PROVO, Utah (AP) Eric Mika scored 26 points and pulled down 18 rebounds, both career-highs, and BYU beat Princeton 82-73 in the season opener for both teams on Monday night.
Mika finished 7 of 14 from the field and a near perfect 12 of 13 at the free throw line.
Freshman TJ Haws added 20 points for the Cougars, joining Mike Rose, Shawn Bradley, and Russell Larson as the only players in school history to debut with a 20-plus point effort.
Devin Cannady made four 3-pointers and led Princeton with 18 points. Steven Cook added 12 points for the Tigers.
BYU held a nine point lead a 44-35 at the break, which Princeton trimmed to one (63-62) on a 3-point play by Cook with 7:40 remaining. However the Cougars answered quickly with an 11-2 run, capped by a Mika tip-in, to extend their lead back to 74-64 with 3:16 to go.
The Tigers never got back within six.
