Cougars Win 2006 BYU Holiday Classic

Keena Young Named Tournament MVP, Lee Cummard Named To All-Tournament Team

PROVO -- The Cougar basketball team capped off the BYU Holiday Classic Saturday night beating Seton Hall 77-68 and becoming the 2006 tournament champions. The first game of Saturday's tournament play featured a blowout with Oral Roberts defeating Liberty 90-58.

BYU improves its record to 10-4 on the season with the win, and Seton Hall falls to 8-4. BYU's Keena Young was the tournament's MVP and BYU's Lee Cummard, Seton Hall's Brian Laing, Liberty's Larry Blair and Caleb Green and Ken Tutt of Oral Roberts were selected to the 2006 BYU Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team.

"I think our team grew a lot in the three days," said BYU head coach Dave Rose. "Things are coming together going into league play. "

The Cougars took awhile to find their rhythm early on as they missed their first four shots and turned the ball over three times. Young finally got BYU going when he hit a fade-away baseline jumper to put BYU on the board. Young finished the night with 26 points and nine boards.

Seton Hall started out hot claiming a 12-4 advantage over the Cougars, but guard Jimmy Balderson ignited the team taking a charge at the 14:30 mark. On the next two possessions, BYU hit back-to-back triples by Cummard and Ainge to cut the deficit to 12-10. The Arizona-native guards Cummard and Ainge had career nights with 16 points each and 12 and nine boards, respectively. All of those stats were career or season highs.

Mike Rose and Vuk Ivanovic gave BYU a huge lift off the bench in the first half. Ivanovic had a career-high four blocks, and Rose grabbed a steal and hit a deep three to give BYU its first lead 21-20 with 10 minutes remaining. On the next possession Cummard crashed the boards and slammed home a one-handed dunk off a rebound that had all 10,103 fans in the Marriot Center on their feet screaming.

The Pirates maintained control of the game throughout the half forcing 15 BYU first-half turnovers and scoring 24 points off them. Seton Hall led at the midway mark 43-35. The eight-point deficit marked the first time the Cougars have trailed at half for this season.

"Seton Hall is very athletic and strong," Coach Rose said. "We had to figure out a way to keep them away from the basket."

The Cougars began the second half attacking the basket and forcing the Pirates to commit six fouls before the first media timeout but were only able to cut the deficit to seven. The Pirates had problems all night getting a body on Cummard as he once again grabbed an offensive board and converted a two-point bucket to tie the game at 58 with 7:52. The Cougars then tightened up with a zone defense on Seton Hall and took a six-point lead at 67-61 when Broadus nailed a three with 5:13 remaining.

Plaisted then let the Pirates know how difficult it is to win in the Marriott Center when he got a huge block, ran the entire floor and ended up with a two-handed throw-down to give BYU its largest lead of the game, 71-64.

"They had everything going their way," said Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez. "We needed to hit some big shots at the end and we didn't pull it off."

Down the stretch the Cougars' defense was spectacular as they held Seton Hall to just seven points in the last five and a half minutes of the game. BYU held on to the lead and extended its current win streak to five games as the Cougars beat the Pirates 77-68.

BYU will look to extend its 23-game home winning streak next Saturday when the Cougars open up Mountain West Conference play hosting San Diego State. The game will tipoff at 3:30 p.m. and can be seen on Versus.

Golden Eagles Douse Flames

PROVO -- Caleb Green scored 19 points to lead five Oral Roberts players in double figures as the Golden Eagles cruised to a 90-58 rout over Liberty on the final day of the BYU Holiday Classic Saturday at the Marriott Center.

Oral Roberts finished 2-1 in the tournament to improve its record to 7-7 overall while Liberty finished 0-3 over the three-day Classic to fall to 6-7 on the year.

"Our team came out and played with a lot of energy," Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton said. "I was proud of the energy the players came out with."

The Flames struggled to keep any type of momentum on the night, turning the ball over 21 times resulting in 26 Golden Eagle points.

"The best statistic of the night was that we had 19 assists and only 10 turnovers," Sutton said.

Both teams came out of the gate slow with neither team able to find the bottom of the net for the first 2:20 of play. Oral Roberts took a 21-11 lead behind four three-point buckets from Moses Ehambe. The Golden Eagles built their lead to 39-26 with 3:56 left to play in the half.

Liberty shot 54 percent from the field, and Tony Blair scored 17 points in the half to keep the Flames in the game through the first half of play. Oral Roberts took a 43-32 advantage into the locker room.

Liberty came out quick to start the second half, hitting five of its first six shots to cut the lead to 51-42 with 15:48 left to play. Liberty was never able to get closer than seven points though, as the Golden Eagles kept up the attack. Ehambe hit his fifth three-point basket with 9:26 left to give Oral Roberts a 69-47 lead. The Golden Eagles never looked back and cruised the rest of the way to the 32-point win.

Oral Roberts shot an even 50 percent from the field, becoming the first team of the season to shoot at least 50 percent against the Flames. Liberty shot 54 percent from the field as a team.

Ken Tutt and Ehambe also scored 17 points apiece, while Marchello Vealy and Shawn King added 16 points and 11 points, respectively, for Oral Roberts. Green also led the Golden Eagles on the glass with five rebounds.

Blair led all scorers with a game-high 26 points to extend his double-digit scoring streak to 33 consecutive games. Alex McLean added 11 points and a game-high six rebounds for Liberty.

"This was a great event for us," Liberty coach Randy Dunton said of the Flames' experience in the tournament. "We played some quality minutes. There are some things we can draw on and teach the players heading into Florida."

POSTGAME NOTES AND QUOTES LINKS (Box scores below)

BYU vs. Seton Hall Postgame Notes and Quotes.

Oral Roberts vs. Liberty Postgame Notes and Quotes.

Austin Ainge and Jimmy Balderson receive the BYU Holiday Classic Tournament trophy from BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson.

Lee Cummard receives his BYU Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team trophy from BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson.

Keena Young receives his BYU Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team trophy from BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson.

Official Basketball Box Score -- GAME TOTALS -- FINAL STATISTICS
Seton Hall vs BYU
12/30/06 7:35 p.m. at Marriott Center, Provo, Utah
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VISITORS: Seton Hall 8-4
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
14 LAING, Brian........ f  9-16   0-2    1-1    0  5  5   3  19  4  3  0  5  38
23 GAINES, Stan........ f  0-5    0-0    0-0    4  3  7   4   0  0  0  0  1  15
33 BILLMEIER, Grant.... c  3-4    0-0    0-1    1  5  6   4   6  1  1  0  1  23
02 NUTTER, Jamar....... g  6-16   2-9    1-2    0  2  2   4  15  3  3  0  3  33
15 HARVEY, Eugene...... g  7-14   0-1    4-6    2  0  2   0  18  7  3  0  2  37
20 MARSHALL, Carl......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
21 MESSY, Mani.........    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   7
22 GAUSE, Paul.........    1-9    1-7    2-2    0  4  4   3   5  0  0  0  2  29
35 DAVIS, Larry........    1-8    1-4    2-2    1  1  2   2   5  0  0  0  1  17
   TEAM................                         1  5  6
   Totals..............   27-73   4-24  10-14   9 25 34  21  68 15 10  0 15 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 18-39 46.2%   2nd Half:  9-34 26.5%   Game: 37.0%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-11 18.2%   2nd Half:  2-13 15.4%   Game: 16.7%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-6  83.3%   2nd Half:  5-8  62.5%   Game: 71.4%    2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: BYU 10-4
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
03 YOUNG, Keena........ f 11-18   0-0    4-4    3  6  9   1  26  3  5  0  0  36
30 CUMMARD, Lee........ f  6-9    2-2    2-2    7  5 12   1  16  0  2  0  0  34
44 PLAISTED, Trent..... c  2-5    0-0    2-8    5  4  9   3   6  5  2  1  1  29
01 BROADUS, Rashaun.... g  2-8    1-5    2-2    0  1  1   2   7  2  3  0  1  21
23 BALDERSON, Jimmy.... g  1-6    0-1    1-2    0  4  4   4   3  1  0  0  1  20
02 ROSE, Mike..........    1-5    1-3    0-0    0  3  3   2   3  0  0  0  1  13
10 IVANOVIC, Vuk.......    0-3    0-0    0-0    0  4  4   0   0  1  1  4  0  11
13 AINGE, Austin.......    4-8    3-6    5-8    0  9  9   1  16  3  4  0  0  27
15 MALAMAN, Fernando...    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   4
20 BURGESS, Sam........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  2  0  0   2
24 MURDOCK, Ben........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   3
   TEAM................                         1  2  3
   Totals..............   27-63   7-17  16-26  16 39 55  14  77 15 19  5  4 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 14-35 40.0%   2nd Half: 13-28 46.4%   Game: 42.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  5-7  71.4%   2nd Half:  2-10 20.0%   Game: 41.2%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  2-2  100 %   2nd Half: 14-24 58.3%   Game: 61.5%    5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Scott Thornley, Mike Reed, Brian Shelley
Technical fouls: Seton Hall-None. BYU-None.
Attendance: 10103
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Seton Hall....................   43   25  -   68
BYU...........................   35   42  -   77
BYU Holiday Classic
Points in the paint-SHU 28,BY 30. Points off turnovers-SHU 26,BY 11.
2nd chance points-SHU 7,BY 15. Fast break points-SHU 12,BY 0.
Bench points-SHU 10,BY 19. Score tied-4 times. Lead changes-3 times.
Official Basketball Box Score -- GAME TOTALS -- FINAL STATISTICS
Oral Roberts vs Liberty Flames
12/30/06 5:05 p.m. at Marriott Center, Provo, Utah
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Oral Roberts 6-7
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
03 OGUNOYE, Yemi....... f  0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  1  0  0   9
10 VEALY, Marchello.... f  6-9    2-2    2-2    1  3  4   3  16  1  2  0  1  29
30 GREEN, Caleb........ f  5-10   0-0    9-11   3  2  5   4  19  4  1  0  1  29
01 TUTT, Ken........... g  5-13   4-7    3-5    0  4  4   2  17  6  1  0  1  34
11 LIBERTY, Adam....... g  0-4    0-1    1-2    0  4  4   0   1  5  1  0  4  32
05 SANGO, Kelvin.......    1-3    0-1    1-2    1  0  1   4   3  0  0  0  0  14
13 EHAMBE, Moses.......    6-7    5-6    0-0    0  3  3   3  17  2  1  0  1  24
23 JORDAN, Daren.......    0-0    0-0    2-2    0  1  1   0   2  0  1  0  1   3
32 HAYNES, Ben.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  1   3
33 KING, Shawn.........    5-6    0-0    1-1    0  4  4   0  11  2  1  3  0  20
42 SPICER, Sylvester...    1-1    0-0    2-2    0  1  1   0   4  0  1  0  0   3
   TEAM................                         1  2  3
   Totals..............   29-53  11-17  21-27   6 24 30  16  90 20 10  3 10 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 16-32 50.0%   2nd Half: 13-21 61.9%   Game: 54.7%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  6-12 50.0%   2nd Half:  5-5  100 %   Game: 64.7%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-7  71.4%   2nd Half: 16-20 80.0%   Game: 77.8%    3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Liberty Flames 6-6
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
11 HUBBARD, Damien..... f  2-3    0-0    0-0    1  2  3   3   4  0  1  0  0  13
21 McLEAN, Alex........ f  5-9    0-0    1-2    2  4  6   0  11  1  4  1  0  26
05 SMITH, Anthony...... g  0-2    0-0    0-0    1  3  4   4   0  0  1  0  1  18
22 BLAIR, Larry........ g 10-17   4-7    2-2    0  5  5   1  26  2  4  0  0  35
24 BREWINGTON, Dwight.. g  3-8    0-1    0-0    0  4  4   2   6  4  5  0  0  27
01 HOLLAND, Justin.....    0-3    0-1    0-0    1  1  2   2   0  2  1  0  0  17
02 JENKINS, B.J........    2-2    0-0    2-3    0  0  0   1   6  1  2  0  3  15
03 BAKER, Tyler........    0-3    0-2    0-0    1  0  1   3   0  0  1  0  0  15
23 JONES, Dominique....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
25 OHMAN, Kyle.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  1  0  0   3
30 MONROE, Russell.....    1-2    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   4   2  0  0  0  0   6
33 PORTER, Rell........    1-3    1-3    0-1    0  2  2   2   3  0  0  1  1  16
44 JONES, Armon........    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  0  1  0  0   7
   TEAM................
   Totals..............   24-53   5-14   5-8    7 21 28  24  58 10 21  2  5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 13-24 54.2%   2nd Half: 11-29 37.9%   Game: 45.3%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-9  44.4%   2nd Half:  1-5  20.0%   Game: 35.7%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  2-3  66.7%   2nd Half:  3-5  60.0%   Game: 62.5%    1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Mike Littlewood, Mike Giarratano, Duane Allen
Technical fouls: Oral Roberts-None. Liberty Flames-None.
Attendance:
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Oral Roberts..................   43   47  -   90
Liberty Flames................   32   26  -   58
BYU Holiday Classic
Points in the paint-ORU 28,LIB 24. Points off turnovers-ORU 26,LIB 12.
2nd chance points-ORU 9,LIB 0. Fast break points-ORU 4,LIB 6.
Bench points-ORU 37,LIB 11. Score tied-1 time. Lead changes-0 times.