Over the first few months of the season, Provo senior Brandon Davies and Timpview sophomore Bronson Kaufusi have emerged as two of the top post players in Utah Valley.

But the Bulldog shooters had other plans, knocking down five 3-pointers and numerous other jump shots to give Provo the big 50-42 Region 7 road win.

Both teams played possession basketball and the game was close throughout the first half, but the visitors took control in the third period.

"That was when I thought we started doing the things we needed to do to win," said Provo head coach Craig Drury. "We made some shots and made some big defensive plays."

The defense held the Thunderbirds to just two Kaufusi baskets during the frame, while the offense started finding the range.

With the score 27-24, the Bulldogs started a stretch that extended into the fourth quarter where four of their next five baskets went in from beyond the arc, giving Provo a big 41-30 advantage.

"In a game like that when possessions are so premium, getting three 3-pointers creates a huge hill to climb," said Timpview head coach Perry Wildeboer. "You have to be able to hit shots back and we didn't do that."

Timpview had some opportunities to get back in the game but every time they needed to make something happen, they couldn't find a way to get the ball in the basket.

"We had three possessions where we stepped on the line or knocked the ball out of bounds," Drury said. "I was thinking at that point that you can't let little things like that get you, but we made it through."

Whether it was the pressure of the intense rivalry contest or just an off night, the Thunderbirds struggled shooting from outside throughout the game.

Kaufusi scored 18 tough points to lead all scorers while battling three different Bulldog post players, but he didn't get as much support from the rest of the cast.

"Our guards didn't play as well as they can," Wildeboer said. "We also had a big player in (senior forward) Marcus Hunt that didn't play big tonight."

At the other end, Davies only scored six points but Provo sophomore guard Kyle Collinsworth (16 points), senior guard Scott Edwards (15 points) and senior guard Adam Law (seven points) more than picked up the slack.

The Bulldogs will try to stay undefeated in league play when they play Springville next Friday, while the Thunderbirds hope to get back to winning when they host Springville on Tuesday. Both games will tip off at 7 p.m.

Jared Lloyd can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Provo (50)

Collinsworth 16, Edwards 15, Law 7, Davies 6, Sorensen 3, Koop 2, Thornton 1. Totals 18 7-15 50.

Timpview (42)

Kaufusi 18, Brockbank 8, Hunt 6, Hatton 5, Hunter 2, Greening 2, Selk 1. Totals 17 7-13 42.

Provo 11 8 13 18 -- 50

Timpview 9 11 4 18 -- 42

3-point goals: Provo 5 (Law 2, Collinsworth, Sorensen, Edwards); Timpview 1 (Hatton).