GAME 6 - BYU Plays at Weber State Saturday

GAME #6 FAST FACTS

BYU COUGARS (3-2, 0-0 MWC)

at

WEBER STATE WILDCATS (4-3, 0-0 Big Sky)

Saturday, Dec. 2, 2006

Dee Events Center (12,000)

Ogden, Utah

7:07 p.m. MT

Coaches:

BYU, Dave Rose (23-11 in second season; same overall)

WSU, Randy Rahe (4-3 in first season; same overall)

Series:

32nd meeting, BYU leads 21-10 (BYU won last year, 80-54, in Provo on Dec. 17, 2005)

TV:

KJZZ, Channel 14, in Salt Lake City (Dave Fox, play-by-play; Thurl Bailey, game analysis)

Radio:

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

Web:

Live audio is available on the basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

BYU PLAYS AT WEBER STATE SATURDAY

Coming off a 72-68 loss at Boise State, BYU (3-2) returns to Utah but stays on the road with an in-state matchup in Ogden against Weber State on Saturday. The 7 p.m. game will be televised live from the Dee Events Center on KJZZ, channel 14, in Utah while the radio broadcast can be heard on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City and via the Internet at KSL.com. The Cougars bounced back from their only other loss of the year, a season-opening road defeat at now top-ranked UCLA, with three straight wins. The Wildcats (4-3) are coming off consecutive road losses at Utah State and at Utah.

UP NEXT

BYU returns to the Marriott Center on Wednesday for a contest against San Jose State. The 7 p.m. game will be televised live on the MountainWest Sports Network (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 behind reigning champion San Diego State.

-- 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 (15.4) while Plaisted is pulling down a team-best 5.8 rebounds. Senior Austin Ainge leads BYU with 3.6 assists per game.

LOOKING AT WEBER STATE

Weber State has two lettermen and one starter back from last year's 10-17 team. This year the Wildcats are under the direction of new head coach Randy Rahe, who was hired last March to succeed Joe Cravens. An experienced assistant coach, Rahe takes over the Weber State program after serving the past two seasons as an assistant to Ray Giacoletti at the University of Utah and previously worked for 13 years as an assistant under Stew Morrill (six at Utah State and seven at Colorado State). The Wildcats are off to a 4-3 start this season, with all three losses coming against in-state competition. After a 3-0 start with wins over Colorado Christian (83-57), Alaska-Fairbanks (71-66 in OT) and Troy (66-61), Weber State lost to Utah State (68-55) in its final game of the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. After a home win over Montana Tech (81-53), the Wildcats suffered a second loss to Utah State (77-68), this time in Logan, before losing at Utah (67-55) on Wednesday. Returning starter David Patten (Sr., 6-8, F) leads three Wildcats who average double-figures scoring with his 12.7 points per game average. Arturas Valeika (Jr., 6-9, C) adds 10.4 ppg and a team-best 7.1 rpg while Juan Pablo Silveira (So., 6-3, G) contributes an even 10 points per contest. The Wildcats have scored 68.4 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the floor, 40 percent accuracy from behind the arc and a 65 percent clip at the line. Weber has allowed 64.1 points per game while opponents have combined to shoot .416 from the field and .321 from long range.

WSU's PROBABLE STARTERS

Pos. No Name HT WT CL PPG RPG APG

F 24 David Patten 6-8 230 Sr. 12.7 4.4 0.8

F 22 Dan Henry 6-5 200 Sr. 6.7 4.6 1.4

C 11 Arturas Valeika 6-9 215 Jr. 10.4 7.1 0.7%

G 45 Juan Pablo Silveira 6-3 195 So. 10.0 2.0 2.9

G 23 Brody Van Brocklin 6-2 175 Jr. 3.1 2.1 2.1

OFF THE BENCH

G 10 Dezmon Harris 6-1 175 Jr. 9.9 1.6 1.4

F 31 Daviin Davis 6-4 200 So. 5.4 1.9 1.3

F 44 Tyler Billings 6-8 225 Jr. 4.6 2.3 0.7

C 40 Steve Panos 6-8 230 Fr. 3.3 2.6 0.0

G 3 Eric Turner 6-3 190 Jr. 2.0 2.3 2.2

%blocked shots per game

WSU's LAST OUTING -- Weber State Falls 67-55 at Utah

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah's Luke Nevill led all players with 24 points as the Utes (2-3) downed Weber State 67-55 on Wednesday at the Huntsman Center. Dezmon Harris led the Wildcats (4-3) with a career-high 17 points. The junior guard hit 6 of 12 shots from the field (3-6 from three-point range). David Patten also hit double figures for the 'Cats with 15 points. Three other Utes reached the double figure mark. Shaun Green scored 12 points, while Stephen Weigh added 11 and Johnnie Bryant added 10.

SERIES NOTES

With the exceptions of the 1979 and 1980 seasons, the Cougars and Wildcats have met at least once every year for a total of 31 times dating back to 1973. BYU owns a 21-10 advantage in those matchups, including a 5-10 record in Ogden and a perfect 16-0 mark against Weber State in Provo. The Cougars have a three-game victory streak in the series since Weber State last beat the Cougars on Jan. 8, 2003 at the Dee Events Center, 75-69.

BYU SERIES RECORD VS. WEBER STATE

Overall Series Record: BYU leads 21-10

BYU Record in Provo: 16-0

BYU Record in Ogden: 5-10

BYU Record at Neutral Sites: 0-0

BYU Record under Dave Rose: 1-0

BYU Record in OT Games: 2-2* (0-2 Rd, 2-0 Hm)

*BYU is 0-1 in 2OT games, lost in Ogden in 1983

Last Overtime Game: 1992, lost at Weber St, 77-83

Longest BYU Win Streak: 3, five times

(1978-81, 85-87, 89-91, 99-2001, 2003-05)

Longest Weber State Win Streak: 1 (10 times)

Largest BYU Margin of Victory: 33, 104-71 in 1987

Largest Weber St. Margin of Victory: 21, 96-75 in 1976

Most Points Scored by BYU: 104 in 1987

Most Points Scored by Weber State: 97 in 1996

Date Opponent Score W/L

11-30-73 Weber State 77-76 W

12-6-74 at Weber State 63-76 L

12-20-75 Weber State 89-80 W

11-27-76 at Weber State 75-96 L

1-3-78 Weber State 81-76 W

12-23-80 at Weber State 85-78 W

12-15-81 Weber State 63-55 W

1-6-83 at Weber State (2OT) 81-84 L

1-7-84 Weber State (OT) 86-81 W

12-8-84 at Weber State 79-87 L

12-28-85 Weber State (OT) 88-86 W

12-18-86 at Weber State 84-69 W

12-11-87 Weber State* 104-71 W

12-1-88 at Weber State 78-80 L

11-28-89 Weber State 81-65 W

11-29-90 at Weber State 69-57 W

12-21-91 Weber State 81-68 W

12-8-92 at Weber State (OT) 77-83 L

12-21-93 Weber State 92-79 W

12-21-94 at Weber State 74-86 L

12-12-95 Weber State 91-86 W

12-4-96 at Weber State 80-97 L

12-12-97 Weber State* 83-70 W

11-19-98 at Weber State 80-83 L

12-11-99 Weber State* 66-53 W

12-28-00 at Weber State 84-75 W

12-5-01 Weber State 65-47 W

1-8-03 at Weber State 69-75 L

12-20-03 Weber State 86-65 W

12-23-04 at Weber State 79-61 W

12-17-05 Weber State 80-54 W

*Cougar Classic

IN-STATE COMPETITION

With the old Oquirrh bucket and the state bragging rights that go along with it once again on the line this season, the Cougars are just getting warmed up with in-state play having played one in-state game with four remaining. BYU is 1-0 so far this season against Utah teams with a win over Southern Utah. In addition to BYU's matchup with Weber State Saturday, the Cougars face Utah State on Saturday Dec. 16, in Provo and then face the University of Utah twice, on Jan. 31 and March 3, during Mountain West Conference play.

QUOTING COACH ROSE

"Randy Rahe is a veteran coach. He's been around for a long time as an assistant and has been part of winning programs. He is doing a really good job with his guys. We will need to go on the road and play a full game and be much more consistent to be able to win."

LAST MEETING RECAP -- Defensive Effort Leads to Big Win

PROVO -- Defense was the name of the game in BYU's 80-54 win over Weber State as the Cougars limited the Wildcats to 28.8 percent shooting and Fernando Malaman had a career-high six of BYU's season-high 11 blocks, the most by a BYU player since Shawn Bradley. The defense was especially effective in the first half, limiting the Wildcats to 25.8 percent shooting and 22 points, the least point scored by a BYU opponent in a half this season. Malaman tied his previous career high with four blocks in the half and Jackson Emery added one of his own, blocking Coric Riggs from behind on a layup attempt. Lee Cummard and Derek Dawes had two blocks each for the game, marking a career high for Cummard. The Cougars were efficient on the offensive end, hitting 44.3 percent (27-61) of their shots and recording 17 assists compared to 11 turnovers. Trent Plaisted paced BYU with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Brock Reichner was almost perfect from the floor, hitting 5-of-6 shots for 13 points. Keena Young was BYU's other player in double figures, tying a season high with 12 points. Derek Dawes led the team with a season-high seven rebounds and Malaman added six boards, a career high. Austin Ainge led BYU with four assists. Riggs scored a game-high 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, and David Patten had 12 points and a team-best seven rebounds. BYU jumped out to an early lead as Brock Reichner hit a baseline fadeaway jumper for the first bucket of the game. After a three by Brian Cox of Weber State, the Cougars scored seven straight points, capped by a trey by Rashaun Broadus. Weber State quickly got back into the game, as Riggs scored the next five points to cut BYU's lead to one at 9-8. Reichner ended the run with a three but Weber went on an 8-2 run to take its first lead of the game at 16-14 with just over 11 minutes remaining in the first half. BYU hit just 1-of-8 shots during the Wildcat run. A Dawes free throw gave the Cougars the lead, which they held for the rest of the half. BYU extended the lead to nine at 29-20 by making 5-of-6 shots after which the Cougars outscored the Wildcats 7-2 to lead 36-22 at teh break. Weber turned the tables to start the second half, scoring the first five points and holding the Cougars scoreless for three minutes, cutting the lead to seven at 36-29. Rose got BYU back on track, hitting three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt. Broadus followed Rose's effort with a three, pushing the lead back to 13 at 42-29. BYU maintained a double-digit lead before going on an 8-2 run when leading 52-38, extending the advantage to 20 at 60-40.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose:

-- "It was a great team win. Overall, I was pretty pleased with the win. We came out with a pretty good mindset and actually executed well offensively."

-- "Weber State does a good job of switching their defense around on you. But our guys got better as the game went on."

-- "I told the guys tonight that we would be a really good team if no one cares who gets the credit."

Weber State Head Coach Joe Cravens:

-- "I'm not sure I can get us much better shots than what we got. We got it in the paint, in the paint, in the paint. It's the same song, different verse."

-- "Maybe I'll go ask Santa for some field goal percentage or something."

BYU NOTES FROM LAST OUTING

-- With the win, BYU improves to 21-10 all-time against Weber State, including a 16-0 record in Provo. The Wildcats are now 1-20 all-time in the Marriott Center, with their lone win coming against Western Oregon in the 1999 Cougar Classic.

-- BYU's 26-point margin of victory (80-54) is its largest over the Wildcats since Dec. 11, 1987 when the Cougars recorded a 33-point victory (104-71).

-- Keena Young provided a spark for BYU off the bench in the first half as he scored seven straight Cougar points from the 4:51 mark to the 2:12 mark.

-- With a career-high 6 blocks on the night, Malaman has now recorded 13 blocks in the last three games. His six blocks against the Wildcats are the most by a BYU player in a single game since Shawn Bradley in the 1991-92 season. As a team, the Cougars have recorded 23 blocks in the last three games.

-- Malaman made his only three-point attempt of the night with just under nine minutes to play in the game, improving his season percentage to .760 (10-13).

LAST GAME IN OGDEN -- Balanced Attack Powers BYU to Victory in 2004-05

OGDEN -- Led by a balanced overall attack, BYU shot 60 percent from the floor on its way to a 79-61 road victory over Weber State Thursday in the Dee Events Center. Four Cougars tied season highs in scoring to fuel BYU's offense, led by senior guard Mike Hall's career-equaling 23 points. Senior center Jared Jensen added 16 points while sophomore forwards Keena Young and Garner Meads tallied 14 and 10 points, respectively. Hall was 9-for-12 from the floor, including a sizzling 5-of-7 from long range. His five treys is a personal best. Jensen went 8-for-11 from the field and Young was 5-of-7 from the floor as the Cougars had their top shooting night of the season. Center Derek Dawes added seven points to help BYU outscore Weber State 42-28 in the paint. Cleveland put Dawes in the starting lineup for the second time this season, joining Jensen, Young, Hall and sophomore Austin Ainge to begin the game. Cleveland went primarily with six players as Meads (27 minutes) was the only reserve to log double-digit minutes. Ainge played a nice floor game in his third straight start at the point, contributing nine points, four steals, three rebounds and three assists. BYU committed just eight turnovers on the night, with Ainge making only one miscue during his career-most 34 minutes. BYU led from the outset and never looked back after finishing the first half on a 9-0 run to take a 42-28 advantage at the break. The Cougars built a lead as high as 21 points in the second half and never let Weber State get closer than 10 points at 48-38 with 16 minutes remaining. The Cougars shot a season-high 54.5 percent on threes, going 6-of-11, and were a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe -- BYU's second perfect night from the line this season. The Wildcats shot 41.5 percent overall, including 33.3 percent on threes, and converted on 75 percent of their free throws. Weber State got a huge performance out of senior center Lance Allred, who scored 27 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. Terrell Stovall added 15 points and Troy Goodell had 11 for the Wildcats, with Goodell making three treys and Stovall connecting twice from behind the arc.

BYU NOTES

BYU's LAST OUTING -- COUGAR COMEBACK FALLS SHORT AT BOISE STATE

BOISE -- Austin Ainge sparked a huge second-half comeback with a season-high 14 points, all in the second half, but it was not enough as BYU fell in a heartbreaker to Boise State, 72-68, Wednesday night in Boise. With the loss, BYU drops to 3-2 overall on the year while the Broncos improve to 2-3. After being down by 15 points at halftime and as many as 24 points early in the second half, the Cougars scored 43 points in the final 20 minutes of play and had a chance to take the lead with 20 seconds left before BSU sealed the game with a good defensive stop. BYU started the game with a 12-11 advantage with 13:51 to go in the first half. The Broncos took advantage of hot shooting and BYU foul trouble to go on a 12-2 run and take a 23-14 lead. Cougar Jonathan Tavernari hit a three-pointer to stop the run and cut the lead to 23-17. However, Trent Plaisted picked up his third personal foul with four minutes left in the half, and BSU's hot hand continued, allowing the Broncoes to take a 40-25 advantage at halftime. The Broncos shot 50 percent from behind the arc and 52 percent from the field while outrebounding BYU 22-11 in the first half. BSU's solid shooting continued in the early stages of the second half. A 7-0 run increased the Broncos' lead to 47-25 with 17:56 left to play, which they extended to 55-31 a short time later. BYU then came alive with 10-0 run behind a pair of three-point buckets from Rashaun Broadus and Lee Cummard to cut the lead to 55-41 with 11:53 left. BSU's Reggie Larry finally hit a three-pointer of his own to end the run. Ainge hit a pair of big thee-point shots to get the Cougars back to within 12 at 63-51. Cummard then hit a three-pointer from the corner to cut the lead to 65-56 with 3:40 to go. As the Cougars continuted to claw their way back, Jimmy Balderson hit a pair of free throws after being fouled to cut the deficit to seven. Ainge was fouled on a three-point attempt with just under 2:30 left and hit all three free-throw attempts to cut the Bronco lead to 65-61. Ainge then hit a three-pointer as he hit the floor to cut it to two at 70-68 with one minute to play. After a Karl miss, BYU had a chance to tie or take the lead as Ainge drove the lane through two BSU defenders and spun before trying to dish to Plaisted. However, the Broncos got a hand in the lane and stole the ball away. The Cougars were then forced to foul Eric Lane, who hit a pair of free throws to seal the BSU win. The Broncos' Coby Karl led all scorers with a game-high 18 points to go along with seven rebounds. Balderson led three Cougars in double figures with a team-best 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Young and Ainge each added 14 points with Ainge also contributing four rebounds and two assists. Cummard chipped in nine points and five rebounds. Young has now scored in double figures in every game this season.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "Our guys fought hard in the second half, but I didn't recognize our team at times in the first half. We never found our team until about 15 minutes left in the game."

-- "Boise State is a tough team to guard. All their players are skilled. They can all put the ball on the floor and put it in the hole. They did exactly what we knew they were going to do, but we were slow-footed and did not play with energy till the end."

-- "Austin (Ainge) has a huge heart. He is a competitor and a winner."

-- "I would like to see our team become more consistent. We are having a lot of peaks and valleys during games this season. Tonight we had some of our largest peaks and valleys. My biggest concern is coming out and playing at a consistent level to win a game on the road."

-- "We've got good leadership on this team. There is good senior leadership. The guys need to learn their roles. This team is going to get better. Games like this are going to make us better."

Boise State Head Coach Greg Graham

-- "We probably played as well as we have played. I would take the first half for every game the rest of the year. We played very well. We executed. We were scoring outside, we were scoring inside."

-- "Their pressure was better than our spread. They hit shots and got the momentum going."

-- "The big thing is we beat a very good basketball team. When we play well, we're pretty good."

BYU NOTES FROM LAST OUTING

-- Individual Season Highs: Austin Ainge -- 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1.000 free-throw percentage (5-for-5); Keena Young -- 3 assists.

-- The loss was BYU's first loss against Boise State since 1997. The Cougars are now 8-3 all-time against the Broncos.

-- With a 3-for-4 night from three-point range, Ainge is now 12-for-17 (.706) from long range this season, leading the Cougars in three-point makes and three-point percentage.

-- Ainge's 5-for-5 night from the free-throw line were his first makes and attempts from the charity stripe this season, making his season free-throw percentage 1.000.

-- With 14 points against Boise State, Young has now scored in double figures in every game this season, the only Cougar to do so.

-- With the 72-68 loss, BYU is now 3-0 when scoring over 70 points and 0-2 when scoring under. The Cougars are also 2-0 when holding opponents under the 70-point threshold and 1-2 when allowing them to surpass it.

-- The Cougars' 8-9 deficit in bench points marked the first time this season BYU's bench has been outscored by its opponents' bench.

-- BYU's 40-25 halftime deficit marks the first time this season the Cougars have trailed at the halfway point.

-- The Cougars' 25 first-half points marks their lowest scoring half of the season.

BYU VS. THE BIG SKY

Weber State is the second Big Sky opponent the Cougars will play this season. BYU defeated Idaho State in overtime, 84-78, in the Marriott Center to bounce back from its season-opening loss at then No. 5 UCLA. BYU has an 84-25 (.771) all-time record against Big Sky teams.

"ONE MORE"

BYU players have been able to make that one extra pass to find an open teammate so far this year. The Cougars have three players averaging more than two assists per game (Ainge - 3.6, Balderson - 2.2, Cummard - 2.2) while the Cougars have collectively outdished their opponents 15.0-9.6. Ainge ranks fifth in the MWC in total assists and third in assist/turnover ratio (1.80).

OFF THE BENCH

One of BYU's strengths is the overall depth of the team. BYU's bench has outscored Cougar opponents in four of the first five games this year by more than five points per game on average. Last year BYU got more scoring production off the bench than its opponents in 24 of 29 games.

CONSISTENT COUGAR

BYU's most consistent player this year has been senior forward Keena Young, who is the only Cougar to score in double figures in every game. He leads BYU and ranks ninth in the Mountain West Conference in scoring at 15.4 points per game while adding 5.6 rebounds per contest. He has been BYU's top rebounder in three of the five games this year and is currently second in average just behind Trent Plaisted (6.3).

VETERAN LEADERSHIP

Senior Austin Ainge has started the last three games at the point. He is averaging a team-best 3.6 assists, which ranks fifth in the MWC, and leads BYU in three-pointers (12) while shooting a league-best .706 from three-point range and .684 from the floor. He scored 14 points -- all in the second half -- to fuel BYU's furious comeback attempt at Boise State.

OUT OF THE GATE

Trent Plaisted was slowed with two quick fouls at Boise State. Playing in foul trouble nearly the entire night, he finished with eight points and four rebounds against the Broncos. He has made a difference for the Cougars when he gets off to a quick start. After being slowed for two straight games by an ankle injury, Plaisted made it quickly known he was feeling better against Southern Utah, scoring 10 of BYU's first 12 points against the Thunderbirds on the way to a 19-point, 12-rebound performance in 27 minutes of action. Plaisted made 9-of-12 shots while scoring from many different locations, including a jumper from just inside the three-point arc. In addition to leading the Cougars in scoring and rebounding on the night, he added two steals and one assist toward the win. His double-double against Southern Utah was his first of the year and seventh of his career.

REDSHIRTS

BYU men's basketball coach Dave Rose announced Nov. 23 that 6-foot-6 freshman forward Jonathan Tavernari would not redshirt this season. Tavernari saw his first action on Nov. 24 when the Cougars hosted Southern Utah in the Marriott Center. A native of Sao Bernardo, Brazil, Tavernari did not play in BYU's first three regular-season games as a potential redshirt while a review of his two years of high school in the United States was being conducted by the NCAA. Freshmen swingmen Jordan Cameron and Brock Zylstra are expected to redshirt this season.

AINGE, BALDERSON, YOUNG SERVE AS TEAM CAPTAINS

Coach Rose and the Cougar coaching staff have announced this year's team captains, calling upon seniors Austin Ainge, Jimmy Balderson and Keena Young to lead this year's team. "I'm proud of the way these three players have developed and of their dedication to our team," said BYU head coach Dave Rose. "They are totally commitment to this program and have earned the respect and confidence of their teammates. They will provide us with good leadership as we work together as a team to achieve our goals." Ainge, a co-captain of last season's team, proved a valuable asset off the bench in 2005-06 after starting at the point guard spot and receiving All-Mountain West Conference honorable mention as a sophomore. Last season he ranked 11th in the MWC in assists while helping BYU lead the league in both scoring and assists. Balderson also provided a spark off the bench for the Cougars last season as he scored in double figures in 11 of the last 13 games and was the only player in the conference averaging more than 10 points per game off the bench with a 10.2 scoring average. Young led BYU in rebounding as a sophomore before becoming an All-MWC Third Team pick last year after starting the last 14 games of the year and ranking second on the team in rebounding (5.8 rpg) and third in scoring (10.3 ppg).

LOOKING FOR ROAD WIN

BYU is 0-2 on the road this year with a loss at current No. 1 UCLA and Wednesday's setback at Boise State. The Cougars have lost their last three road games dating back to last year's season-ending defeat at Houston in the NIT. BYU has lost its last five nonconference road games since defeating Washington State last year in Spokane Arena on Nov. 22, 2005. BYU finished last year 6-8 away from home, including a 4-4 mark during MWC play.

MAGIC NUMBER: 70

This year the Cougars are allowing 68.6 points after five games. BYU is 2-0 when opponents score less than 70 points this year and 1-2 when they score 70 or more. BYU is 3-0 when it scores 70 or more points and 0-2 when scoring less than 70. Last year BYU was 12-0 when holding opponents under 70 points and 8-9 when allowing opponents to surpass the 70-point threshold. Cougar foes averaged 71.7 points per game last year. BYU was also 17-4 when scoring 70 or more points and 3-5 when falling below the 70-point mark. The Cougars led the MWC in scoring last year, averaging 76.2 ppg, and scored 100 points in conference play for the first time since Feb. 10, 1994 in their home game against league-champion San Diego State.

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. Parents will be invited to choose the gifts their children will receive on Dec. 19. 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."

BYU BASKETBALL ON KSL NEWSRADIO

(102.7 FM and 1160 AM)

The "Voice of the Cougars" is KSL Newsradio 1160's Greg Wrubell. He is in his 11th season as the play-by-play voice of BYU basketball. Wrubell, also the voice of BYU football, is joined by former Cougar lettermen Mark Durrant or Russell Larson as color analysts. Durrant is in his 10th year teaming with Wrubell while Larson returns for his second season as an analyst for select broadcasts. In addition to live coverage of every Cougar game, the following programs can be heard each week on KSL Newsradio.

COACH ROSE ON KSL NEWSRADIO ...

-- Coach's Corner with Dave Rose

Mondays at 8:45 a.m.

-- The Dave Rose Show

Mondays from 7-8 p.m.

THE DAVE ROSE SHOW ON KSL-TV

BYU coach Dave Rose's weekly television show airs on Sunday evenings at 11 p.m. on KSL-TV, channel 5 in Salt Lake City and will be rebroadcast on the mtn. (check weekly listings for scheduled air times).