Cougars Fall to OSU at All-College Classic

OKLAHOMA CITY -- BYU dropped its third game of the year Saturday, losing 78-65 to Oklahoma State at the Touchstone Energy All-College Classic in Oklahoma City.

BYU, now 10-3 with the loss, got another double-double performance from junior center Rafael Araujo, but Oklahoma State improved its record to 10-1 on the strength of its defense and a career-scoring night by forward Ivan McFarlin.

Looking impressive early, the Cougars went on a 9-0 run to take a 12-7 lead before gaining their biggest first-half advantage at 18-11 on a trey by point guard Kevin Woodberry with 10:40 until the break. After the Cowboys scored six in a row to get within one, BYU went on another brief run capped by a Travis Hansen three-pointer that made the score 25-19 with 5:09 remaining.

With BYU's starting post players in foul trouble, the Cowboys scored the next 10 points as part of a 16-2 run that didn't end until BYU reserve center Dan Howard converted a three-point play on an offensive put-back with just 19 seconds until the half. McFarlin and Tony Allen scored all but two of the points for Oklahoma State during the run to help the Cowboys build a 35-30 halftime lead.

BYU looked inside in the second half as Araujo and Jared Jensen scored the Cougars' first eight points to tie the game at 38. But the Cougars went nearly the next 12 minutes without a field goal, allowing OSU to go on a 21-4 spurt that included two separate 9-0 runs only separated by two BYU trips to the foul line. The field-goal drought ended when Araujo, who had been out during much of the OSU run with foul trouble, scored inside with 5:55 remaining.

The Cowboys' pressure defense forced 19 BYU turnovers, the most for the Cougars since losing at Creighton. Oklahoma State led by 18 three times in the second half, the final time at 66-48. BYU fought back but got no closer than 10 the rest of the way.

Hansen led BYU in scoring with 14 before fouling out. He scored 12 of his points in the first half. Araujo turned in his third double-double effort in the last four games with 11 points and 14 rebounds while Mark Bigelow also added 11 points.

McFarlin led the Cowboys with a career-high 27 points, followed by Allen with 22.

BYU out rebounded the Cowboys 30-28 but shot 43 percent to OSU's 51 percent from the floor. BYU was 7-18 on threes, five coming in the first half, while OSU went 3-8 from behind the arc.

BYU stays on the road for its next game, facing in-state foe Weber State Wednesday in Ogden at 7 p.m.

Official Basketball Box Score -- GAME TOTALS -- FINAL STATISTICS
Brigham Young vs Oklahoma State
01-04-03 5:30 p.m. at Oklahoma City, Okla.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Brigham Young 10-3
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
52 Jensen, Jared....... f  2-4    0-0    2-2    0  2  2   3   6  0  1  0  0  23
55 Araujo, Rafael...... c  4-5    0-0    3-5    3 11 14   4  11  2  5  0  1  31
02 Hansen, Travis...... g  4-9    2-4    4-6    0  1  1   5  14  3  3  0  1  32
03 Bigelow, Mark....... g  3-7    2-4    3-4    0  3  3   3  11  2  3  0  0  31
24 Woodberry, Kevin.... g  2-7    1-5    2-2    0  0  0   1   7  1  4  0  1  27
04 Lemes, Luiz.........    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   7
05 Shoff, Jake.........    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  2  2   1   0  1  2  0  1  17
10 Nashif, Terry.......    0-1    0-0    2-2    0  0  0   1   2  1  0  0  1   6
14 Bower, Ricky........    2-7    2-4    3-3    1  0  1   2   9  2  0  0  1  15
15 Allen, John.........    1-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   2   2  0  1  0  0   3
32 Jepsen, Bart........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
40 Howard, Dan.........    1-1    0-0    1-1    1  0  1   2   3  0  0  0  0   6
   TEAM................                         4  1  5
   Totals..............   19-44   7-18  20-25   9 21 30  24  65 12 19  0  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-25 40.0%   2nd Half:  9-19 47.4%   Game: 43.2%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  5-14 35.7%   2nd Half:  2-4  50.0%   Game: 38.9%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-5  100 %   2nd Half: 15-20 75.0%   Game: 80.0%    2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Oklahoma State 10-1
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
23 McFarlin, Ivan...... f 10-14   0-0    7-7    6  0  6   3  27  0  1  0  3  33
33 Miller, Jason....... f  0-3    0-0    1-2    1  4  5   2   1  1  0  0  1  30
05 Williams, Victor.... g  3-7    0-1    2-4    0  1  1   3   8  1  1  0  3  25
24 Allen, Tony......... g  7-14   2-4    6-8    1  1  2   4  22  6  3  1  1  34
34 Sanders, Melvin..... g  4-7    1-3    5-6    1  4  5   3  14  0  1  0  2  24
25 Weatherspoon, J.....    1-2    0-0    0-2    0  2  2   2   2  1  2  0  0  16
30 Gadson, Cheyne......    1-3    0-0    2-2    0  0  0   3   4  5  2  0  0  21
40 Williams, Andre.....    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  3  3   3   0  0  1  1  0  17
   TEAM................                            4  4   1
   Totals..............   26-51   3-8   23-31   9 19 28  24  78 14 11  2 10 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 13-26 50.0%   2nd Half: 13-25 52.0%   Game: 51.0%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-4  50.0%   2nd Half:  1-4  25.0%   Game: 37.5%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  7-7  100 %   2nd Half: 16-24 66.7%   Game: 74.2%    3
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Officials: Scott Thornley, Mark Whitehead, Eddie Jackson
Technical fouls: Brigham Young-None. Oklahoma State-TEAM.
Attendance: 18034
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Brigham Young.................   30   35  -   65
Oklahoma State................   35   43  -   78
First game of 2002 Touchstone Energy All-College Classic at the Ford Center in
downtown Oklahoma City. No. 10 Oklahoma defeated No. 14 Michigan State, 60-58,
in game two. Game one was televised on ESPN2 and game two on ESPN.
Points in the paint-BY 12,OKST 20. Points off turnovers-BY 10,OKST 25.
2nd chance points-BY 13,OKST 13. Fast break points-BY 0,OKST 0.
Bench points-BY 16,OKST 6. Score tied-3 times. Lead changes-2 times.

Cougars and Cowboys Meet in Touchstone Energy All-College Classic

Coming off an 84-68 home win over Pepperdine Thursday, BYU (10-2) takes a trip to Oklahoma City to face Oklahoma State (9-1) Saturday at 5:30 p.m. CST (4:30 p.m. MST) in the first game of the Touchstone Energy All-College Classic. The neutral court game, being played at the Ford Center in downtown Oklahoma City, will be televised live nationally on ESPN2 with Bob Carpenter and Jimmy Dykes calling the action. Oklahoma and Michigan State square off in game two on ESPN.

BYU's game can be heard on KSL Newsradio 1160 and the Cougar Sports Network, beginning with a one-hour pregame show. KSL's Greg Wrubell will call the play-by-play action with Mark Durrant providing game analysis. Live Internet audio links are available on the basketball page of the official BYU athletics website, byucougars.com, and via BYU Radio on the Dish Network and at byuradio.org.

The four teams participating in the Touchstone Energy All-College Classic are all receiving votes in this week's polls and, according to poll voters, should provide two evenly matched games. Oklahoma State, ranked 38th (AP) and 32nd (ESPN/USA Today Coaches) faces BYU, ranked 43rd (AP) and 45th (ESPN/USA Today), while Oklahoma (No. 10 AP, No. 11 ESPN/USA Today) takes on Michigan State (No. 14 AP and ESPN/USA Today). The 17,908-seat Ford Center is expected to be a sellout as more than 16,000 tickets had been sold entering this week.

GAME #13 FAST FACTS

BYU (10-2, 0-0 MWC) vs. OKLAHOMA STATE (9-1, 0-0 BIG 12)

SATURDAY, JAN. 4, 2003

FORD CENTER (17,908)

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA

5:30 p.m. CST (4:30 p.m. MST)

Coaches:

BYU, Steve Cleveland (95-71 in sixth year; same overall)

OSU, Eddie Sutton (281-115 in 13th year; 711-279 in 33rd year overall)

Series:

BYU leads, 3-2; Last: BYU won 69-59 at Great Alaska Shootout on Nov. 23, 1994

TV:

ESPN2

Play-by-Play: Bob Carpenter

Game Analyst: Jimmy Dykes

Radio:

KSL Newsradio 1160 AM (Cougar Sports Network)

Pregame Air Times: 4:30 p.m. CST (3:30 p.m. MST)

Play-by-Play: Greg Wrubell

Game Analyst: Mark Durrant

Web:

Live audio link available at byucougars.com/basketball_m/ (select 2002-03 schedule)

and on KSL.com and byuradio.org or via BYU Radio on Dish Network.

BYU's Probable Starters:

Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG

F 3 Mark Bigelow 6-7 195 Jr. 12.9 3.3 2.3 apg

F 52 Jared Jensen 6-9 250 So. 9.1 3.8

C 55 Rafael Araujo 6-11 265 Jr. 10.4 8.4

G 2 Travis Hansen 6-6 210 Sr. 15.6 4.9 3.1 apg

G 24 Kevin Woodberry 6-0 170 Jr. 6.2 1.9 2.5 apg

BYU Reserves:

Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG

G 14 Ricky Bower 6-4 185 Jr. 5.6 1.8 2.0 apg

F 15 John Allen 6-7 215 So. 3.7 1.6

F 5 Jake Shoff 6-9 265 Jr. 3.6 2.3

G 10 Terry Nashif 5-10 165 Fr. 2.8 1.6 1.7 apg

G 4 Luiz Lemes 6-3 180 Jr. 1.7 0.9

F 32 Bart Jepsen 6-9 235 Jr. 1.6 1.1

C 40 Dan Howard 7-0 225 Jr. 1.5 0.8

OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS

Oklahoma State returns four starters and eight lettermen from last year's 23-9 NCAA team. The Cowboys are off to a 9-1 start this year. They are coming off a dominating 71-45 victory over Arkansas at home Monday. Victor Williams scored 22 points, including 4-for-6 on three-point attempts, to lead the Cowboys and Tony Allen added 14 points and Ivan McFarlin 11 while Melvin Sanders had nine rebounds. The Cowboys held Arkansas to 32.7 percent shooting from the field and just 7.7 percent on three-pointers. Oklahoma State shot 56.3 percent from the floor. With Monday's win over Arkansas, OSU is 6-0 at home with additional wins over Yale (68-59), Hartford (65-52), Northwestern State (77-51), Fresno State (71-61) and UMKC (85-61). The Cowboys won their only true away game of their non-conference schedule with a win at Wichita State (68-58). They enter Saturday's game at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City with a 2-1 record on a neutral floor this year. Playing at the Great Alaska Shootout, the Cowboys defeated Alaska-Anchorage (98-69), suffered their lone loss to the College of Charleston (66-58) and edged currently No. 14 Michigan State (64-61). While playing in front of an expected Ford Center sellout in Oklahoma City will not be an even neutral floor, BYU can be glad the contest is not being played in Stillwater where OSU has won 106 of its last 107 non-conference games held in Gallagher-Iba Arena, dating back to Jan. 7, 1987. The only loss during that span was an 83-81 loss to Florida Atlantic on Dec. 1, 1998, when the Cowboys were ranked 11th in the nation. That loss broke a string of 79-consecutive home non-league wins. OSU has also been successful overall vs. non-league foes. Since the 1997-98 season, Oklahoma State has a 61-8 (88.4 percent) record in regular-season non-Big 12 contests. That includes a 10-0 record in 1997-98, a 9-3 mark in 1998-99, an 11-1 record in 1999-2000, a 9-2 mark in 2000-01 and a 13-1 record last year. OSU's defense has been outstanding this year. Through 10 games, OSU is allowing just 58.3 points per game and has not given up more than 69 points in a contest. On the defensive glass, OSU is outrebounding its opponents by more than 10 boards per game. OSU is also averaging 10 steals and 6.6 blocks per contest. OSU has four players carrying the bulk of the scoring load. Allen leads the Cowboys in scoring at 15.0 ppg while Sanders adds 13.7, Victor Williams 12.0 and McFarlin 11.9. Forward Andre Williams, who is fifth in scoring at 5.2 ppg, is averaging 3.2 blocks per game and 6.0 rebounds. McFarlin pulls down a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game.

OKLAHOMA STATE'S PROBABLE STARTERS

POS. # NAME HT. WT. YR. PPG RPG

F 23 Ivan McFarlin 6-8 237 Jr. 11.9 8.2

F 40 Andre Williams 6-8 225 Sr. 5.2 6.0

G 5 Victor Williams 5-10 187 Sr. 12.0 1.6 3.7 apg

G 24 Tony Allen 6-4 205 Jr. 15.0 5.2

G 34 Melvin Sanders 6-5 210 Sr. 13.7 4.3

SERIES BREAKDOWN

Overall Series Record: BYU leads 3-2

BYU Record in Provo: 1-1

BYU Record in Stillwater: 1-1

BYU Record at Neutral Sites: 1-0

BYU Record under Steve Cleveland: First meeting

BYU Record in Overtime Games: N/A

Longest BYU Win Streak: 3 (1971-94)

Longest Oklahoma St. Win Streak: 2 (1961-63)

Largest BYU Margin of Victory: 27 (1972)

Largest Oklahoma St. Margin of Victory: 17 (1961)

Most Points Scored by BYU: 96 (1972)

Most Points Scored by Oklahoma St.: 74 (1971)

Date Opponent Score W/L

12-15-61 at Oklahoma State 44-61 L

12-12-63 Oklahoma State 64-71 L

12-15-71 at Oklahoma State 84-74 W

12-13-72 Oklahoma State 96-69 W

11-23-94 vs. Oklahoma St.* 69-59 W

*Great Alaska Shootout

LAST MEETING BETWEEN BYU AND OSU

BYU's depth helped the Cougars hold on to defeat Oklahoma State, 69-59, in their opening game of the 1994 Great Alaska Shootout. The Cowboys led by as many as 11 points over the first 15 minutes before the Cougars trimmed the lead to four at the break. After BYU evened the score at 40-40 on a Robbie Reid three-pointer with 17:36 remaining, the Cowboys scored the next five points to take their biggest lead of the second half at 45-40. Led by seven Shane Knight points, BYU went on a 16-4 run over the next five minutes to take a lead it would never give up. The Cowboys trailed by only two with 7:13 remaining and by just three with 5:25 left but could never get closer. Knight's 21 points led four Cougars in double figures as Russell Larson added 16, Robbie Reid 12 and Craig Wilcox 10. Randy Rutherford led OSU with 22 points while Bryant "Big Country" Reeves contributed 18 points and nine boards. BYU out shot the Cowboys 54 percent to 46 percent, and went 8-19 on threes compared to OSU's 4-11 long-range effort. BYU shot 78 percent (7-9) from the line while the Cowboys shot only 53 percent (9-17). BYU defeated Louisville in its second Great Alaska Shootout game before suffering a four-point loss to Minnesota on the way to a 22-10 season. BYU finished tied for second in the WAC and earned an NCAA Tournament invitation. The Cougars lost to Tulane in the first round. OSU went on to have an outstanding season, even though the Cowboys finished 1-2 at the Great Alaska Shootout. OSU defeated Jackson State in its second game before losing to Arizona but finished the season 27-10 and advanced to the NCAA Final Four after finishing second in the Big Eight Conference.

BYU TEAM NOTES

BYU'S LAST OUTING -- BENCH, INSIDE GAME THE DIFFERENCE IN WIN

Center Rafael Araujo led BYU in scoring for the third straight game, totaling his second double-double of the year with 19 points and 11 rebounds in 21 minutes. BYU turned on the second-half jets once again to blow past Pepperdine 84-68, earning its 42nd consecutive home win. With the win the Cougars improved to 10-2 on the season, while the Waves fell to 8-5. Following a Pepperdine 7-0 run to tie the score just after the break, BYU went on a 26-3 run to blow the game wide open at 65-43. BYU dominated the game with its inside presence. BYU outscored the Wave 50-12 in the paint. Center Rafael Araujo was high scorer for the third consecutive game with 19 points and 11 rebounds in just 21 minutes. Travis Hansen added 17 points and grabbed six rebounds. Shoff finished the game with a career-high 15 points in 12 minutes. In the first half, Pepperdine took a 25-23 lead with just over four minutes left in the first half. BYU looked to its bench. Lemes and Shoff scored all 16 points of a 16-7 Cougar run to closeout the half giving BYU the lead at 37-30. Shoff powered the ball inside to score 10 points in just five first half minutes. Lemes added two treys to spark the Cougars, while running the point against the Pepperdine full-court pressure. Jimmy Miggins led the Waves with 16 points. Alex Acker added 15 and Mike Westphal chipped in 11, including three treys.

WHAT BYU COACH STEVE CLEVELAND HAD TO SAY ...

"We took advantage of our strengths by getting the ball inside. We had the inside game going tonight -- no question."

WHAT PEPPERDINE COACH PAUL WESTPHAL HAD TO SAY ...

"BYU just wore us down in the paint. Our plan was to contain them inside and gamble with their three-point shooters, but we couldn't contain them inside for 40 minutes."

SHARING THE BALL

BYU has averaged 23 assists in the last two games. The Cougars totaled a season-high 25 assists vs. Southern Utah while committing a season-low 10 turnovers. Scoring 29 field goals against the Thunderbirds, only four BYU buckets were not set up by a teammate's pass. BYU had 21 assists to only 12 turnovers vs. Pepperdine Thursday.

FIRST HALF/SECOND HALF

In the last two games, BYU got off to a quick start against Southern Utah and owned a seven-point lead vs. Pepperdine at the break. The Cougars have led at the half in exactly half of their games, but have trailed in four of the last seven games. The Cougars have played well in the second half, rallying for four victories to post a 4-2 record when trailing at the break. BYU had its biggest deficit of the year at USF, trailing by as many as 20 points and 19 at the break. BYU whittled the lead to two points in the first eight minutes of the second half but never managed to get over the hump. BYU has made its runs early in the final 20 minutes as the Cougars have held the lead with five minutes remaining in 10 games, winning each time. BYU went on an 18-0 run, its largest of the season, in the second half against USD. BYU out scored Utah State 35-21 in the final 20 minutes. The Aggies lost for the first time in six games this year when they had the halftime advantage. BYU put Pepperdine away with a 26-3 run Thursday.

PLAYER PERSONNEL

BYU coach Steve Cleveland is using a larger rotation this year with a deeper bench. Twelve players will play this year and eight are playing double-digit minutes, with two others playing nine and eight minutes per game. Cleveland has gone with the same starting lineup in every game but St. Bonaventure, where a the Bonnies pressing defense warranted a lineup change. Sophomore guard Marc Roberts and freshman guards Austin Ainge and Jermaine Odjegba are planning to use the season to redshirt. Ainge broke his thumb during practice three days before BYU's season opener. He had surgery in Phoenix. He isn't expected to practice for another couple weeks.

BYU STARTING LINEUP (RECORD)

Woodberry, Hansen, Bigelow, Jensen, Araujo (9-2)

Woodberry, Bower, Bigelow, Hansen, Araujo (1-0)

NATIONAL POLLS

BYU received votes in both polls released this week. BYU is tied for 43rd with four points in the Associated Press Poll and tied for 45th with one point in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The four teams participating in the Touchstone Energy All-College Classic are all receiving votes in this week's polls and, according to poll voters, should provide two evenly matched games. Oklahoma State, ranked 38th (AP) and 32nd (ESPN/USA Today Coaches) faces BYU, ranked 43rd (AP) and 45th (ESPN/USA Today), while Oklahoma (No. 10 AP, No. 11 ESPN/USA Today) takes on Michigan State (No. 14 AP and ESPN/USA Today).

RPI AND SAGARIN RATINGS

After entering last week rated No. 1 in the RPI ratings produced by Collegiate Basketball News and CBS Sportsline.com, BYU is now rated No. 8 and No. 12, respectively, in the two RPI ratings after going 1-1 last week. In the Sagarin ratings, updated Wednesday prior to BYU's win over Pepperdine, the Cougars are rated 15th as the top-rated Mountain West Conferenc school. Utah is the next MWC school at No. 39 its win over Alabama. Creighton is the top-rated team in the nation. The Mountain West is rated sixth nationally as a league, ahead of Conference-USA, the Pac-10 and Atlantic-10.

OFF TO GOOD START

When BYU started the year 8-1 this year it became the program's best start under Steve Cleveland, surpassing the 7-1 start of the 1999-2000 team, and equaled the program's best start since 1991-92. That team, however, went 9-1 before suffering its second defeat. After losing at USF, BYU fell to 8-2, the same record it had last yeear after 10 games. Now at 10-2, the Cougars have equaled the start of last year's team, who went 10-2 before losing at Pepperdine to finish the preseason at 10-3. This year's team still must play three games before starting league play. The 1999-2000 NIT team finished the preseason at 11-2, while the 2000-2001 NCAA team went 11-4. BYU's best-ever start to a season was a 17-0 run at the beginning of the 1987-88 season that garnered the Cougars a No. 2 national ranking.

STREAKS

BYU has won its last two games overall while extending the nation's longest homecourt winning streak to 42 games. The Cougars have won 33 straight home games over a nonconference opponent and 17 consecutive vs. Mountain West Conference teams. BYU has lost its last two road games. BYU's loss at Creighton ended a string of four consecutive BYU wins away from the Marriott Center. It was the team's best streak away from home since BYU's 2001 NCAA team won five consecutive games (2 away, 3 at the MWC tournament) in March 2001. The Cougars won five straight games overall to open this season, the longest overall streak since winning eight straight games last year in preseason. BYU has made a three-point shot in 191 consecutive games since last going 0-9 in a 75-67 loss to CS Fullerton on Nov. 22, 1996 during BYU's 1-25 season.

SHOOTING, REBOUNDING SUCCESS

BYU has outshot 11 of 12 opponents this year (except USF) and outrebounded nine (except Creighton,USU, USCB). BYU is shooting .480, including .378 on threes, while limiting opponents to .383 shooting from the floor and only .268 on threes. BYU averages 35.3 boards to its opponents' 32.7. BYU has shot 45 percent or better in nine games this year, including a string of six straight until shooting a season-low 36.5 percent at USF when the Cougars also allowed USF an opponent-best 50.9 percent. BYU rebounded to shoot 58 percent (SUU) and 54.2 percent (Pepperdine) in the last two games.

FROM THE LINE

BYU topped 80 percent free throw shooting for the fourth time this year when it shot a season-high 85.2 percent from the line vs. UCSB, going 23-27. The Cougars have shot better than 70 percent in all but three games, a season-low 55.0 percent (11-20) vs. San Diego, 65.4 percent vs. Pepperdine Thursday and 65.7 percent at USF. Individually, six Cougars are shooting 75 percent or better from the line. John Allen is a perfect 10-10 while Ricky Bower is shooting 90.3 percent (28-31). BYU is shooting 73.3 percent as a team.

DEFENSIVE NOTABLES

BYU has held nine opponents to 42 percent or lower shooting, and has held five opponents below 35 percent shooting. BYU held Pepperine, coming in shooting 47.1 percent, to its second-lowest percentage of the year at 34.5 percent. BYU held UCSB, a team that came in after seven games shooting 50.3 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent on threes, to 36.5 percent and 26.1 percent on threes. BYU has held eight of its 12 opponents this year to 60 points or less. BYU is 48-3 under Steve Cleveland when holding opponents below 60 points. BYU held USD to a BYU-opponent low of 49 points. On the year, BYU's defense yields a combined 61.7 points per game.

MORE DEFENSE

The Cougars did not allow a SUU player to reach double figures and held UCSB forward Mark Hull to four points on 2-8 shooting and three rebounds in 34 minutes. He entered the game averaging 14.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. BYU made Utah State's leading scorer Desmond Penigar earn all 11 of his points on 3-11 shooting. He was averaging 15.2 and shooting 49 percent from the floor entering the game. The other top Aggie scorer, guard Mark Brown, entered the game with a 13.8 scoring average, having reached double figures in every game. He scored only two points against the Cougar defense, going 1-8 from the floor in a team-high 35 minutes. BYU also held San Diego's leading scorer, 6-foot-10, 290-pound center Jason Keep, who had 30 points and 16 rebounds at UCLA this year, to just seven points -- nearly 11 points below his 17.7 average entering the game. Against Rice, BYU held 2002 WAC Freshman of the Year forward Michael Harris, who came in averaging 13.7 points and 10.3 rebounds, including a 14-point, 10-rebound night on 7-10 shooting at Stanford, to 11 points and four boards. ASU's freshman sensation Ike Diogu was held five points below his season average. Despite the loss, BYU held Creighton, a team that shot 54 percent from the floor and 51 percent on threes in its first five games, to 42 percent shooting from the floor and 29 percent three-point shooting on its home floor.

COUGARS TAKING BETTER CARE OF THE BALL

BYU has made more assists than turnovers in four of the last five games and six games overall this season. BYU had 21 assists to only 12 turnovers vs. Pepperdine and totaled a season-high 25 assists vs. Southern Utah while committing a season-low 10 turnovers. Scoring 29 field goals against the Thunderbirds, only four BYU buckets were not set up by a teammate's pass. After committing 14 or more turnovers in six of the first seven games, including 21 at ASU and 23 at Creighton, BYU has made less than 14 miscues in each of the last five games. A big part of the turnaround has been the improved play of JC transfer point guard Kevin Woodberry. After committing 19 turnovers with only 10 assists in the first seven games, Woodberry has dished out 20 assists with only 4 turnovers in the last five contests.

NATION'S LONGEST HOME WINNING STREAK

BYU has a 42-game homecourt winning streak. The streak, which is a school record topping the 24 straight won between March 1994 and January 1996, is the longest current streak in the nation. BYU went 16-0 at home last season and was 15-0 the prior year. BYU has had a perfect home record seven times since the Marriott Center opened for the 1971-72 season. The past two years, however, marks the first time it has happened in back-to-back seasons. Last year's team tied the BYU single-season record with 16 home wins and was only the fourth Cougar squad to win more than 14 home games in a season. The 1987-88 Ladell Andersen squad went 16-2 in the Marriott Center. BYU's last home loss was on Feb. 17, 2000 when New Mexico edged the Cougars 78-74. BYU has won 17 straight at home over MWC teams. BYU has defeated 33 straight nonconference opponents in the Marriott Center since starting the streak with a 61-59 win over Utah State on Jan. 2, 1999. The last non-league foe to win in Provo was the California Bears, who edged BYU 71-70 on Dec. 19, 1998.

BYU ON THE ROAD

While BYU entered this season with the nation's longest active home winning streak at 36 games (now 42), the Cougars also finished last season having lost their last 10 games away from the Marriott Center and their last 11 straight games on an opponent's home court, including three in overtime. This year, BYU has snapped both losing streaks. With its three wins at the Paradise Jam -- BYU's first win streak away from home since the end of the 2001 season, BYU ended the 10-game skid. With BYU's victory at ASU, the Cougars ended the 11-game road losing streak and seven straight losses on a Pac-10 opponent's home floor dating back to its win over ASU in 1989. BYU is 1-2 on an opponent's court this year, having lost its last two road games. Last year BYU won only twice away from home with a neutral court 81-76 upset over No. 13 Stanford at the Las Vegas Showdown on Dec. 22, 2001 and a season-opening win at San Diego, 70-59, on Nov. 17, 2001.

NEUTRAL COURT RECORD

BYU is 12-7 on a neutral court under Steve Cleveland. Last year BYU was 1-1 on a neutral floor. Prior to the Paradise Jam, BYU's last neutral court game was a 62-51 loss to San Diego State at the 2002 MWC Tournament. BYU's prior neutral win was over No. 13 Stanford, 81-76, at the Las Vegas Showdown. The Cougars have won seven of their last nine neutral court contests.

RARE HAPPENING

When Utah State did not connect on a three-point attempt, going 0-5, against BYU on Dec. 14 it marked the first time a BYU opponent has failed to make a three-pointer since Oklahoma went 0-9 vs. the Cougars in the 1992 Maui Classic on Dec. 21, 1992.

BYU VS. ITS CONFERENCE PEERS

BYU is picked to finish fourth this year in the Mountain West Conference. BYU has a won 58 percent (418-299) of its games all-time vs. MWC opponents. As an overall athletic program, BYU has dominated the Mountain West, winning 63 percent of all titles in the league's first three seasons.

COUGARS SIGN COMBO GUARD MICHAEL ROSE

During the early signing period in November, BYU signed Michael Rose, a 6-foot-1 combo guard out of Spring Woods High School in Houston Texas. A four-year starter, Rose averaged 16.3 points, five rebounds and three assists playing shooting guard as a junior. A preseason All Greater Houston First Team selection, Rose will play point guard his senior season. He has earned first-team All-District 21 5A honors the past two seasons and was the team MVP in 2002. He has helped his team to second-place District 21 finishes the past two years. In is first season, he was named District 21 Freshman of the Year. Rose has played four years on the Houston Hoops summer AAU team that also features top-five recruits Ndidi Eby and Kendrick Perkins. As the team's starting shooting guard, Rose averaged 14 points and helped the team earn a No. 1 national rating for much of the summer. The team placed second at two of the nation's larger invitational tournaments, finishing as the runner-up at both the Nike Peach Jam in Augusta, Ga., and Nike Super Showcase in Orlando, Fla. A great shooter, Rose is one of the 16 finalists still alive in Cuttino Mobley's Clutch City Shootout. Sponsored by the Houston Rockets and generating more than 300 participants, the Shootout allows Houston-area 4A and 5A high school basketball players the opportunity to compete in a series of three-point shooting contests. Rose is scheduled to shoot at halftime of the Rockets' Jan. 13 game. Earlier this month, he connected on 14 consecutive three-point shots during a scrimmage while scoring 56 points. Rose possesses a strong academic resume, ranking second in his class of 365 seniors. He was recruited by Houston, St. Louis, Utah State, Colorado State, Texas Christian, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Illinois. With guard Travis Hansen being the only senior on this year's roster, Rose is expected to be the only player to sign with BYU during the early signing period. He is the nephew of BYU Associate Head Coach Dave Rose.

ARAUJO NAMED MOUNTAIN WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK MONDAY

BYU junior center Rafael Araujo has been named Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week Monday. It is Araujo's first player of the week honor of his career. Araujo, from Sao Paulo, Brazil (Arizona Western), averaged 20.5 points and 12 rebounds in two games last week as BYU earned a 1-1 record. He shot 61.3 percent (19-of-31) from the field and averaged two steals per game. In the 84-72 loss at San Francisco last Monday, Araujo recorded his first Division I double-double with career-highs of 24 points and 17 rebounds in 28 minutes of action. He went 11-for-20 from the field (55 percent) and registered a career-high three steals. The 17 boards and 11field goals are both currently tied for the second-highest output by an MWC player this year. Araujo led the Cougars in scoring for the second straight game with 17 points on 8-of-11 field goals and seven boards in the 93-60 win over Southern Utah.

BIGELOW REACHING, APPROACHING MILESTONES

Junior Mark Bigelow reached two milestones last Saturday vs. Southern Utah. The 6-foot-7 swingman went 4-6 from behind the arc to move past Terrell Lyday into second place on BYU's career three-point list. Now with 131 career treys, Bigelow needs 10 more to catch BYU assistant coach Andy Toolson, who holds the top mark at 141. Bigelow leads BYU with 22 threes this year and has made a combined 41.5 percent (131-316) in his two-plus seasons. Against SUU, Bigelow also became the 34th Cougar and only ninth junior to score 1,000 points during his career. Bigelow moved into 33rd place with his 12 points vs. Pepperdine Thursday with 1,021 career points. He needs 11 points to surpass current NBA official Bernie Fryer for 32nd place and 31 points to move past Scott Runia, who shared the backcourt for three years with BYU's career scoring leader Danny Ainge (2,467).

BYU SETS THREE-POINT RECORD IN WIN OVER SOUTHERN UTAH

The Cougars set a new school record for three-pointers made in a game, going 14-24 (.583) vs. Southern Utah's match-up zone. Seven BYU players made a trey with six players' only field goals being triples.

COUGARS WIN PARADISE JAM TITLE

BYU started the season by winning the University of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam title. Played in St.Thomas, the Paradise Jam featured six teams in a three-game format. BYU earned the title with wins over Toledo, Kansas State and St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies finished the second-year tournament 2-1 with a win over Virginia Tech, who also finished 2-1. Kansas State and Toledo went 1-2 and Michigan 0-3.

HANSEN, BIGELOW EARN PARADISE JAM AWARDS

Leading BYU to the University of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam title, Travis Hansen and Mark Bigelow were named to the Paradise Jam All Tournament Team. Others selected to the team were Pervis Pasco of Kansas State, Nick Moore of Toledo, Terry Taylor of Virginia Tech and tournament MVP Marques Green of St. Bonaventure.

RECORD JAM DEFENSE

BYU set the Paradise Jam tournament record for fewest average points allowed by giving up only 59 points per game in its three tournament wins. The previous record was LaSalle's 62.7 points allowed over three tournament games last year. In the championship game, BYU held St. Bonaventure, who came into the title showdown having scored 91 and 89 points in its first two games, to 57 points and 28 percent shooting. BYU held Toledo to 34.6 percent shooting and 56 points and allowed only 40.4 percent shooting and 64 points by Kansas State. Combined, BYU's Paradise Jam opponents shot 33.9 percent from the floor, including 31.8 percent on threes.

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF BASKETBALL

BYU is celebrating 100 years of basketball. Since the first season of BYU basketball in 1903, BYU entered this season having achieved a 1437-924 (.609) overall record with 21 different coaches at the helm. The combined efforts of these men have provided the Cougars with 80 winning seasons in 100 years. BYU has won 25 conference titles and made 28 postseason tournament appearances with 19 NCAA bids and nine NIT berths. The Cougars won the 1951 and 1966 NIT titles and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament in 1981, highlighted by Danny Ainge's length-of-the-court dash to defeat Notre Dame at the buzzer. Ainge was named the nation's top player as the John Wooden Award and Eastman Award winner. Twenty-three players have received All-America recognition while NBA teams have selected a Cougar 41 times in its annual draft. BYU has the nation's 11th longest rivalry, dating back to 1909, against the University of Utah. BYU and Utah have the 10th longest rivalry in terms of games played with 232 contests. Amazingly, the series is tied at 116-116. For more information on BYU's 100-year history, please consult the 2002-03 BYU media guide.

BYU AMONG TOP-40 All-TIME WINNINGEST BASKETBALL PROGRAMS

With its all-time record of 1437-924 (.609), BYU is the ranked 40th all-time among the winningest Division I program basketball programs. In terms of total wins, BYU is in the top 25. The Cougars have had 80 winning seasons in their 100-year basketball history and have made 28 postseason appearances, including 19 NCAA bids, and won 25 conference championships.

COUGARS BOAST STRONG 2002-03 SCHEDULE

Seventeen games against teams who qualified for postseason play last year and spots in the University of The Virgin Islands Paradise Jam (U.S. Virgin Islands) and Touchstone Energy All-College Classic (Oklahoma City) highlight BYU's 2002-03 men's basketball schedule. BYU's nonconference schedule includes teams from 10 different conferences. Overall, 12 teams earned postseason bids last season, seven advancing to the NCAA tournament and five playing in the NIT. Six teams earned a conference regular season or league tournament title and 12 placed in the top three in their league standings. In all, the schedule includes a total of 29 regular season games and two exhibitions. The Cougars will play 14 regular season games in the Marriott Center, where BYU owns the nation's longest active home-court victory streak at 36 games. Excluding the MWC Tournament, BYU plays 15 road games, including 11 away contests and four neutral site games. The 2003 MWC Tournament takes place March 12-15 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. The Pac-10, Big 12, Atlantic 10, Big Sky, Big West, Mid-American, Mid-Continent, Missouri Valley, West Coast and Western Athletic are represented on the non-league schedule. Nine teams -- Arizona State, Creighton, San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Utah State, Southern Utah, Weber State and Pepperdine -- were also on last year's nonconference schedule. BYU earned a 6-3 record in those games, losing at UCSB and dropping overtime games at both Utah State and Pepperdine.

BYU OPPONENTS PROVE SCHEDULE IS CHALLENGING

Of the 22 teams BYU will face on its regular season schedule this year, 16 have a winning record after Thursday's play while five had losing records and one was at .500. BYU's opponents have combined to win 65 percent of their games thus far this year.