PROVO, Utah – Tyler Haws scored 22 points and BYU shot 55 percent from the field en route to an 81-66 victory over Tennessee State on Friday night in both teams' season opener.
Brandon Davies added 16 points for the Cougars, Brock Zylstra had 11 and Matt Carlino finished with nine points and 10 assists.
Kellen Thornton had 20 points and eight rebounds for Tennessee State, which shot 34 percent and lost its season opener for the fifth straight season. Patrick Miller added 12 points and nine assists for the Tigers.
Tennessee State led for most of the first half, taking an 18-13 lead on a 3-pointer by Jordan Cyphers with 12:52 remaining. The Tigers were still ahead 25-23 with 5:37 left before BYU scored nine straight points en route to a 34-28 halftime lead.
The Cougars built their biggest lead, 79-60, on a jumper by Carlino with 2:07 left in the game.
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