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PROVO -- After a low scoring, tough first half, the BYU men’s basketball team used a second half surge to race to a 73-62 win over the New Mexico Lobos in the Marriott Center Tuesday night. With the win the Cougars improve to 20-5 on the season — the fourth-straight season under Coach Dave Rose BYU has reach 20 victories — and 8-3 in Mountain West Conference play.

“I thought it was a great college basketball game,” Rose said. “We were fortunate to make some big plays down the stretch in that second half, gain some separation and hold on to win.”

Junior Jonathan Tavernari led all scorers with 22 points on the night. Three other Cougars also scored in double figures, including Jackson Emery with 19, Lee Cummard with 13 and Jimmer Fredette with 10 points. Emery was 7-of-9 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from the three-point line.

The Cougars had a slow start, missing their first six shots of the game before a make by center Chris Miles with 16:59 to play in the first half. Several fouls went the Lobos’ way, helping them build a seven-point lead. BYU scraped its way through, pulling out a 9-0 run for its first lead of the game at 16-13. The run was capped by a three-point play converted by Emery at the free throw line.

“New Mexico guards really well,” said Rose. “They’re a really physical team with really good defensive schemes. There are a lot of opportunities you think you’re going to have, but then they close down and make you go to your second or third option.”

The physical game continued as freshman Charles Abouo chased down a potential fastbreak layup to record his first block of MWC play. Emery notched his second three-point play to again give the Cougars the lead with 5:41 remaining in the first half. The lead changed a total of five times before the halftime break.

Tavernari’s first three-pointer of the night came with under two minutes remaining in the half, marking only BYU’s second of the night. The bucket sent the Cougars into the locker room with a 29-26 lead.

BYU opened the second half with a three-point make by Emery and an impressive layin by Tavernari. Miles skipped the ball to the junior from midcourt, through three UNM defenders, for the two points.

“I thought our players showed real composure coming out of the second half, in a situation where we had a couple individuals play well in the first half, but as a team didn’t play as well as we expect to play,” said Rose. “We were able to come out and execute and maintain our composure in the second half.”

Cummard made only his second field goal of the night with 15:43 to play in the game, putting BYU up 38-32. The Cougars built a seven-point lead after Abouo managed to make a wild layup fall through the basket. A fast-break layup by Tavernari gave BYU its first double-digit lead of the game at 45-34.

Feeling comfortable from beyond the arc, Cummard, Tavernari quickly built upon the Cougars’ lead, recording a trio of three-pointers in a span of two minutes, pulling ahead by 16. Emery remained perfect from behind the three-point line, making his third three of the half with 6:13 minutes remaining. BYU knocked down five three-pointers in the second half of play after making only two in the first 20 minutes.

As the minutes wound down the Cougars took several trips to the charity stripe, going 5-of-6. Up by nine points with just under two minutes to play and coming out of a timeout, Cummard sparked the crowd with a two-handed dunk. Emery soon followed with one of his own, giving BYU the 69-56 lead.

Up next the Cougars travel to take on UNLV on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. PT. The game will be televised live on CBS College Sports.

CLICK HERE for postgame notes and quotes.

Official Basketball Box Score
New Mexico vs BYU Cougars
2/17/09 8:05 pm at Marriott Center, Provo, Utah
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VISITORS: New Mexico 16-10, 7-4 MWC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
30 MARTINEZ, Roman..... f  1-6    1-6    0-0    4  5  9   4   3  1  3  1  1  29
32 DANRIDGE, Tony...... f  6-12   1-1    4-5    0  2  2   3  17  2  3  0  0  37
53 FARIS, Daniel....... f  7-13   0-0    2-5    0 10 10   1  16  0  3  3  0  34
05 GARY, Dairese....... g  4-6    3-3    4-6    0  2  2   4  15  1  2  0  3  28
23 MCDONALD, Phillip... g  0-2    0-1    1-2    0  2  2   2   1  0  1  0  0  14
00 HARDEMAN, A.J.......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   1   0  0  1  0  0   3
02 WILLS, Jonathan.....    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  1  1  0  0   7
11 GARTH, Nate.........    1-3    1-2    0-0    0  1  1   2   3  2  1  0  1  15
15 BROWN, Will.........    0-1    0-0    0-0    1  1  2   3   0  0  0  1  0   4
33 TOPPERT, Chad.......    2-8    1-7    2-4    0  3  3   1   7  4  0  0  0  29
   TEAM................                         1  1  2
   Totals..............   21-52   7-21  13-22   6 29 35  21  62 11 15  5  5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-28 39.3%   2nd Half: 10-24 41.7%   Game: 40.4%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-8  25.0%   2nd Half:  5-13 38.5%   Game: 33.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  2-4  50.0%   2nd Half: 11-18 61.1%   Game: 59.1%    5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: BYU Cougars 20-5, 8-3 MWC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
30 CUMMARD, Lee........ f  4-14   1-6    4-4    1  5  6   2  13  5  1  0  0  36
45 TAVERNARI, Jonathan. f  9-17   3-5    1-3    0  7  7   2  22  1  1  0  0  37
54 MILES, Chris........ c  1-5    0-0    3-4    2  2  4   4   5  2  1  1  0  12
04 EMERY, Jackson...... g  7-9    3-3    2-2    1  5  6   3  19  2  1  0  2  38
32 FREDETTE, Jimmer.... g  5-13   0-3    0-2    0  6  6   2  10  6  2  0  1  34
01 ABOUO, Charles......    1-2    0-0    1-2    1  0  1   1   3  0  1  1  0   6
02 MORGAN, JR., Lamont.    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   3   0  2  0  0  0  11
15 ANDERSON, James.....    0-2    0-0    1-2    0  1  1   5   1  1  2  1  0  16
34 HARTSOCK, Noah......    0-1    0-0    0-0    2  1  3   1   0  0  1  0  0  10
   TEAM................                         4  2  6
   Totals..............   27-64   7-17  12-19  11 29 40  23  73 19 10  3  3 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-36 33.3%   2nd Half: 15-28 53.6%   Game: 42.2%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-8  25.0%   2nd Half:  5-9  55.6%   Game: 41.2%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-4  75.0%   2nd Half:  9-15 60.0%   Game: 63.2%    4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Dick Cartmell, John Higgins, Rick Batsell
Technical fouls: New Mexico-None. BYU Cougars-None.
Attendance: 12911
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
New Mexico....................   26   36  -   62
BYU Cougars...................   29   44  -   73
Points in the paint-NM 18,BY 34. Points off turnovers-NM 10,BY 16.
2nd chance points-NM 2,BY 4. Fast break points-NM 0,BY 12.
Bench points-NM 10,BY 4. Score tied-4 times. Lead changed-5 times.
Last FG-NM 2nd-00:56, BY 2nd-00:24.
Largest lead-NM by 7 1st-15:55, BY by 16 2nd-07:42.

BYU GAME #25 FAST FACTS

BYU (19-5, 7-3)

vs.

New Mexico (16-9, 7-3)

Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009

Marriott Center (22,700)

Provo, Utah

8 p.m. MT

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (91-31 in fourth season; same overall)

UNM, Steve Alford (40-18 in second season; 348-201 in 18th season overall)

Series

BYU leads, 73-51, New Mexico won the first meeting this season 81-62 in Albuquerque on Jan. 17

TV

The Mtn. (James Bates, play-by-play; Joe Cravens, game analysis)

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (7 p.m. MT pregame show — Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analysis)

Web

Live audio and live stats links are available on the basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

Cougars and Lobos to Square off on Tuesday

BYU men’s basketball (19-5, 7-3 MWC) will have a shot at redemption on Tuesday when the Cougars host New Mexico (16-9, 7-3) at 8 p.m. in the Marriott Center. The Lobos handed BYU its worst loss of the season on Jan. 17 in Albuquerque, 81-62. The Cougars and New Mexico are tied with San Diego State with three conference losses, one behind Utah with two. BYU is 11-2 at home overall and 4-1 at home in MWC play. Tuesday’s game will be televised live on The Mtn. while the radio broadcast can be heard on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City and on the Internet at KSL.com beginning with the pregame show at 7 p.m. MT.

Up Next

BYU leaves Provo for its toughest road trip of the season, playing at UNLV on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 8 p.m. PT. The Cougars then play at San Diego State on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Follow Saturday’s game at UNLV on www.byucougars.com and listen live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 7 p.m. PT on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on CBS C.

Cougar Quick Hits

— Lee Cummard is 11th all-time in scoring at BYU with 1,426 career points. Jonathan Tavernari is 37th all-time with 1,046 career points.

— Cummard and Tavernari continue to climb the BYU record books in the categories of made threes and steals. Cummard is seventh in steals (120) and fourth in threes (145) and Tavernari is second in threes (180) and 10th in steals (108)

— Two-time MWC Coach of the Year Dave Rose has guided BYU to three-straight 20-win seasons and three-straight postseason appearances. In his first season the Cougars were 20-9 and made a trip to the NIT. In his second campaign he guided the Cougars to the outright MWC title, a top-25 ranking, a trip to the NCAA Tournament and a 25-9 overall record. Last season he led BYU to a 27-8 overall record, a second-straight outright league title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. He has the best record through 120 games of any BYU basketball coach.

— BYU has been picked to finish second (five first-place votes) in the MWC preseason poll by the league’s media.

Looking at New Mexico

New Mexico is 16-9 overall and tied with BYU at 7-3 in MWC action. The Lobos handed BYU its first loss in conference play, defeating the Cougars 81-62 on Jan. 17. New Mexico has won three straight, including home wins against Wyoming (86-57) and UNLV (73-59 in overtime) and at Air Force (76-66). The Lobos have lost at UNLV, at San Diego State and at Utah in MWC action. New Mexico averages 73.9 points per game and shoot 46.9 percent per game. The Lobos allow an average of 64.9 points per game while their opponents shot 40.0 percent per game. New Mexico is third in scoring and sixth in scoring defense. The Lobos are also third in field goal percentage and first in field goal percentage defense. Tony Dandridge leads the team in scoring (13.7) while Daniel Farris is second in scoring and second in rebounding (5.9). Chad Toppert comes off the bench to average 11.1 points per game and is one of the top shooters in the MWC, hitting 45.4 percent (64-141) from three — first in the MWC — and 85.7 percent on free throws. Roman Martinez also averages double figures at 10.8 points per game and is first on the team in boards per game (6.0 per contest). Dairese Gary leads the Lobos in assists at 4.2 per game. Steve Alford coaches the Lobos and has a 40-18 record in his second season as the head man of the Lobos. He is in his 18th season as an NCAA Division I head coach and has a career record of 348-201.

Series Notes

Tuesday’s game will be the 125th meeting between BYU and New Mexico. The Cougars own a 73-51 advantage over the Lobos — 42-15 in Provo (25-12 in the Marriott Center) and trail 27-32 in Albuquerque (17-27 in The Pit). BYU had dominated the series recently, winning the first six games between the schools during the Dave Rose era before losing 81-62 in Albuquerque on Jan. 17 earlier this season. Last season the Cougars won 83-66 at home and pulled out a 70-69 overtime win on the road. BYU will be looking to make it three-straight in The Pit. BYU has won eight straight in Provo against the Lobos with New Mexico’s last win in Provo coming on Feb. 17, 2000, 78-74.

By the Numbers

1 BYU’s NCAA Division I ranking in team field goal percentage. The Cougars are shooting 51.2 percent from the field as a team.

3 The number of BYU players ranked in the top five scorers (all games) in the MWC: Lee Cummard (2), Jonathan Tavernari (4) and Jimmer Fredette (5).

4 The number of games in which BYU has scored 90-plus points this season.

5 The number of three-pointers Tavernari attempted without missing against Colorado State at home.

6 The number of consecutive games in which BYU has shot 50.0 percent or better. BYU is shooting 56.3 percent during that stretch, including 50.0 percent on threes. Also the number of points Jonathan Tavernari needs to pass Scott Runia for 36th all-time in scoring at BYU.

7 The number of categories in which BYU is ranked in the top-20 in the NCAA (scoring offense (13), scoring margin (7), field goal percentage (1), three-point field goal percentage (14), three-point field goal defense (11), assists per game (7) and assist/turnover ratio (5).

8 The number of statistical categories in which a BYU player ranks among the top three in the MWC (all games) out of 13 categories tracked by the league.

10 The number of statistical categories out of 19 tracked by the league in which BYU is ranked No. 1 as a team in the MWC.

11 The number of games in which Lee Cummard has hit 60.0 percent or better this season. He has hit better than 70.0 percent in six games.

12 The number of games in which Jimmer Fredette has attempted a free throw without missing.

16 The number of games BYU has won by double figures. The Cougars have won six games by 20-29 points and five games by 30-plus points

17 The number of games in which BYU has shot 50.0 percent or better this season. The Cougars are currently No. 3 in the nation in field goal percentage.

19 The number of consecutive games in which Jonathan Tavernari has hit a three-pointer, two games from tying the school season record held by Terrell Lyday. Tavernari has made a three in 23 of 24 games this season.

20.5 BYU’s average margin of victory in its 18 wins.

34 The number of threes Jonathan Tavernari needs to pass Mark Bigelow for first all-time

72.4 BYU’s first half shooting percentage against Colorado State, a season best for the Cougars.

79.3 BYU head coach Dave Rose’s winning percentage in conference games, 46-12, — best in MWC history.

94 The number of conference wins for BYU since the formation of the MWC in 1999, first among all conference teams.

100 Percent of games BYU has won this year when holding opponents to 69 points or less this season. The Cougars are 17-0 when holding opponents below 70 points.

1,000-Point Scorers

Including a career-high 36 points against Long Beach State and performances of 30 points against Weber State, 28 against Cal Poly and 26 at Tulsa, Lee Cummard now has 413 total points for the season and 1,426 for his career. He passed Jay Cheesman (1,408) for 11th all-time in scoring in BYU history during the TCU game. Cummard is 87 points from passing Kresimir Cosic (1,512) for 10th all-time.

With 17 points at Air Force junior forward Jonathan Tavernari surpassed 1,000 points for his career. He is six points from passing Scott Runia (1,051) for 36th all-time.

Consecutive Games with a Three

With a three at the 13:53 mark in the first half at TCU Jonathan Tavernari has hit a three in the last 19 games and in 23 of 24 games this season. He needs two more games with a trey to equal the BYU single-season record for consecutive games with a three held by Terrell Lyday (21) and three to tie the career mark of 22 games held by Mark Bigelow. Tavernari made a three in 20-straight games from the end of last season until going without a three against Cal Poly, the fifth game of this season.

Downtown Record Watch

After hitting two threes at TCU junior forward Jonathan Tavernari has 180 career threes, including 63 this season. He started the season with 117 threes and has passed Andy Toolson (141) and Mike Rose (163) and is now second all-time in school history in made threes and 34 from passing Mark Bigelow for first. Tavernari also has 483 attempts from downtown, good for second all-time in school history. Lee Cummard was a perfect 2-of-2 from downtown at TCU and now has 145 threes for his career, good for fourth all-time at BYU. He is 19 threes from passing Mike Rose for third all-time. Cummard is also fifth all-time in attempts with 326.