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Provo • BYU senior Brandon Davies worked really hard last week to get his sprained right ankle ready for the rigors of West Coast Conference basketball action, only to sit out most of the Cougars' 80-76 win over San Francisco on Saturday for another reason: too many fouls.

"It was frustrating," Davies allowed Tuesday after the Cougars practiced at the Marriott Center and continued preparations for Thursday's game at the Marriott Center against Pepperdine, which also has a 7-footer inside to test Davies physically.

Davies played only 17 minutes against the Dons, a season low, and fouled out for the first time this season with more than four minutes remaining.

"That's basketball," he said. "You are going to get some bad calls. That's their job to call what they see. I am not always going to see it the way they saw it. You just got to learn to play through it, and when you get back in just do your best to help your team out, on and off the court."

Coach Dave Rose said he addresses issues such as staying out of foul trouble all the time in the film room with his players, pointing out situations they need to avoid on the court.

"Some guys you can let them go in there and be way more aggressive, and some guys need to be more careful because their role is a little different, or more extended because of the minutes we need them to play," Rose said.

Rose rarely puts players with two fouls back in the first half, but he did that Saturday, and Davies quickly picked up his third personal.

"It is always on my mind, trying not to get stupid fouls, and just playing smart," Davies said. "The only thing on my mind [going into the Pepperdine game] is just getting that scouting report in, and making sure that I am playing patiently, and getting off to a better start, and helping my team win."

Excellent point guard play

Despite scoring 43 points in two games last week, BYU guard Matt Carlino did not win the WCC's player of the week award. It went to Gonzaga's Kelly Olynyk, who averaged 23.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in a pair of road wins.

However, Rose said Carlino is coming off his best two-week stretch as a Cougar. Carlino, who had 12 rebounds, nine assists and nine steals last week, has played so well that Anson Winder, who was recently moved to point guard, has had trouble getting minutes.

"What seems to happen is that every time we kind of move [Winder] from one spot to another, the guy in front of him seems to play really well. And that's happened now," Rose said. "… Anson practices really well, and he gives us great defensive presence at the point guard position."

Winder turned 21 on Monday, and reported that his teammates sang "Happy Birthday" to him before practice.

Twitter: @drewjay —

Pepperdine at BYU

O Thursday, 7 p.m.

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