Fort Worth, Texas » The BYU Cougars are so deep, TCU coach Jim Christian said Saturday after his team was thoroughly whipped 107-77 by the No. 14 team in the land, that they can afford to bring a a preseason all-conference player, Jonathan Tavernari, off the bench.

Tavernari scored 23 points after subbing in for Noah Hartsock, but he had some help as the Cougars won their 28th game, tied for the most in school history.

Sophomore Charles Abouo was also a strong candidate for sub of the game after scoring a career-high 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Abouo also had five rebounds and three assists in a career-high 26 minutes.

"Charles was really good, and he was consistent throughout the whole night. He attacked really well, I thought he made really good decisions in transition," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "He shot free throws well, rebounded the ball well, but defensively his play was really the key. He was a big, physical active presence."

With Tavernari and Abouo leading the way, BYU's bench outscored its starters for the second-straight game. The tally was 61-46 for the subs on Saturday, after it was 44-27 in favor of the bench guys in Wednesday's 71-51 win over Utah.

"We have a very deep team. We have a great group of starters," Abouo said. "Our record shows what these guys have done all season. But what we wanted to do as a team is if we can come off the bench and keep the level of play where it is, or even bring it up a little bit, that is going to help our team a lot as we go into postseason."

Brandon Davies added nine points and eight rebounds off the bench and played 24 minutes. For the second-straight game, he started the second half instead of senior Chris Miles.

But Rose said there will be no change in the starting lineup, after Miles was pulled two minutes into the game with nothing on his stat line but a turnover.

"I just think that our other guys are playing well, and Chris is a really hard worker. He will continue to really help our team. I thought the matchups here tonight were good for Noah [Hartsock] and Brandon defensively. So it worked out."

Hartsock's family made the trip from Bartlesville, Okla., to watch him play.

Michael Loyd played 26 minutes off the bench, more than starting point guard Jimmer Fredette (22), and again provided a spark although he was just 1-for-5 from the field and scored just five points.

The bench's contribution "was great," Jackson Emery said, "because that is how we practice. That is how those guys can play."

drew@sltrib.com