GAME 3 - BYU Hosts Portland Wednesday

GAME #3 FAST FACTS

BYU COUGARS (1-1)

vs.

PORTLAND PILOTS (2-3)

Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006

Marriott Center (22,700)

Provo, Utah

7:35 p.m. MT

Coaches:

BYU, Dave Rose (21-10 in second season; same overall)

UP, Eric Reveno (2-3 in first season; same overall)

Series:

Third meeting, series tied 1-1 (BYU won last meeting, 77-72, at Portland on Dec. 3, 1958)

TV: None

Radio:

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (6:30 p.m. pregame show -- Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analysis)

Web:

Live audio and live stats broadcasts are available on the basketball schedule page

BYU HOSTS PORTLAND WEDNESDAY AT 7:30 P.M.

The BYU Cougars (1-1) host the University of Portland Pilots (2-3) Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. MT in the Marriott Center. The game will not be televised but can be heard on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City and via the Internet at KSL.com. BYU currently owns the nation's seventh-longest active homecourt winning streak at 15 games.

UP NEXT

BYU will host in-state foe Southern Utah on Friday at 8 p.m. MT in the Marriott Center. The game will be televised on the mtn.

COUGAR QUICK HITS

-- Cougar head coach Dave Rose guided BYU to a 20-9 record and an NIT appearance last season in his first year at the helm after eight years as BYU's lead assistant. He was named the Mountain West Conference and USBWA District VIII Coach of the Year. Rose coached his team to a second-place MWC finish -- one game behind league-champion San Diego State -- while turning a 9-21 team into a 20-9 success that proved to be the second-best improvement among all Division I programs.

-- BYU was picked to finish second in the Mountain West Conference in the preseason MWC media poll.

-- BYU's roster this season includes a solid core of returning players, including six seniors and Trent Plaisted, the MWC Freshman of the Year last year. One of nine returning lettermen, Plaisted was named a Freshman All-American after leading BYU in both scoring (13.6) and rebounding (6.9) one year ago. 2006 All-MWC Third Team forward Keena Young leads BYU this year in scoring (17.0) and rebounds (7.0).

-- Players on the roster who are seeing their first action for BYU this year include junior redshirt Vuk Ivanovic (Jr., 6-10, C/F), sophomore Gavin MacGregor (6-9, F/C) and junior transfer Ben Murdock (6-2, G). Freshmen Jonathan Tavernari (6-6, G/F), Jordan Cameron (6-5, G/F) and Brock Zylstra (6-6, G/F) are expected to redshirt the season.

LOOKING AT PORTLAND

The Portland Pilots are 2-3 so far this season, having won their last two games, and return three starters among 10 letterwinners from last year's 11-18 team that tied for sixth in the West Coast Conference with a 5-9 record. Sophomore forward Jamie Jones currently leads the Pilots in scoring with 12.4 points per game on a team-best .644 shooting from the field. The 6-foot-7 California native is also second on the team in rebounds averaging 7.0 boards per contest. Senior center Ben Sullivan paces Portland on the glass with 7.2 rpg and is second in scoring at 10.6 ppg while shooting .444 from the field and .909 (20-of-22) from the free-throw line. The 6-foot-10 center has posted double-doubles for Portland in the last two games. Junior forward Sherrard Watson is close behind in the scoring category, averaging 10.4 ppg on .524 shooting from the floor and pulling down 4.0 rpg, also third on the team. Sophomore point guard Brian McTear currently averages 5.2 ppg to go along with 3.2 assists per game. The Pilots are without the services of last year's leading scorer Pooh Jeter, who averaged 18.5 ppg and was the only Portland player to start all 29 contests. As a team, the Pilots are averaging 58.2 ppg on .420 shooting from the field while allowing opponents to score 61.8 ppg on .388 shooting from the floor. Portland outrebounds opponents by an average of 3.8 boards per game -- 36.6 to 32.8. Pilot head coach Eric Reveno is in his first season with the Portland program after a 10-year assistant coaching stint at Stanford (1997-2006).

PORTLAND'S POSSIBLE STARTERS

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

F 34 Sherrard Watson 6-6 190 Jr. 10.4 4.0

F 44 Jamie Jones 6-7 220 So. 12.4 7.0

C 45 Ben Sullivan 6-10 245 Sr. 10.6 7.2

G 04 Walter Thompson 6-4 190 So. 6.2 3.8

G 15 Brian McTear 5-11 150 So. 5.2 1.6

LAST OUTING -- Portland Downs UC Davis for Second Straight Win

PORTLAND -- Ben Sullivan and Jamie Jones combined for 37 points and 20 rebounds to lift the Portland Pilots to a 76-72 victory over the UC Davis Aggies Sunday afternoon at the Chiles Center. Sherrard Watson led all scorers with 21 points, establishing a career-high for the second straight game. Coming off of a 59-53 win over Montana State on Friday, the Pilots (2-3) improved to 2-0 on their home court despite missing numerous key players again on Sunday. Sullivan, who had 12 points and 14 boards on Friday, tallied his second double-double in as many games with 16 points and 10 rebounds, including two crucial putbacks in the closing minutes to give the Pilots momentum. After leading most the game, Portland found itself trailing 57-54 with 7:46 remaining. That's when Sullivan and Jones took over. Sullivan made a three-point play to tie the game and added a pair of putbacks to give Portland a 63-57 lead. Jones also had three layups, four rebounds and a blocked shot in the final six minutes, helping ignite a 13-1 run and give the Pilots their largest margin at 70-58. The Aggies (0-4) made it interesting with a pair of three-pointers in the final minute to cut the margin to four, but Portland made four free throws in the closing seconds to maintain the victory. Jones also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, including 11 points and eight boards in the second period. Watson, whose previous career-high was six points prior to his 20-point outbreak on Friday, finished with 21 on 9-for-15 shooting from the field. "The coaches have been telling me to take shots when I get them," Watson said. "The last couple years, that wasn't my role. This year, with other players being out it's given me the opportunity to step my game up and the coaches just want me to play a bigger role (on offense)." Sophomore point guard Brian McTear set a career-high with nine assists, navigating UC Davis' relentless full court pressure admirably. "They make it hard to play your style," Portland head coach Eric Reveno said, regarding the up-tempo, full court pressing system that UC Davis plays. "Sometimes you have to go with it, be aggressive and take advantage of high percentage shots. I think we turned it over more than we'd have liked, but we were able to execute fairly well." Portland shot 52 percent from the field and held the Aggies to 42 percent shooting. The Pilots struggled at the foul line, making just 13 of 24 attempts. A 42-24 edge in points in the paint and 11-1 margin in second chance points was the difference for the Pilots. Portland held a 34-29 halftime lead, fueled by defensive intensity which led to five player control fouls on UC Davis and 33 percent shooting from the Aggies. "We did a great job of guarding them in the first half," Reveno said. "Getting five charges in one half, that's the type of energy and effort we need to be successful."

BYU VS. PORTLAND SERIES NOTES

The Cougars and Pilots have met just twice before, splitting both games for a 1-1 series tie. The two teams first met in Provo on Dec. 14, 1957 with Portland getting a 63-54 win. BYU returned the favor the following year with a 77-72 victory in Portland on Dec. 3, 1958.

BYU SERIES RECORD VS. PORTLAND

Overall Series Record: Series tied at 1-1

BYU Record in Provo: 0-1

BYU Record in Portland: 1-0

BYU Record at Neutral Sites: N/A

BYU Record Under Dave Rose: 0-0

BYU Record in Overtime Games: N/A

Longest BYU Win Streak: 1 (1958-present)

Longest Portland Win Streak: 1 (1957-58)

Largest BYU Margin of Victory: 5, 77-72 in 1958

Largest Portland Margin of Victory: 9, 63-54 in 1957

Most Points Scored by BYU: 77 in 1958

Most Points Scored by Portland: 72 in 1958

Date Opponent Score W/L

12-14-57 Portland 63-54 L

12-3-58 at Portland 77-72 W

BYU NOTES

BYU's LAST OUTING -- Balderson Leads Cougars in Overtime Thriller

ROVO -- BYU defeated Idaho State in thrilling fashion Saturday evening at the Marriott Center, as the Cougars posted an 84-78 overtime victory. With the win, BYU climbs to 1-1, while Idaho State falls to 1-2 on the season. Jimmy Balderson paced the Cougars with 23 points, while Keena Young added 18 points and 10 rebounds to record the fourth double-double of his career. Idaho State's Akbar Abdul-Ahad led all scorers with 26 points on the evening. Austin Ainge posted a game-high four assists. BYU got off to a fast start, jumping out to an early 8-0 lead, which included two steals and a block. Trent Plaisted started the Cougar scoring with a baseline dunk 15 seconds into the game followed by a BYU steal that resulted in a Young jumper. Moments later, Plaisted blocked Idaho State's John Ofoegbu, resulting in another bucket from Young. Balderson and Lee Cummard teamed up to score the final bucket of the run. Balderson made a steal and flipped the ball up court to Cummard, who netted the layup. Ofoegbu finally put the Bengals on the board at the 15:47 mark, scoring back-to-back layups. Matt Stucki then hit a three pointer for Idaho State, drawing the score even, 10-10, with just under 14 minutes remaining in the half. Cummard immediately responded with an offensive putback to regain the Cougar lead, 12-10. Austin Ainge added a spark for BYU when he entered the game at the 11-minute mark, going 3-for-5 from behind the arc overall and converting his first three attempts. With nine minutes remaining in the half, Ainge brought the ball down the floor, hesitated at the free-throw line and lobbed a pass to a streaking Malaman, giving the Cougars a nine-point lead, 25-16. Balderson extended the lead to 12 points with 6:47 left in the half. He received the ball on the left wing, slipped past a Bengal defender, drove to the opposite side of the basket and layed the ball in. Balderson was fouled on the shot and converted the three-point play. David Schroeder then nailed a much-needed three pointer for Idaho State, but Ainge quickly responded with a three-point bucket of his own. The Bengals held on for the last shot of the half with Austin Kilpatrick draining a three-pointer to send Idaho State into the half down 13 points, 42-29. Idaho State started the second half on fire, going on a 24-5 run during the first 11 minutes. BYU went just 1-for-10 from the field to open the half. The Bengals started the half with a free throw from David Schroeder, an offensive putback by Ofoegbu and a layup from Logan Kinghorn. BYU finally got on the board three minutes into the half when Malaman hit a streaking Balderson for a layup, giving the Cougars a seven-point lead, 44-36. Kinghorn then scored six straight points to bring the Bengals to within two, 44-42. Abdul-Ahad tied the game at 45 points apiece with 11:33 remaining and then scored another jumper at the 9:50 mark to give the Bengals their first lead of the game, 48-47. Balderson broke the Cougar slump with eight minutes remaining, nailing a three-pointer from the right baseline. The bucket cut Idaho State's lead to three, 53-50. BYU came alive with five minutes left, sparked by a Plaisted free throw and buckets from Broadus and Young. A three pointer from Balderson moments later drew BYU to within two points at 60-58. Broadus regained the BYU lead at the 3:53 mark when he netted a three-point shot. Balderson followed that up with another three-pointer. Ofoegbu kept Idaho State's hopes alive, closing the gap to one-point at 64-63. With 24 seconds remaining in regulation, Broadus hit two free throws to give BYU a three-point advantage, 66-63. Idaho State's Abdul-Ahad then hit a three-pointer with six seconds left to tie the score at 68 points after two complete halves of action. BYU started off the overtime period with a bucket from Young, but seconds later Plaisted was called for his fifth foul of the evening. The Cougars were forced to play the rest of the game without the sophomore standout. Broadus netted a three-pointer with 3:39 remaining, giving BYU a four-point lead, 74-40. Balderson sealed the deal with 27 seconds remaining when he hit his fourth three-pointer of the night. Bengal head coach Joe O'Brien said he was pleased with how hard his team fought in the second half. BYU, which shot just 28 percent during the second half, managed to hit 47.4 percent of its shots on the evening, while the Bengals shot 44.4 percent from the field.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "We knew they we'e going to be a quality team and that we were going to be tested. Tonight was good. Our guys got in a fight; they battled, competed and made big shots and free throws. Our guys were determined and fought until the end. There was a good atmosphere tonight for an early November game."

-- "In the second half, it took us a long time to get started. We went four, five, six, minutes only getting one field goal. We played on our heels. They had some good double teams that created turnovers."

-- "Keena battled the whole night and stepped up for us. I was proud of his efforts. Jimmy showed a lot of leadership tonight, and Austin Ainge did a good job in the first half."

-- "Tonight came down to the guys making big plays and they did."

Idaho State Head Coach Joe O'Brien

-- "We've played two really good teams this week (No. 16 Marquette and BYU). I am proud of where we are at but frustrated at not being to pull one out (losing in overtime at Marquette and again at BYU)."

-- "I was really pleased with our defensive effort. It was a tale of two halves."

-- "BYU is a great shooting team. They are very mature and very experienced. They run into their offense and into transition so well. We had to run a zone just to be competitive."

BYU NOTES FROM LAST OUTING

-- Individual Career Highs: Vuk Ivanovic -- points (7), rebounds (3)

-- Individual Season Highs: Keena Young -- points (18), rebounds (10); Jimmy Balderson -- points (23), rebounds (6); Lee Cummard -- rebounds (6); Fernando Malaman -- points (6)

-- The overtime period marked the first time in the BYU-Idaho State series that the two teams have gone to an extra period. BYU's last overtime game was an 89-80 win on Jan. 25, 2006 against TCU.

-- BYU's win against Idaho State in the Marriott Center extended the Cougars' home win streak to 15 games. The mark is currently the seventh-longest active home win streak in the nation.

-- The Cougars reached the 40-point threshold in a half for the first time this season with a 42-29 halftime lead against Idaho State. BYU scored at least 40 points in a half 26 times last year, reaching that mark six times in the first half and 20 in the second.

-- With 18 points and 10 rebounds, Young recorded the fourth double-double of his career and his first of the season. Young followed up his 6-for-8 shooting performance at UCLA with a 6-for-10 night against the Bengals. Young made his first four shot attempts and was the only player to score in double figures in the first half with 10 points.

-- Young also extended his free-throw shooting streak to 10 straight with a 6-for-6 performance from the charity stripe against the Bengals. Young was 4-for-4 from the line at UCLA.

-- After going 2-for-3 from three-point range against UCLA, helping BYU shoot 8-for-9 from long range in the first half, Austin Ainge's hot hand from three-point range continued against Idaho State as he drained his first three attempts from behind the arc, finishing the night 3-for-5 from long range.

INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS AT BYU

-- With the addition of freshman Jonathan Tavernari, 26 international players have played basketball at BYU.

-- The Cougars have had an international player on their varsity roster in 35 of the past 55 years.

-- Another international player, Jean Carlos Otero from Colombia, signed with BYU in November.

-- In the last five years, BYU has rostered six international players, including four on this season's team -- Jimmy Balderson (Canada), Vuk Ivanovic (Serbia) and Fernando Malaman and Jonathan Tavernari (Brazil).

-- Foreign players at BYU have received eight all-conference citations, two conference player of the year awards (Timo Saarelainen -- 1985, Rafael Araujo -- 2004) and eight All-America citations (Kresimir Cosic -- 1972 and 1973, Rafael Araujo -- 2004).

-- According to a book about basketball in Finland by Mikko Simon, BYU has the distinction of being the first NCAA Division I school to have an overseas player on its roster when Timo Lampen, a native of Lahti, Finland, took the court for the Cougars in 1960-61.

-- BYU also boasts the first foreign All-American in Kresimir Cosic, whose BYU jersey was retired on March 4, 2006. The Zadar, Yugoslavia, native played on the Cougar varsity team from 1971-73 and earned six All-America citations and three first-team All-Western Athletic Conference awards. He is the only BYU player to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Cosic passed away in 1995.

-- During the 2005 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, CBS Television analyst Billy Packer singled out Cosic during a discussion of the quality of international players now playing college basketball. Said Packer, "Kresimir Cosic, who played for BYU, was really the first great international player to play basketball in the United States."

FOUR RECRUITS COMMIT TO BYU DURING NOVEMBER SIGNING PERIOD

PROVO -- BYU men's basketball coach Dave Rose today announced that four players -- two from the high school ranks and two from junior colleges -- have committed to attend BYU next season by signing national letters of intent during November's early signing period. Joining the Cougar program for the 2007-08 season will be 6-foot-9 forward Chris Collinsworth out of Provo (Utah) High School; 6-foot-2 combo guard Jimmer Fredette from Glens Falls (N.Y.) High School; 5-foot-10 point guard Lamont Morgan out of Saddleback Community College (Mission Viejo, Calif).; and 6-foot-7 forward Jean Carlos Otero out of Miami-Dade College (Miami, Fla.). "We are excited about the early class," Rose said. "The common denominator is that all these guys come from winning programs and they are a key to that success. Since we are losing six seniors as well as others to missions after this year, it is important for us to address those changes, especially on the perimeter. This gives us a great start as we work toward completing our recruiting in the spring."

CHRIS COLLINSWORTH

An athletic player known for his versatility and soft shooting touch, Collinsworth earned first-team all-state honors last season after averaging 14.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game for the 4A state runner-up Provo Bulldogs. He shot 56 percent from the field to help himself earn All-Valley Co-MVP honors by the Deseret Morning News, All-Valley First Team recognition by the Provo Daily Herald and first-team Region 7 accolades from a vote of area coaches. Showing his versatility, the 6-foot-9 forward has also played the point guard position. His inside-outside game has drawn comparisons to former BYU great Kresimir Cosic. Collinsworth received recruiting attention from schools such as North Carolina, Arizona State, West Virginia, USC and Oregon State in addition to several Mountain West Conference schools. "Chris has the ability to score in the post and on the perimeter," Rose said. "He is a tireless worker who brings a skill level that will be important to our transition offense. He's from right here in our backyard, and we are excited to have him join our program."

JIMMER FREDETTE

A talented scorer, Fredette averaged 29.3 points per game as a junior while leading Glens Falls High School to a 21-2 overall record and the state title game. A first-team all-state selection and the 2006 Times Union Player of the Year, Fredette is known for his outside shooting and playmaking ability. He made a team-leading 76 three-pointers last season while shooting 83 percent from the free-throw line and scoring more than 30 points in 12 of 23 games. The athletic combo guard also averaged 25 points for the Albany City Rocks AAU team over the summer, leading the squad to a third-place finish at AAU Nationals. An all-around athlete, he earned all-state honors as a wide receiver during his junior year before electing not to play football as a senior to concentrate on basketball. Utah, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Seton Hall, Marshall, Siena, George Mason, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Penn State also recruited Fredette. "Jimmer is a terrific shooter who also has the ability to run a team," Rose said. "He is a very unselfish player and is very committed to hard work and getting better. He's a great addition to our team."

LAMONT MORGAN

A sophomore this year at Saddleback Community College, Morgan is an extremely quick point guard and strong team leader. He is averaging 8.7 points, 4.7 assists and 3.0 steals per game so far this season after playing in all 31 games as a freshman to help the Gauchos to a 22-9 record. Morgan has excellent defensive abilities and shot 81 percent from the free-throw line last year. As a freshman he recorded season highs of 13 points and seven rebounds while leading the team in assists 11 times. Prior to playing at Saddleback, Morgan prepped at Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona, Calif., earning first-team all-league honors. "Lamont is a winner," Rose said. "He is a team-oriented point guard who provides great leadership and is very competitive. He is extremely quick with the ball. One of the things we really like about Lamont is his ability to defend. His experience will be counted on."

JEAN CARLOS OTERO

Otero is an athletic perimeter player with excellent size and strength. Known for his ability to penetrate, he is currently averaging 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 62 percent from the floor in his second year at Miami-Dade College. The 6-foot-7 swingman is also an excellent perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment to guard the opponent's top scorer. As a freshman at Miami-Dade, Otero averaged 8.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 48 percent from the floor. A native of Barranquilla, Colombia, Otero will be the 27th international player to play men's basketball at BYU. "Jean Carlos is an athletic wing player who can beat people off the dribble, penetrate and finish," Rose said. "He has good size and strength for a wing player. His perimeter defense is going to be counted on heavily."

COUGARS HELP CHILDREN WITH CANCER

For the eighth year, the BYU men's basketball team will join the Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation in an effort to raise money for families who have children with cancer and participate in the Foundation's annual Christmas party for those families. The Foundation will be collecting monetary donations and any unwrapped toys through the first three weeks of December. Toys can be dropped off at the nearest Far West Bank location, at Harmon's Down Town Auto Center located in Provo or at the men's basketball office located next to the Ticket Office at the Marriott Center. Monetary contributions will also be accepted at the men's basketball office. One hundred percent of all donations to the Foundation will go directly towards the Christmas party for more than 90 families who have children with cancer living primarily in Utah County. A large portion of the money donated will purchase hundreds of toys that will enable these parents to have gifts under the Christmas tree for their children. In addition to all of these toys, there is food, free entertainment, such as games and ornament decorating, and local celebrities including Santa, Cosmo and the BYU men's basketball team. This is the eighth year BYU coaches, players and their families have volunteered for the Christmas party. BYU head coach Dave Rose will serve as honorary chairman for the second year. "This has always been a cause I feel strongly about," said BYU coach Dave Rose. "It has been such a positive experience for the coaches, players and families and is a tremendous opportunity for community members to be involved in brightening the holiday season for these children." Cheryl Rose, vice chairman of the Foundation and wife of coach Rose, discussed the challenges these families face financially and how the Foundation hopes to help these families now and in the future. "For many of these families, it is financially impossible to always have food on the table, a roof over their heads or even have Christmas," Cheryl Rose said. "We want to create a Christmas experience that they will never forget and hopefully in the future help families meet those basic needs that they can't on their own." Rose says that asking for donations has usually been difficult for her, but with such a meaningful cause it has been easy. It has enriched her life, which is something she hopes others will enjoy by contributing to these families. "It's a privilege for me to associate with these families," she said. "They are such an example to me. Even with all that they've been through, they have such a strength and passion for life. It's almost selfish on my part to be involved because I get so much out of it." This year's Christmas party will be held Dec. 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the LaVell Edwards Stadium Cougar Room. Parents will be invited to the Cougar Room on Dec. 19 to choose the gifts their children will receive. The gifts will then be distributed at the party. For more information about donating to the Children With Cancer Christmas Foundation, contact Cheryl Rose at (801) 375-5768. Those interested can also visit the Foundation's website at www.christmas-foundation.org. "The support we get from the community makes this event possible," Cheryl Rose said. "We couldn't serve these children without the donations of time, money and gifts we receive