GAME 19 - BYU Travels to Colorado State Saturday

BYU GAME #19 FAST FACTS

BYU COUGARS (13-5, 3-1 MWC)

at

COLORADO STATE RAMS (13-4, 3-2 MWC)

Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007

Moby Arena (8,745)

Fort Collins, Colo.

3:30 p.m. MT

Coaches:

BYU, Dave Rose (33-14 in second season; same overall)

CSU, Dale Layer (99-97 in seventh season; 266-184 in 16th season overall)

Series:

BYU leads, 80-45, after sweeping the season series last year

TV:

The MountainWest Sports Network (the mtn.) (James Bates, play-by-play; Blaine Fowler, color)

Radio:

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (2:30 p.m. MST 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/

BYU TRAVELS TO FACE COLORADO STATE SATURDAY

BYU (13-5, 3-1 MWC) will hit the road as the Cougars travel to face Colorado State (13-4, 3-2 MWC) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. MT in Fort Collins, Colo. The game will be televised on the MountainWest Sports Network (the mtn.) and can be heard live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 2:30 p.m. on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City or via the Internet at KSL.com. The Cougars are coming off a home win over Wyoming on Tuesday and have won eight of their last nine games. The Rams won at TCU on Wednesday in their last outing and have won 12 of their last 14 games.

UP NEXT

BYU will continue its conference road swing at New Mexico on Wednesday (8 p.m. on the mtn.)

COUGAR QUICK HITS

-- 2006 All-MWC Third Team forward Keena Young leads BYU this year in scoring (16.4) and is second on the team in rebounding (6.8). 2006 Freshman All-American Trent Plaisted leads the Cougars on the boards (7.0) and is second in scoring (11.4), while senior Austin Ainge leads BYU with 3.6 assists per game.

-- The Cougars currently lead the MWC in scoring (78.0), rebounding average (39.7) and rebounding margin (+5.8) in overall play. In league play, BYU paces the conference in scoring (83.2), scoring margin (+11.5), three-point shooting (.513), rebounding (38.0) and assists (17.75).

-- With 26 straight wins in the Marriott Center, the Cougars currently own the nation's second-longest active home winning streak. BYU is 12-0 at home this season, 1-4 on the road and 0-1 on a neutral court.

-- BYU was picked to finish second in the Mountain West Conference in the preseason MWC media poll behind reigning champion San Diego State.

-- 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.

LOOKING AT COLORADO STATE

The Rams are 13-4 overall with a 7-1 home record and 3-2 in the MWC this season. CSU has recorded wins over fellow-BYU opponents Boise State and TCU with a loss at San Diego State. Since starting the season 1-2, the Rams have won 12 of their last 14 games and are one league win away from equaling their conference victory total from last year when they finished 4-12 in MWC play. CSU is led by junior forward Jason Smith, a 7-footer who averages 16.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and has led the team on the scoreboard 10 times and on the glass 12 times. His rebounding total leads the league and ranks among the top 20 nationally while his scoring average ranks fifth in the MWC. Smith is also sixth in the conference in field-goal percentage, making 58.4 percent of his shots, and fourth in blocks with a 1.82 average. Junior guard Tyler Smith, who had started 13 games prior to sitting out Wednesday's game at TCU with a lower leg strain, is second on the team in scoring (11.4 ppg), assists (2.7 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). Senior point guard Cory Lewis is third on the team in scoring at 11.3 ppg while adding 4.41 assists per contest, including 10 outings with at least five dishes. He ranks third in the league in apg, fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.63) and second in steals (1.94). Junior center Stuart Creason, CSU's second 7-footer, is fourth on the team in scoring at 11.1 ppg while adding 6.5 rpg. He also posts 2.24 blocks per game, which ranks second in the MWC, including a career-high six rejections against TCU in the Rams' last outing. As a team, CSU averages 74.6 ppg on .496 shooting from the field, which ranks 15th nationally, while holding opponents to 67.8 ppg on .423 shooting. The Rams hold a slight 35.6-34.3 rebounding advantage over their opponents. CSU head coach Dale Layer is just one victory shy of 100 wins in his seventh season with the Ram program at 99-97. He owns a 266-184 all-time record in his 16th season as a head coach.

COLORADO STATE'S PROBABLE STARTERS (Based on last game)

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

G 4 Cory Lewis 6-0 175 Sr. 11.3 4.5

G 12 Tim Denson 6-1 195 Jr. 8.3 2.5

G 33 Stephan Gilling 6-2 190 So. 7.9 0.9

F 14 Jason Smith 7-0 230 Jr. 16.6 9.5

C 30 Stuart Creason 7-0 260 Jr. 11.1 6.1

COLORADO STATE'S LAST OUTING -- RAMS RUN TO ROAD WIN AT TCU

FORT WORTH -- Stuart Creason scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to lead Colorado State to a 66-54 win over TCU on Wednesday night. Creason shot 80 percent from the field and made 6-of-9 free throws for the Rams (13-4, 3-2 Mountain West). He also had six of Colorado State's 11 blocks. Tim Denson scored a game-high 17 points for the Rams. Stephan Gilling added 11. Alvardo Parker led TCU (10-6, 2-2) with 13 points and eight rebounds. Kevin Langford had 12 points and seven boards, and Blake Adams added 10 points and seven rebounds. Colorado State had 44 rebounds to TCU's 35. Jason Smith had seven boards and Gilling had six for the Rams. The Horned Frogs hit 13 percent of their 3-pointers, missing all six attempts in the first half. They finished 2-of-16 from 3-point range for the game. They made 48 percent of their free throws, hitting 12-of-25. The Rams made 50 percent of their 3-pointers and 24-of-39 free throws.

SERIES NOTES

Saturday's game will be the 126th meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1938. BYU leads the series 80-45. The Rams hold a 32-27 advantage in Fort Collins while the Cougars own a 52-10 record in Provo. BYU swept both meetings last year with an 86-84 win in Fort Collins and a 77-69 victory in Provo. In 2005, the two teams split the season series with each school defending its homecourt. In 2004, BYU swept the regular-season series for the second consecutive year, beating the Rams in Fort Collins and again in Provo. CSU has a 3-1 advantage in neutral court games. BYU has won three of the last four games in Fort Collins since 2003, ending a six-game losing streak in Moby Arena dating back to 1995. The Cougars have won nine of the last 12 games overall. BYU has won seven straight in Provo since CSU swept the series in 1998. The two teams did not meet in 1999.

Overall Series Record: BYU leads 80-45

BYU Record in Provo: 52-10 (30-6 in the Marriott Center)

BYU Record in Fort Collins: 27-32 (19-16 in Moby Arena)

BYU Record at Neutral Sites: 1-3

BYU Record under Dave Rose: 2-0

BYU Record in Overtime Games: 4-3* (1-1 Hm, 3-1 Rd, 0-1 Neutral)

*1-0 in 2OT (1971, won 98-92 in Ft. Collins)

Last Overtime Game: 2003, CSU 86, BYU 80

at MWC Tournament in Las Vegas

Longest BYU Win Streak: 9 (two times 1985-89, 1991-94)

Longest CSU Win Streak: 7 (1960-70)

Largest BYU Margin of Victory: 39, 91-52 in 1939

Largest CSU Margin of Victory: 25, 74-49 in 1958

Most Points Scored by BYU: 105 in 1972

Most Points Scored by CSU: 100 in 1996

QUOTING COACH ROSE

"Colorado State is a really good team. They're much improved from last year. They have good depth in the post, and they share the ball well. Right now, they're playing really good basketball."

"Their size is always a concern. Jason Smith is a terrific player, and Stuart Creason is much improved. Not only are they good in the low post but they're also good away from the basket, which is difficult to defend. We'll have to guard them in a variety of ways. The key is to keep them away from the basket and limit them to just one shot. How we rebound will be a big factor in our success."

"Seeing Trent (Plaisted) and Jason Smith play together will be interesting. The film from this game will be in a lot of NBA offices next week as scouts take a look at those two guys."

LAST YEAR AT COLORADO STATE -- BALDERSON, REICHNER LEAD BYU TO ROAD WIN

FORT COLLINS -- The Cougars snapped their seven-game MWC road losing streak Saturday night with an 86-84 win over Colorado State in Moby Arena thanks to big nights from Jimmy Balderson and Brock Reichner. Balderson finished with a career-high 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the floor while Reichner added 23 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 mark from the free-throw line before fouling out. Trent Plaisted added 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds, and Fernando Malaman contributed 10 points. BYU started the game slow, making just one of its first eight shots while watching the Rams drain seven of their first eight and jump out to a 17-6 lead. Reichner single-handedly kept the Cougars in the game, scoring BYU's first 10 points until Malaman stroked a three-pointer at the 12:21 mark. The Cougars recorded six turnovers in the first 4:40, resulting in 11 CSU points. With his team, down 11, junior Austin Ainge entered the game at the point guard spot and got the Cougar offense clicking, as BYU went on a 30-11 run over the next seven minutes to take a 36-28 lead. The run featured 12 points from Balderson and two dunks from Plaisted, including a spectacular one-handed slam off of an alley-oop pass from Austin Ainge on the fastbreak. The Rams attempted a comeback late in the first half as they held BYU to just one field goal in 5:42 to take a 39-38 advantage. But the lead was short-lived as the Cougars scored five of the next six points to take a 43-41 lead into the locker room at the half. Colorado State made the first bucket of the second half to retake the lead, but Balderson made quick work of the Rams from there, scoring six points during a 12-4 run to give BYU a 55-47 lead. Colorado State battled back at the free-throw line with a 9-2 spurt featuring five makes from the stripe to cut the lead to just one point at 57-56. But the Cougars answered right back with an 13-2 run to take their largest lead of the game at 70-58 with 10 minutes to play. However, BYU went cold from the floor from there, going 7:21 without a field goal and allowing the Rams to take their first lead since the opening bucket of the half at 78-77 with 2:56 left to play. With the fans going wild, Reichner stroked a three-pointer on the other end to give the Cougars an 80-78 advantage. The Rams threatened again with two free-throw opportunities but could not convert the second shot, allowing Rashaun Broadus to drain a three-pointer off the fastbreak for a four-point cushion with just under two minutes to play. Colorado State sank two free throws but Balderson converted a layin to maintain BYU's lead. But Colorado State was not going down easily, stroking a three-pointer on its next trip down the floor to cut the lead to one point with 55 seconds left to play. A turnover by Balderson gave the Rams the chance play for the win with 33 seconds left but a missed jumper and a subsequent rebound by Malaman with 14 seconds to play took the wind out of the Rams' sails.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "Jimmy really stepped up tonight, and Brock played like a leader and settled things down. Trent made the big plays we needed. Those are the guys that we need to play well in order to win, and they did for us tonight. They made the big plays when we needed them."

-- "Trent's dunk was spectacular. When Austin let that pass go, I thought it would be our eighth or ninth turnover. I never thought he would make the dunk. To see it go down like that was amazing. It was one of the best dunks I've ever seen in my experience at any level."

-- "This has been a big week for our team. We got down early tonight, but we've shown that we have the character to overcome challenges and have good results. Both teams played hard tonight and left everything out there on the floor. I'm just proud of our guys for finishing it off and getting the win."

Colorado State Head Coach Dale Layer

-- "I thought we played with great intensity. We had two good looks at the end, and they didn't go down."

-- "I like our effort. I thought we got better tonight. It's a disappointing loss, but hopefully we'll get better."

-- "I thought Ainge handled (the defensive pressure) well. He was the guy who penetrated and set other people up."

BYU NOTES FROM LAST YEAR AT COLORADO STATE

-- Individual Career Highs: Jimmy Balderson - 24 points; Brock Reichner -- 4 steals.

-- Team Season Highs/Lows: Most Steals -- 17; Highest Field Goal Percentage Allowed in a First Half - .650.

-- The Cougars' win at CSU snaps a seven-game MWC road losing streak dating back to Feb. 5, 2005.

-- BYU's 57 percent mark from three-point range marks the first time in conference play that the Cougars have shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc. BYU shot over 40 percent from three-point range in five of its 11 nonconference games.

-- With a 51 percent mark from the field, BYU had its best shooting night in conference play and its best since a 64.5 percent performance against Eastern Washington.

-- BYU's 43 first-half points against Colorado State marks just the third time this season that the Cougars have scored at least 40 in the first half.

-- The Cougars' two-point halftime lead (43-41) at CSU marks the first time in five games that BYU has had a lead at the half. On the season, the Cougars are 9-0 when leading at the half and enjoy an average halftime lead of 10.7 points.

-- Junior Jimmy Balderson followed up a 10-point outing against TCU with a career-high 24 points at CSU, marking the eighth time this season he has scored in double figures and the 17th time in his career. Balderson entered the CSU game averaging 7.6 ppg.

-- Trent Plaisted threw down his 19th and 20th dunks of the season on back-to-back slams in the first half, including a one-handed throwdown off an ally-oop pass from Austin Ainge, and added his 21st dunk of the year in the second half. As a team, the Cougars have recorded 31 dunks on the year.

-- Senior walk-on Brock Reichner, who entered the game averaging 10.2 points per contest, scored BYU's first 10 points of the game until Fernando Malaman hit a three-pointer with 12:21 left in the first half. Reichner finished with 23 points before fouling out.

-- Reichner also went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line against the Rams, bringing his consecutive free-throws made streak to 19.

-- The Cougars began the game 1-for-8 from the field while allowing the Rams to make seven of their first eight shots and jump out to a 17-6 lead.

-- After allowing the Rams to record 11 of their first 14 points off of Cougar turnovers, BYU outscored Colorado State 19-2 off of turnovers, including 16 straight, to finish the first half with a 19-13 advantage.

-- Junior Austin Ainge made an immediate impact upon entering the game at the 15:19 mark of the first half with BYU down 17-6. With Ainge at the point, the Cougars went on a 30-11 run over the next seven minutes.

-- After taking a 36-28 lead with 7:12 left in the first half, BYU made just one basket in the next 5:42, allowing CSU to go on a 10-2 run and take a 39-38 lead.

- After enjoying their largest lead of the game at 70-58, the Cougars did not make a basket from the field for 7:21, allowing CSU to take a 78-77 lead.

LAST YEAR AT BYU -- Cougars Get Wire-To-Wire Victory

PROVO -- BYU used big runs at the start of both halves to maintain the lead throughout and withstood several Colorado State rallies to earn a 77-69 win at home Wednesday. The Cougars improved to 19-7 overall and 11-4 in the Mountain West Conference while the Rams fell to 15-13 overall and 4-11 in the MWC. Despite being picked to finish last in the preseason media poll, the Cougars are now tied with Air Force for second place in the league. The win makes BYU 9-1 in its last 10 games and extends the Cougars' home win streak to 13. Rashaun Broadus led BYU with 13 points and four assists while four other Cougars scored in double-digits, including Trent Plaisted (10), Brock Reichner (12), Fernando Malaman (11) and Jimmy Balderson (12). Keena Young led the team in rebounds with six, and Malaman had a career-high four steals. As a team, BYU shot 43.1 percent (25-of-58) from the field, including 11-of-19 (57.9 percent) from three-point range. Michael Harrison led Colorado State with game-highs of 17 points and seven rebounds while Cory Lewis added 13 points, Stuart Creason 11 and Jason Smith 10. The Rams hit 48.2 percent (27-56) from the field but could not overcome 21 turnovers that the Cougars converted into 27 points. BYU jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a three by Reichner on the first possession of the game and then back-to-back hustle plays by Jackson Emery. With his team leading 3-0, Emery came out of nowhere and grabbed an offensive rebound and then dumped it off to Young who drove to the basket for a layup. Emery then stole a pass at the top of the key and took it himself for an easy bucket. After a Harrison basket, Broadus took over, scoring 11 of BYU's next 15 points during a 15-4 run that gave the Cougars a 16-point lead at 22-6, its biggest lead of the half. Broadus hit three treys and two free throws during the run, and Plaisted added the other four BYU points. Leading 31-17 with less than nine minutes to go in the half, the Cougars went cold and the Rams caught fire. Colorado State outscored BYU 17-6 to get within three at the half at 37-34. Cory Lewis scored five points during the run, including a three with 10 seconds left in the first period. The Cougars built their lead in the first half behind hot shooting from behind the arc, hitting 7-of-10 in the first period. Broadus was 3-for-4, and Balderson hit both of his attempts. BYU had no trouble regaining the momentum in the second half, scoring the first 11 points to push the lead back to double-digits at 48-34. Reichner scored four during the run, including two free throws following a technical foul on Colorado State coach Dave Layer. A bucket by Lewis stopped the run, but the Cougars added six unanswered to increase the lead to a game-high 18 at 56-34. The Rams made two runs late in the game, including a 12-3 spurt that cut BYU's lead to nine at 67-58 and a 7-0 run that made the score 73-67, but it was not enough as the Cougars held on for the win.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "We tried to keep Trent (Plaisted) out of foul trouble and keep him out on the floor because when he's out on the floor, things seem to run a lot smoother."

-- "Our effort was good all night. We stayed focused, especially at the start of the two halves."

-- "Colorado State is a good team, They're playing well right now. They ran some good sets. We were just up to the challenge."

Colorado State Head Coach Dale Layer

-- "BYU is a good team with great confidence. They made shots and were more aggressive than us, and that put us in a hole we couldn't get out of."

-- "Every time we would make a run BYU would hit big three-pointers. You can't beat a team on their home floor when they make 11-of-19 from the arc."

BYU NOTES FROM LAST YEAR AT BYU

-- Individual Career Highs: Fernando Malaman -- 4 steals.

-- Team Season Highs/Lows: Most Three-Pointers Made -- 11 (tied); Most First-Half Three-Pointers Made -- 7; Highest First-Half Three-Point Field Goal Percentage - .700 (7-for-10); Highest Free-Throw Percentage in a Half -- 1.000 (tied).

-- The Cougars' win over CSU moves them into a tie for second place in the Mountain West Conference with Air Force at 11-4 record. BYU was picked to finish last in the league in the preseason media poll. At 19-7 overall, the Cougars are one win away from achieving their 29th 20-win season.

-- With the victory over Colorado State, the Cougars have now won nine of their last 10 games and the last five straight.

-- The Cougars have also won their last 13 games in the Marriott Center.

-- BYU is now 14-0 when leading at the half, 17-0 when leading with five minutes remaining in the game, 18-0 when leading with one minute remaining and 11-0 when holding opponents under 70 points.

-- BYU's last win in March came on March 11, 2004, a 79-74 victory over Wyoming in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

-- The Cougars led wire to wire against Colorado State, marking the first time in league play that BYU did not trail in a game. The Cougars never trailed in five nonconference games (at Washington State, vs. Lamar, Northern Kentucky, Eastern Washington, Tulsa).

-- BYU's seven first-half three-pointers are tied for being the most made by BYU in a half in league play (seven at New Mexico, second half) and are second overall (nine at Utah State, second half) in addition to being the most made by the Cougars in a first half this season. BYU's .700 first-half three-point field goal percentage is its highest in a first half this year and the third highest overall this season (.800 vs. San Diego State, second half; .750 at Utah State, second half).

-- The Cougars' .762 (16-for-21) free-throw percentage marks the first time since Feb. 8 at Utah that BYU has shot over 70 percent from the line.

-- BYU's 1.000 (6-for-6) free-throw percentage in the first half marks the fourth time this season that the Cougars have been perfect from the line in a half (14-for-14 vs. Lamar, 8-for-8 vs. TCU, 8-for-8 at UNM).

-- Fernando Malaman's three-pointer at the 14:08 mark of the second half gave the Cougars their largest lead in conference play this season at 18 points (54-36). The bucket capped a 17-2 BYU run to open the second half.

-- BYU's 11-0 run to begin the second half is its largest run since an 11-0 spurt on Jan. 28 at Colorado State. The Cougars had gone seven games without a 10-0 run.

-- With 10 points against CSU, Trent Plaisted has now scored in double figures in the last 12 games and 13 of 15 conference games.

BYU NOTES

BYU's LAST OUTING -- YOUNG LEADS COUGARS TO VICTORY

PROVO -- After a slow start, the BYU Cougars pulled out an 89-81 victory against the Wyoming Cowboys Tuesday night in the Marriott Center, improving to 13-5 overall and 3-1 in the Mountain West Conference. Senior Keena Young led his team with 29 points, a new career high, and 10 rebounds. BYU also improved their home-winning streak to 26 games. The Cougars started out slow with two turnovers in the beginning minutes. A three-pointer by Brandon Ewing carried the Cowboys to a 12-4 lead before a time-out was called by BYU. The game continued to go Wyoming's way until Ben Murdock hit a three-pointer to bring the Cougars within five points. A seven-point run by BYU was capped by a Mike Rose breakaway lay-up. With 10:25 left in the half, Trent Plaisted got his first bucket of the game after missing his previous six attempts. BYU continued to struggle when Murdock received his second foul with just over eight minutes left in the half. A Jonathan Tavernari jump shot was followed by an Austin Ainge three-pointer. Picking up where he left off during the Cougars' last home game against TCU, Tavernari made his first three-point attempt to bring his team within three. As the half came to a close, Young was sent to the free-throw line where he made both of his shots. A three-pointer by Jimmy Balderson tied the game for the first time. On the last play of the half, Tavernari hit his second three of the night, giving BYU its first lead of the game at 37-35. Young was fouled and sent to the line to open the second half where he made both of his free throws. A dunk by Plaisted with 16:05 on the clock tied the game, and a costly turnover by the Cowboys resulted in a breakaway lay-up by Rose, giving the Cougars a 51-45 advantage. BYU continued on a 17-0 run, with Young contributing nine points and Rose adding five. A strong defensive showing by the Cougars resulted in an expired Wyoming shot clock with just over 10 minutes to play. Murdock's fourth foul sent Eric Platt to the line, bringing the score to 66-54. Soon after, Plaisted recorded his second dunk of the night with 7:14 left in the half. At 6:53, Ewing recorded his first points of the half on a pair of free throws, having gone over 24 minutes without a score. Young tipped in a missed three-point attempt by Lee Cummard to give BYU a 12-point lead. On a trip to the free-throw line with four minutes left in the game, Young surpassed his previous career high of 27 points. Ewing's 800th career point came with just over two minutes to play. A steal by Ainge and ensuing tip-in by Plaisted put the Cougars up 85-79 with 30 seconds left in the game. A pair of free throws by Ainge sealed the BYU victory. Four Cougars scored in double figures, including Young with 29 points, Plaisted with 15, Ainge with 13 and Tavernari with 10. Ewing and Brown both led Wyoming with 22 points each. Brown also led his team with 18 rebounds.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "It was a physical game. Our guys responded well to that. All of the conference games will be physical. The teams are evenly matched so it will be a fight."

-- "Wyoming guards are very involved. They get the posts involved by penetration. In the second half we did a much better job of filling the lanes so the guards had to create shots."

-- "The defense sparked the 17-0 run. We got stops on defense and attacked them in transition."

-- "At the beginning of the game the energy level from our guys was suspect. That's why Jonathan Tavernari came in to give us a lift."

-- "Jonathan Tavernari's playing with a lot of confidence. He works really hard, has a great attitude and right now he is really helping our team."

Wyoming Head Coach Steve McClain

-- "I thought it was a great game. We got off to a great start. We did what we wanted to do. We are proud of our kids. We got it close but didn't get it."

-- "We go in at the half and feel like we are right there, and then we just missed shots. BYU did a good job defensively."

-- "I think our kids got frustrated by something they couldn't control. But I think that they really kept their composure."

BYU NOTES FROM LAST OUTING

-- Individual Career Highs: Keena Young - 29 points; Lee Cummard -- 3 blocks.

-- Individual Season Highs: Mike Rose -- 3 assists, 2 steals (tied); Keena Young -- 2 steals.

-- Team Season Highs: 52 points in a half; 12,817 attendance.

-- BYU's win over Wyoming extended its home winning streak to 26 games, which the second-longest active home victory streak in the nation. The Cougars are 12-0 at home this season.

-- With a .412 (7-for-17) three-point shooting percentage against Wyoming, BYU has now shot above .400 percent from behind the arc in five straight games and nine on the season.

-- BYU put together two very different halves against Wyoming, starting the game 2-for-11 (.182) while shooting 14-for-38 (.368) in the first half. In the second half, BYU started 8-for-11 (.727) while cruising to a season high 52 second-half points on a 13-for-24 (.542) shooting mark, the 10th time this year the Cougars have scored at least 40 points in the second half. BYU shot 27-for-62 (.435) for the game.

-- After Wyoming's Joseph Taylor was whistled for a technical foul at the 14:58 mark with the game tied at 45-45, BYU went on a 17-0 run thanks in part to nine points from Young and five points from Mike Rose.

-- After scoring 16 second-half points at UNLV, Keena Young once again put together another impressive offensive performance against Wyoming, scoring a career-high 29 points on 9-for-16 (.563) shooting, marking the 16th time in 18 games he has scored in double figures and the fourth time he has posted 20+ points. His 29 points is the most scored by a Cougar since Rafael Araujo scored 32 points against then-No. 25 Oklahoma State on Dec. 6, 2003 at the Delta Center.

-- Young added 10 rebounds against the Cowboys to record his fifth double-double of the season and the eighth of his career.

-- With an 11-for-12 performance from the free-throw line, Young also became the first Cougar since Mike Hall on Feb. 7, 2004 to make double-digit free throws in a game.

-- With a three-point make at the 12:21 mark of the second half, Mike Rose has now made a three-pointer in 10 straight games, tying his career record. Rose has come on strong for BYU as of late, scoring 77 points in the last 10 games (7.7 ppg), including nine against Wyoming, after scoring just 11 points in the first eight games (1.4 ppg).

-- Lee Cummard recorded a career-high three blocks in the game, marking the ninth game this year he has recorded at least one rejection. Cummard entered the game ranked 15th in the MWC averaging 0.65 bpg.

-- Jimmy Balderson gave the Cougars their first tie of the night at 34-34 on a three-pointer with 1:34 left to play in the first half. Jonathan Tavernari then gave BYU its first lead at 37-35 on another three-pointer with three seconds remaining in the half. Wyoming led by as many as 10 points (16-6) in the first period of play.

WINNING BIG

BYU's 24-point (89-65) win over TCU Jan. 10 in the Marriott Center marked the Cougars' largest margin of victory in MWC play since a 29-point win (82-53) on Jan. 17, 2004 against Colorado State. The big win came just one game after a 22-point victory over San Diego State to open MWC play. BYU has won just eight games by 20 points or more in MWC play since the formation of the league prior to the 1999-2000 season. During their seven-game winning streak, which came to an end with a loss at UNLV last Saturday, the Cougars outscored opponents by an average of 22.0 points per game with six of their seven wins coming by double digits.

FROM DOWNTOWN

BYU shot .565 (26-for-46) from three-point range in its two games last week. The Cougars tied a school record with 14 triples (14-of-25, .560) in their win over TCU Jan. 6 and followed with 12 treys (12-for-21, .571) at UNLV last Saturday. With a .412 mark against Wyoming Tuesday, BYU has shot above 40 percent from behind the arc in five straight games and nine times on the season. The Cougars have shot 50 percent or better from three-point range in five games.

VICTORY STREAKS

With seven straight wins against Utah State, Western Oregon, Liberty, Oral Roberts, Seton Hall, San Diego State and TCU, the Cougars put together their longest winning streak of the Dave Rose era and their longest since winning nine straight games during the 2003-04 season. Before coming to an end with a loss at UNLV last Saturday, the streak was tied for the 12th-longest active victory streak in the nation. Earlier this year with wins against Idaho State, Portland and Southern Utah, the Cougars put together a three-game win streak, which ended with a loss at Boise State. BYU had several winning streaks last season, including six straight victories. That streak was tied for the seventh-longest active winning streak in the nation. The Cougars' prior victory streaks last year included one four-game streak, two three-game streaks and two two-game streaks. BYU won 10 of its last 13 games last year.

ON THE ROAD

BYU's win at Weber State marked the Cougars' first road win of the season. BYU is 1-4 on the road this year with a season-opening loss at then-No. 5 UCLA, a Nov. 29 setback at Boise State, an overtime defeat at Lamar and a league loss at UNLV. In BYU's five away games the Cougars have been outscored by an average of six points (78.4-72.4) with only the UCLA game being decided by double digits (13 points). The Cougars lost their only neutral court so far this season with a loss against No. 25 Michigan State at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. The victory over the Wildcats snapped a three-game road losing streak dating back to last year's season-ending defeat at Houston in the NIT and a five-game nonconference road losing streak 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.

BOUNCE BACK COUGARS

With Tuesday's win over Wyoming coming after a loss at UNLV, the Cougars have now recovered from four of their five losses this season with wins. After suffering their first back-to-back regular-season losses of the Dave Rose era with defeats vs. then-No. 25 Michigan State and at Lamar, the Cougars responded with seven straight victories. Prior to the Lamar loss, BYU had bounced back from each of its two losses this season with wins, including back-to-back victories after their loss at Boise State on Nov. 29. BYU recovered from its season-opening loss at then-No. 5 UCLA with three straight wins. Last year with its 20-9 overall record, BYU suffered consecutive defeats only once -- against Utah in the Mountain West Conference Tournament and at Houston in the NIT in the last two games of the year, having bounced back from each prior loss with a victory.

MAGIC NUMBER: 70

This year the Cougars are scoring an MWC-leading 78.0 points and allowing 67.8 points. BYU is 11-0 when opponents score less than 70 points and 2-5 when they score 70 or more. BYU is 13-2 when it scores 70 or more points (exception at Lamar and at UNLV) and 0-3 when scoring less than 70. The Cougars have scored at least 70 points in 10 straight games. Last year BYU was 12-0 when holding opponents under 70 points and 8-9 when allowing opponents to surpass the 70-point threshold as Cougar foes averaged 71.7 points per game. 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 SDSU.

CLEANING OFF THE GLASS

BYU is 12-0 this season when outrebounding its opponents and 1-5 when losing the battle of the boards. The Cougars lead the MWC in rebounding average (39.7) and rebounding margin (+5.8). Sophomore Trent Plaisted is tied for fifth on the glass at 7.0 rpg while senior Keena Young is seventh at 6.8 rpg. The Cougars recorded back-to-back season-high efforts of 52 rebounds vs. Oral Roberts and 55 against Seton Hall in the BYU Holiday Classic. BYU outrebounded the Pirates 55-34 as four Cougars had nine or more rebounds (Cummard 12, Young, Plaisted and Ainge 9). Cummard and Ainge achieved new career highs.

CLOSE CALLS

BYU is the only MWC team that has not had a game decided by three points or less this season. The Cougars have had some close games, however, as three games have required overtime this season. BYU is 2-1 in overtime with an 86-77 loss at Lamar on Dec. 13 and an 84-78 win against Idaho State on Nov. 18 and a 73-69 victory at Weber State on Dec. 2. This is the first season since 2001-02 that BYU has played multiple extra period games in one year (BYU was 0-3 in overtime that season). The Cougars' loss at Lamar ended a five-game overtime winning streak dating back to March 14, 2003, an 86-80 setback against Colorado State at the MWC Tournament. BYU is 50-45 (.526) all-time when playing past regulation.

VS. RANKED OPPONENTS

BYU is the only MWC team to face two ranked opponents during nonconference play. The Cougars lost 76-61 to then-No. 25 Michigan State at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich. BYU suffered a season-opening (82-69) loss at then-No. 5 UCLA on Nov. 15. BYU's last win over a ranked team came at the Delta Center (recently renamed EnergySolutions Arena) in Salt Lake City on Dec. 6, 2003 with a 76-71 victory vs. 25th-ranked Oklahoma State, who advanced to the Final Four that season.

CONSISTENT COUGAR

One of BYU's most consistent players this year has been senior forward Keena Young, who has scored in double figures in 16 out of 18 games. He leads BYU in scoring (16.4), which is sixth in the league, and is second in rebounding (6.8), seventh in the conference. The senior co-captain has led BYU in scoring seven times and rebounding seven times, including his career-high 16-rebound performance against Oral Roberts for his fourth double-double of the season (21 points). His 27 points at Weber State is the most by a Cougar since Dec. 13, 2003 (Rafael Araujo - 28). He posted a career-high 29 points against Wyoming (the most since Dec. 6, 2003; Araujo - 32) to go along with 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double fo the year.

VETERAN LEADERSHIP

Senior Austin Ainge is averaging a team-best 3.61 assists, fifth in the MWC, and leads the team in three-pointers (27). He posted a season-high 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field, including a 5-for-7 mark from three-point range, to go along with six assists against TCU. He totaled 16 points with a career-best nine rebounds off the bench against Seton Hall. He scored 11 points off the bench-- all in the first half -- to give BYU early control of the game against Utah State. His 14 points -- all in the second half -- against Boise State fueled BYU's furious comeback attempt.

DOING IT ALL

Lee Cummard contributes across the box score and on the defensive end of the floor for BYU. In the Cougars' conference opener against San Diego State, he recorded his second straight double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds while contributing 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. In the BYU Holiday Classic, he averaged 11.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting .542 from the floor, .444 on threes and was perfect from the line. He was named to the all-tournament team. After coming one rebound away from the first double-double of his career against Oral Roberts with 13 points and a then career-high 9 rebounds to go along with 5 assists, he finished the Classic with career highs of 16 points and 12 rebounds vs. Seton Hall. He is second on the team with 26 treys. He has had at least one steal in 15 of 18 games. On the year, Cummard averages 9.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.78 blocks while shooting .525 from the floor, .481 on threes and .828 from the line. He ranks among the top 15 in the MWC in eight statistical categories, including leading the league in assist/turnover ratio (2.29). He guards the opponent's top perimeter player. Among his defensive highlights was excelling in the tough assignment to guard the MWC's all-time scoring leader and reigning MVP Brandon Heath of San Diego State. He held Heath to season-low-tying 13 points -- well below his MWC No. 2-ranked 20.3 scoring average entering the game. Cummard helped end Heath's string of four straight games with 20 or more points. He also helped hold Utah State's leading shooter Jaycee Carroll, who ranked 22nd in the nation shooting .629, to just .308 shooting (4-for-13) and seven points below his average.

FOR STARTERS

Coach Rose has used four different starting lineups so far this year. Sophomore Lee Cummard and senior Keena Young have started every game this season, while sophomore Trent Plaisted has missed just one start because of injury. Jimmy Balderson has made 15 starts. Rashaun Broadus started 11 of 15 games before being suspended for the season. Austin Ainge has started 10 games.

BYU BASKETBALL ON TELEVISION

BYU's next televised game will be on Jan. 20 when the Cougars travel to Colorado State. The game will be aired on the mtn. The Mountain West Conference's 2006-07 men's basketball television schedule features an unprecedented 99 games on national and regional television, including 65 of the 72 conference contests and all eight MWC Championship matchups. The television coverage provided by the MWC broadcast partners in 2006-07 is more than triple the national and regional telecasts MWC men's basketball has received in previous years. Seventy-five games will be shown on the MountainWest Sports Network (the mtn.), with 17 to be broadcast nationally on College Sports Television (CSTV) and seven on VERSUS (formerly OLN). BYU will have 18 regular-season games televised as part of the 2006-07 MWC television schedule, including three games on CSTV, one on VERSUS and 14 on the mtn. With the exception of a road game at TCU, BYU's entire conference schedule will be televised in 2007. BYU's nonconference games featured in the MWC broadcast schedule include home dates with Southern Utah (Nov. 24, 8 p.m. MT), San Jose State (Dec. 6, 7 p.m. MT) and Utah State (Dec. 16, 4 p.m. MT). While not part of the MWC television package, BYU's regular-season opener at 2006 NCAA runner-up UCLA on Nov. 15 was televised on Fox Sports Net Prime Ticket, while the BYU-Michigan State matchup on Dec. 9 at The Palace at Auburn Hills was carried on ESPN2. BYU's game at Boise State on Nov. 29 was aired on KTVB in Boise and the matchup with Weber State was carried in Utah on KJZZ-TV.

DEFENDING THE HOME COURT

With 26 straight wins in the Marriott Center, the Cougars currently own the nation's second-longest active home victory streak. BYU has won its first 12 home games this season after going 14-1 at home last year including wins in its last 14 straight home contests.

Active Homecourt Winning Streaks (through games played Jan. 17, 2007)

Wins Team This year Next home game

47 Gonzaga 7-0 Jan. 27 vs. San Francisco

26 BYU 12-0 Jan. 27 vs. Air Force

25 Air Force 8-0 Jan. 20 vs. San Diego State

23 Memphis 10-0 Jan. 24 vs. Tulsa

22 George Washington 7-0 Jan. 20 vs. Charlotte

HALFTIME REPORT

BYU has led at the half in 13 of the team's first 18 games, including a double-digit lead six times. The Cougars outscore their opponents by an average of 5.1 points in the first period of play with a +10.4-point margin during their seven-game winning streak, which ended with a loss at UNLV last Saturday. BYU's win over Seton Hall marked the first time the Cougars have won this year after trailing at the break. BYU's 82-69 loss at UCLA after leading 39-36 at the half marked the first time since the 2004-05 season that BYU has lost when leading at the half. The Cougars are now 12-1 when leading at the half, 1-3 when trailing and 0-1 when tied this season. Last year, BYU was 14-0 when leading at the half, 5-9 when trailing and 1-0 when tied. Of the 14 games in which they led at the half, the Cougars led by double digits six times.

COUGARS HELP CHILDREN WITH CANCER

For the eighth year, the BYU men's basketball team joined 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 collected monetary donations and any unwrapped toys to go directly towards a Christmas party for more than 90 families who have children with cancer living primarily in Utah County. A large portion of the money donated purchased hundreds of toys that enabled these parents to have gifts under the Christmas tree for their children. In addition to all of these toys, the party included free food and 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 served 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."

20-WIN SEASONS

With a win against New Mexico to conclude the regular season last year, the Cougars achieved their 29th 20-win season. BYU has averaged 20 wins every 2.7 years (BYU has played 78 seasons in which it has played at least 20 games in a season). BYU coach Dave Rose is the fifth Cougar head coach to reach 20 wins in his first season at the helm. He joins G. Ott Romney (20-10 in 1928-29), Stan Watts (22-12 in 1949-50), Ladell Anderson (20-11 in 1983-84) and Roger Reid (21-9 in 1989-90). Both Watts and Reid achieved six 20-win seasons in their BYU coaching careers while Romney posted five and Rose's predecessor, Steve Cleveland, achieved four.

20-win Seasons at BYU

Stan Watts had 6 seasons of 20 wins in 23 years of coaching

Roger Reid had 6 seasons of 20 wins in 8 years of coaching

G. Ott Romney had 5 seasons of 20 wins in 9 years of coaching

Steve Cleveland had 4 seasons of 20 wins in 8 years of coaching

Ladell Anderson had 3 season of 20 wins in 6 years of coaching

Frank Arnold had 3 seasons of 20 wins in 8 years of coaching

Floyd Millet had 1 season of 20 wins in 8 years of coaching

Dave Rose has 1 season of 20 wins in 1 year of coaching

TRUE BLUE FANS

The Cougars are averaging 9,496 fans this season, including a season-high 12,817 against Wyoming. BYU has consistently ranked among the national attendance leaders. The Cougars averaged 11,069 fans in 2005-06, outdrawing the regular-season conference champions of 27 out of 31 conferences as well as over half of the teams in the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big East and Southeastern Conferences and all but Arizona in the Pacific-10 Conference. BYU also averaged more fans than 12 of the 16 NCAA Sweet Sixteen participants, including all of the Final Four teams.