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Malibu, Calif. • BYU center Eric Mika has improved dramatically since his last visit to Pepperdine's Firestone Fieldhouse.
On Dec. 30, 2013, then-freshman Mika fouled out of an eventual 70-64 loss to the Waves after scoring 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting.
Mika missed BYU's last two visits to Pepperdine while on a church mission in Italy.
He got off to a rough start Thursday, picking up two quick fouls and spending a lot of the first half on the bench.
Before Thursday's late game at Pepperdine, Mika was honored for his achievements in the classroom. The sophomore was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 Team. To be eligible, student-athletes must be a starters or important reserves with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average. Mika is a pre-management major and carries a 3.68 GPA.
On the floor, Mika entered the Pepperdine game averaging 20.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 77.4 percent from the free-throw line. He was first in the WCC in rebuilding, blocked shots and double-doubles and was second in scoring
Last week, Mika was named one of 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award.
After Mika recorded his 15th double-double in last Saturday's 83-72 win over Portland, BYU coach Dave Rose said Mika deserves all the accolades he's received this season.
"That is a tremendous honor to get to this point in this season," Rose said of the Center of the Year finalist recognition. "You are talking about the top 10 centers in the country, and there's no question that he belongs in that conversation, and hopefully he can continue to play well."
Lineup change
With senior point guard L.J. Rose out indefinitely and scheduled to have surgery to pair the meniscus on his right knee Friday, sophomore wing Elijah Bryant started Thursday, his second career start, and freshman TJ Haws moved over to starting point guard. Rose had started all 25 games in his BYU career since transferring from Houston in the offseason.
Briefly
Junior center Corbin Kaufusi did not make the trip to Los Angeles, due to illness. Rose said Kaufusi might join the Cougars in San Francisco for Saturday's game against the Dons if he recovers in time. … Pepperdine counts BYU as a "premium game," which means ticket prices are raised to $25 for reserved seats and $20 for general admission.
Twitter: @drewjay