Also, Nate Austin replaced Corbin Kaufusi in the starting lineup prior to the 96-66 win over New Mexico on Dec. 23 in Hawaii, and has given the Cougars a nice lift in the effort department. Austin had 14 rebounds in the 85-74 loss at Saint Mary's on Thursday and added 10 more rebounds against Pacific.
The Cougars played offense and defense differently in the second half against the Tigers, Kyle Collinsworth at the high post on offense as the distributor for 3-point shots and going to a 1-3-1 zone defense that limited dribble penetration.
More importably, they found some confidence by breaking through with the road win, although it must be said that Spanos Center was not exactly a hostile arena on Saturday, seeing as how it was mostly filled with BYU fans.