Wesley, Lyday Lead Cougars Past Australian Team In First Exhibition Game

PROVO -- With an impressive offensive showing, the BYU men's basketball team started its exhibition season with a 93-47 victory over the Nunawading Spectres from Melbourne, Australia.

The Cougars were led offensively by junior forward Mekeli Wesley who finished with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Junior college transfer Terrell Lyday added 17 points, also on 7-of-10 shooting, in his Cougar debut and senior Silester Rivers scored 13 points.

Sophomore Michael Vranes, a starter on last year's team, didn't play in the game due to an infected toenail that had to be removed the day before. He is expected to play in next Tuesday's exhibition game against EA Sports All-Star team.

The Spectres, a club team from the Australia Basketball Association, were without several key players that were unable to make the trip because of work commitments. They were led in scoring by Mike Spears, from Los Angeles, who finished the night with 10 points before fouling out early in the second half.

The Cougars will finish exhibition play when they face EA Sports Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Marriott Center. They begin regular season play by hosting UC-Riverside, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Marriott Center.