk. BYU 10, Ottawa 4
• 14:45 – Sloppy game. As one media member put it on press row, “This looks like a game that would be played in the ‘RB.'” BYU 16, Ottawa 9

#BYU has five turnovers at the first media timeout. But you can already see the increased tempo this team hopes to execute this season.#BYUHoops

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 3, 2022

• 14:14 – First media timeout. BYU already has five turnovers. Two of those are from Rudi Williams. BYU 16, Ottawa 11
• Atiki Ally Atiki and Noah Waterman are the first players off the bench. Two of the only players with “big” size on this year’s roster.
• 13:03 – Trey Stewart and Dallin Hall enter the game. Stewart immediately made his presence felt on the defensive end. Last season, Stewart was a member of the scout team that challenged star Alex Barcello on a regular basis. BYU 18, Ottawa 13
• 11:49 – BYU is on a 2:39 scoring drought entering the media timeout. Ottawa is playing inspired to try and keep this competitive as long as they can. A few Ottawa fans have made the trip both in the lower bowl and in the upper deck. Primarily family members of players on the team. BYU 20, Ottawa 16

#BYU sophomore guard Trey Stewart knocks down his first three-point attempt.

During training camp, Stewart was knocking down 50% of his threes. He's made significant improvements in that area of his game.#BYUHoops

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 3, 2022

• 9:47 – Trey Stewart knocked down his first three-point attempt of the night. Stewart was one of the most improved three-point shooters during training camp, hovering around 50%. BYU 23, Ottawa 16
• 8:54 – Lineup of Atiki, Waterman, Richie Saunders, Dallin Hall, and Stewart is young, looking to find some rhythm. BYU 23, Ottawa 21
• 7:36 – Noah Waterman put together back-to-back possessions where he made winning plays. Took it off the dribble to the hoop but found a wide open Atiki Ally Atiki in the paint for an easy assist. Then the following possession he was down low for an easy layup of his own. BYU 27, Ottawa 23
• 7:01 – Dallin Hall with a no-look pass to Atiki Ally Atiki for a slam dunk. Hall has displayed great feel for the game as a returned missionary. BYU 29, Ottawa 23
• 6:12 – Ottawa buries a three. The Spirit won’t go down easy. BYU 29, Ottawa 26
• 5:40 – BYU’s original starting lineup is back in the game to potentially close out the first half. BYU 31, Ottawa 26
• 3:56 – Rudi Williams is aggressive when he attacks the hoop. He draws the and one heading into the final media timeout. BYU’s starting lineup is creating separation from the Spirit. BYU 37, Ottawa 26

#BYU guard Rudi Williams had to call a timeout because he lost his shoe.

Wearing some black & gold Nike Kyrie Irving’s.#BYUHoops pic.twitter.com/jtpk1qBCR3

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 3, 2022

• 2:56 – Williams lost one of his black & goals Nike Kyrie Irving 7 shoes, so he had to call a timeout. BYU 40, Ottawa 26
• 1:53 – Spencer Johnson knocks down his third three-pointer in as many attempts. Extends BYU’s run to 17-2. BYU 46, Ottawa 28

That one-handed catch from Jaxson Robinson and then using the same hand to send a strong pass behind his back, wow. Impressive.#BYU #BYUHoops

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 3, 2022

Are you dizzy yet? 🌀🌀🌀

Amazing ball movement from this @BYUMBB team. 👏#BYUhoops | #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/0nEOlW9D2Q

— BYU Sports Nation (@BYUSportsNation) November 3, 2022

• 0:48 – Jaxson Robinson made an impressive catch with one-hand, then had the ability to pass it behind his back and keep the tempo of the offense in rhythm. The possession ended with a Spencer Johnson mid-range bucket. BYU 51, Ottawa 31
• 0:00 – Keshawn Bruner hits a three at the horn. BYU 51, Ottawa 35

BYU basketball pulls away in the Second Half

• 20:00 – Same starting five as what they opened the game with Williams, Johnson, Robinson, George, and Traore.
• 17:29 – Spencer Johnson recorded his fifth steal of the night. BYU 58, Ottawa 40
• 16:01 – Williams knocked down back-to-back threes. On the second three, he showed some loved to a courtside fan by giving him a high five. BYU 65, Ottawa 40

Former #BYU football star Harvey Langi is here at tonight’s basketball game.#BYUHoops @kslsports pic.twitter.com/qukjkpPH3z

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 3, 2022

• 15:58 – Former BYU football standout and NFL player Harvey Langi appeared on the big screen, but there was no announcement about him being in attendance.
• 14:10 – BYU is knocking down 56% of their three-point attempts. It’s a team that will likely live and die by the three this season. This year’s roster has more options from beyond the arc than last season, and that’s without an injured Trevin Knell BYU 68, Ottawa 45
• 13:30 – Johnson finds “Triple A” Atiki Ally Atiki for an alley-oop dunk. The confidence for Atiki is night and day from where it was last season. BYU 72, Ottawa 45
• 11:44 – BYU is comfortably in the lead. Spencer Johnson was human from distance, missing his first three-point attempt of the night. BYU 76, Ottawa 47
• 9:12 – BYU’s Director of Video and Analytics Strategy Keegan Brown is sitting on the bench this year with the rest of the coaching staff in a suit. Brown has been with Pope since the beginning in 2019. Before this year, he sat behind the bench with a laptop tracking in-game analytics. BYU 78, Ottawa 51

All five of #BYU's starters tonight at (+24) or better in plus/minus. Spencer Johnson leads the way at (+29).#BYUHoops

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 3, 2022

• 7:41 – BYU’s five starters are all (+24) in plus/minus so far. Johnson has the best mark at (+29). BYU 83, Ottawa 53
• 5:01 – Dallin Hall has a knack for pushing the ball up court and making outlet passes. Finds an open Trey Stewart for a slam dunk. BYU 93, Ottawa 56
• 4:21 – Chaminade transfer Tredyn Christensen enters the game. Intriguing walk-on transfer that could be capable of providing BYU minutes down the road if they have to dig into their bench. BYU 95, Ottawa 58
• 1:50 – Braeden Moore is getting some minutes at the five. It’s a new role for him that he’s been practicing during training camp. Going to take him some time. But he’s a positionless athlete, showing he can play nearly anywhere on the court. Moore knocked down a three in his limited appearance. BYU 105, Ottawa 62
• Final: BYU 109, Ottawa 69

BYU basketball opens up the regular season on Monday, November 7, against the Idaho State Bengals from the Big Sky Conference. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on BYUtv.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.

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