GAME 14 - BYU Hosts Loyola Marymount Thursday

BYU GAME #14 FAST FACTS

BYU COUGARS (10-3)

vs.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS (3-11)

Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008

Marriott Center (22,700)

Provo, Utah

7:05 p.m. MT

Coaches:

BYU, Dave Rose (55-21 in third season; same overall)

LMU, Rodney Tention (28-47 in third season; same overall)

Series:

LMU leads, 2-0, including 83-71 victory in last outing in Provo on Nov. 18, 2005

TV:

The Mtn. (Tim Neverett, play-by-play, Joe Cravens, game analyst)

Radio:

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

Web:

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

Halftime:

Video presentation about Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation

BYU HOSTS LOYOLA MARYMOUNT THURSDAY

BYU puts the nation's longest homecourt victory streak on the line Thursday against Loyola Marymount -- the last team to defeat the Cougars in the Marriott Center. The Cougars (10-3) host the Lions (3-11) Thursday in a 7:05 p.m. MT tip. BYU has won 38 straight in Provo since being defeated by the Lions in Dave Rose's Cougar head coaching debut to start the 2005-06 season. Thursday's game will be televised on The Mtn. while the radio broadcast can be heard on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City and on the Internet at KSL.com beginning with the pregame show at 6 p.m.

UP NEXT

BYU plays at Wake Forest on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET to conclude the Cougars' nonconference schedule. The game will be broadcast online via ACCSelect. 

COUGAR QUICK HITS

-- BYU currently shares the nation's longest active home win streak along with Memphis with 38 straight wins in the Marriott Center. The Cougars went 17-0 at home last year and are 7-0 at home this year.

-- After five straight weeks in the top-25 polls, BYU dropped out of both polls this week after its 73-70 loss at Boise State Saturday. The Cougars' entrance into the national rankings on Nov. 26 marked the program's earliest appearance in the national polls since the 1980-81 season. With a ranking as high as No. 21 last year, BYU has now been ranked in back-to-back season for the first time since 1980-81 and 1981-82.

-- Two-time reigning MWC Coach of the Year Dave Rose helped make BYU the second-most improved program in the nation in his first season with a 20-9 record and guided the Cougars to the outright MWC title and a top-25 ranking in his second campaign in Provo as the Cougars went 25-9 last season.

-- BYU has been picked in the preseason poll to finish first in the MWC race this year by the league's media.

-- This year's BYU squad returns two starters among seven lettermen from last year's outright league leaders (13-3 MWC record) as well as returned missionary Chris Miles, who made six starts as a freshman in 2004-05. Headlining BYU's top returners in 2007-08 are MWC Player of the Year candidate Trent Plaisted, a two-time All-MWC Second Team selection in his first two seasons; versatile junior guard Lee Cummard, who earned All-MWC Third Team honors one year ago; and sophomore sharpshooter Jonathan Tavernari, who followed Plaisted's lead the prior season by being named the MWC Freshman of the Year in his first campaign as a Cougar.

BYU PROBABLE STARTERS

POS. # NAME HT. WT. YR. HOMETOWN / LAST TEAM PPG RPG

F 41 Chris Collinsworth 6-9 205 Fr. Provo, Utah / Provo HS 2.8 4.5

F/C 44 Trent Plaisted 6-11 245 Jr. San Antonio, Texas / Clark HS 17.0 9.7

G 30 Lee Cummard 6-7 185 Jr. Mesa, Ariz. / Mesa HS 16.0 6.2

G 20 Sam Burgess 6-3 190 Sr. Alpine, Utah / Snow College 9.5 3.2

G 24 Ben Murdock 6-2 185 Sr. Bountiful, Utah / Dixie State College 4.5 2.2

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT'S PROBABLE STARTERS

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

F 12 Marko Deric 6-9 230 Jr. 7.4 3.9 Perth, Australia

F 32 Tim Diederichs 6-9 225 Fr. 7.4 3.8 Snohomish, Wash.

G 33 Orlando Johnson 6-5 205 Fr. 12.6 5.1 Salinas, Calif.

G 3 Shawn Deadwiler 6-3 175 So. 10.5 2.6 Chandler, Ariz.

G 1 Corey Counts 5-10 165 Jr. 5.1 1.4 Los Angeles, Calif.

LOOKING AT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT

Loyoala Marymount returns seven lettermen and one starter from last year's 13-18 team that placed sixth in the West Coast Conference. The Lions are off to a 3-11 start this year with their most recent victory being a 76-74 road triumph at Boise State. Loyola is 0-6 at home this year but 2-4 in away games and 1-1 on neutral floors. The Lions have lost their last four games since winning at Boise State on Dec. 8. Two of those defeats were in overtime (at UC Riverside and against Wagner). In additoin to Boise State, LMU has played another team BYU has faced this year, falling at Long Beach State 77-52 on Dec. 5. This year LMU has a balanced, young roster with nine different players who have scored in double figures this season while no player is averaging more than 30 minutes per game. Freshmen Orlando Johnson (6-5, G) and Tim Diederichs (6-9, F) have started all 14 games this season for the Lions. Johnson leads the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.1 rpg) while Diederichs adds 7.4 points and shoots 52.9 percent from the floor in a team-high 28.3 minutes per game. Sophomore Shawn Deadwiler (6-3, G) has also started each game and is the team's second-leading scorer at 10.5 ppg. Senior John Ziri (6-2, G) is coming off the bench after making seven starts, contributing 7.5 points per contest. The Lions are shooting .407 from the floor, .331 on threes and .608 at the line while their opponents have combined to shoot .477 from the floor and .363 from behind the arc. LMU is scoring 64.4 points while giving up 77.7 and pulling down 34.3 rebounds compared to 37.6 by the opposition.

LMU'S LAST OUTING -- SAM HOUSTON STATE DEFEATS LIONS TO IMPROVE TO 11-1

LOS -- In a game of runs, Loyola Marymount's early half runs could not match the late half runs by Sam Houston State as the Bearkats earned an 83-66 victory over the Lions in the final nonconference game of the season at Gersten Pavilion Sunday afternoon. The Lions opened the game with a nine-point run and the second half with a 10-point run but turnovers and foul trouble hurt LMU down the stretch. The Lions opened the game with a 14-5 lead but two fouls by leading scorer Orlando Johnson and fellow freshman starter Tim Diederichs opened the door for Sam Houston State to go on a 32-9 run over a 10-minute span to build a lead as many as 15, 38-23, with 1:31 remaining. The Bearkats would lead 38-26 at the break. LMU once again came out strong and went on a 14-4 run to start the half and cut the lead to a pair, 42-40, on a jumper by Max Craig with 14:35 remaining. Sam Houston State answered with a 12-3 run to build the lead back to double digits. The Lions could get only as close as eight the rest of the way. Sam Houston State improves on their best start in their Division I history and improves to 11-1 while the Lions fall to 3-11. Sophomore Shawn Deadwiler led the Lions in scoring with 19 points and a career-best eight rebounds. As has been the case all season, the Lions were plagued by turnovers and struggles at the free throw line. They committed 25 turnovers, leading to 30 points for the Bearkats while shooting just 10-for-21 (47.6 percent) from the charity stripe. "We work so hard to get a lead and then overcome a deficit only to give it away by not taking care of the ball. We have not figured out the importance of taking care of the ball," said Head Coach Rodney Tention. "We had good energy to start both the first half and the second, but we lacked the toughness to respond when Sam Houston fought back. We just haven't figured it out yet." Johnson, who entered the game leading the Lions in scoring, played just 13 minutes due to foul trouble that limited him to just three minutes in the first half. He finished with just five points with five assists.

SERIES HISTORY

The Cougars and Lions have met twice. Loyola emerged victorious in the first meeting on Dec. 30, 1936 in a tight 35-32 battle held on the Lions' homecourt. The Lions won the last contest, defeating the Cougars 83-71 in Provo to open the 2005-06 season in the coaching debuts for Dave Rose and Rodney Tention at BYU and LMU, respectively. Since that loss for the Cougars, Dave Rose has coached BYU to 38 straight wins in the Marriott Center to build the nation's longest homecourt victory streak (currently shared with Memphis).

BYU SERIES RECORD VS. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT

Overall Series Record: Loyola leads 2-0

BYU Record in Provo: 0-1

BYU Record in Los Angeles: 0-1

BYU Record at Neutral Sites: 0-0

BYU Record Under Dave Rose: 0-1

BYU Record in Overtime Games: 0-0

Longest BYU Win Streak: --

Longest Loyola Win Streak: 2 (1936-present)

Largest BYU Margin of Victory: --

Largest Loyola Margin of Victory: 12, 83-71 in 2005

Most Points Scored by BYU: 71 in 2005

Most Points Scored by Loyola: 83 in 2005

12-30-36 at Loyola-Marymount 32-35 L

11-18-05 Loyola-Marymount 71-83 L

LAST MEETING VS. LMU -- COUGARS FALL IN 2005-06 SEASON OPENER

PROVO -- In a game that matched up two head coaches in their first respective games, Loyola Marymount spoiled Cougar head coach Dave Rose's debut by beating BYU, 83-71, at the Marriott Center Friday night. The Cougars didn't have an answer for LMU's frontcourt which scored 45 of the Lions' points. LMU (1-0), who returned four of its five starters from last year's team, put together what turned out to be a decisive late 15-0 first-half run en route to the victory. The experienced squad then held on to counter all of the Cougars' runs. LMU head coach Rodney Tention said his team benefited from playing with each other for so long. The Cougars jumped out to a quick lead to start the game. Fueled by Plaisted's early six points, BYU jumped out to an 8-2 advantage. LMU fought back behind the physical play of Matthew Knight and the shooting of Wes Wardrop and cut the lead to one at 14-13 with 11:49 remaining in the first half. BYU head coach Dave Rose was happy with the way his team started the game. Plaisted continued his hot shooting, hitting his first five shots from the field for 12 points. Cougar turnovers kept the Lions close as LMU's Chris Ayer tied the game at 24 with an offensive rebound and put-back. Mike Rose then entered the game and promptly scored eight points, including two quick three pointers, helping BYU maintain a slim 30-29 first-half lead with 3:37 left in the first frame. Foul trouble and turnovers continued to haunt the Cougars as LMU scored 15 unanswered points to end the half and take an 11-point lead into the intermission. BYU didn't score for the final 4:48 of the first half. In the second half, Jimmy Balderson came out firing on all cylinders scoring seven quick points helping cut the lead to five with 15:20 left in the game. The Lions' physical inside play helped the Lions go on a run of their own extending the lead to a game-high 12 point lead at 57-45 with 12 minutes remaining. BYU jumped back with an 8-0 run to cut back into the lead. LMU showed its experience by coming out of a timeout and scoring six points on a Wardrop three and a Brandon Worthy three-point play. Down the stretch, the Lions had an answer for seemingly every Cougar basket to hold on for the win. BYU was led by Balderson who scored 18 points and recorded seven boards. Plaisted finished with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting while grabbing four rebounds.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "Our team did a good job and was prepared to come out and play. We had a good start and scored early but seemed to get complacent and didn't push the ball with near enough purpose."

-- "Every time we got into a position to get close they hit shots and made big plays."

-- "This is a starting point and we'll go from here."

-- "When we needed to make plays we made them, and they answered. They're a good team. They beat us."

-- "Good players made good plays but we need to work on consistency. That comes with experience, being on the floor and being comfortable with that."

-- "The guys were prepared and I'm proud of them for that. We just weren't able to focus and execute our game plan the way we wanted. We just made too many mistakes."

Loyola Marymount Head Coach Rodney Tention

-- "I've known this was going to be a tough game ever since it was put on the schedule. This is a tough place to play, and BYU is a very good team. I really believe that."

-- "We just made a few more plays than they did. I am really proud of my guys."

-- "This first win is unbelievable. It's a great feeling."

-- "Experience was a big difference in the game tonight. We have nine juniors and seniors. It helps having those guys who have been in a lot of games."

POSTGAME NOTES

-- Three Cougars earned the first starts of their BYU careers Friday as the Cougars started their two JC transfers (Broadus, Malaman) and redshirt freshman Trent Plaisted.

-- Derek Dawes did not play due to a shoulder injury. He is probable to play at Washington State on Tuesday.

-- Jimmy Balderson earned team-high scoring honors on the night as he led BYU with 18 points, going 6-for-13 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line. Balderson also paced the Cougars with seven rebounds.

-- Trent Plaisted shot 75 percent (6-8) from the field in his first game as a redshirt freshman, scoring 17 points. Plaisted saw limited action in five games last season before having to sit out the season due to injury.

-- Plaisted made an immediate impact in the first start of his career, going 5-for-5 from the floor and scoring 12 points in the first 11 minutes of the game before sitting down.

-- After trailing since 2-2 at the 18:30 mark, LMU tied the game 24-24 with 6:44 left in the first half. The Lions took their first lead of the game three minutes later with a 31-30 advantage with 3:02 left in the first half during a 15-0 run to end the half.

-- BYU did not score during the final 4:48 of the first half, allowing LMU to go on a 15-0 run and build a 41-30 halftime lead.

-- The Cougars came out hot in the second half, putting together a 12-4 run to cut the lead to three points thanks in part to seven points from Jimmy Balderson.

-- LMU did not score from the field for the first 4:21 of the second half. However, the Lions put together a 10-2 run from that point to take a 12-point lead.

-- LMU's experience showed in the second half as the Lions never allowed BYU to take the lead. The Lions return four starters and 12 of 13 lettermen to this year's team.

-- The Lions' last six points over the final 1:58 came from the free throw line. LMU was 18-24 (.750) from the charity stripe while the Cougars were 14-17 (.824).

-- With the loss, BYU is now 72-32 (.692) all-time in season openers, including a 55-15 (.786) mark when the first game of the season is played at home. The Cougars are now 79-25 (.760) all-time in their annual home opener.

BYU NOTES

BYU'S LAST OUTING -- CUMMARD A BRIGHT SPOT BUT COUGARS FALL AT BOISE STATE

BOISE -- After a fight to the finish, the No. 20 BYU men's basketball team could not come up with enough to knock off Boise State on the Broncos' home floor, falling 73-70 Saturday night after an 11-point halftime lead. The loss drops the Cougars to 10-3 on the year and marks their first loss of the year to an unranked team while the Broncos improve to 9-3. Lee Cummard was the bright spot for the Cougars as he scored 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting from the field and 6-for-6 shooting from the free-throw line, marking the sixth time this season he has tallied at least 20 points. Trent Plaisted continued his double-digit scoring run with 12 points while leading BYU with nine rebounds. Sam Burgess and Jimmer Fredette also scored in double figures with 11 points apiece. Reggie Larry led the Broncos with 19 points. The game was a battle from the start as Boise State struck first with a three-pointer from Matt Bauscher only to see Cummard answer on the other end for the Cougars. The Broncos led early, but Cummard continued to pressure the home team, scoring nine of BYU's first 12 points to keep the Cougars close at 13-12. After Boise State drained another one from long range, Burgess responded with his second triple of the night to once again cut the lead to one point at 16-15 with 12:38 left to play in the first half. The scoring frenzy came to a halt for the next three minutes as turnovers and misses plagued both teams. Finally Ben Murdock made it to the free-throw line and gave the Cougars their first lead of the game at 17-16 with 9:06 left before halftime. The Broncos ended the 5-0 BYU spurt with a three-pointer to regain the advantage, but the Cougars weren't done as they scored the next 13 points, including two three-pointers from Fredette and a throwdown by Plaisted, to go up 30-19. After the 18-3 BYU run, the two teams played even, resulting in a 38-27 Cougar advantage going into the break as BYU posted its 10th double-digit halftime lead of the year. The Cougars have held opponents under 30 points in the first half of nine games while scoring over 30 first-half points in every contest this season. Boise State scored the first four points of the second half on two free throws and a jumper off a Cougar miscue to cut the lead to seven points and force an early BYU timeout. However, the break benefited the Broncos more than the Cougars as a Boise State basket made it a 6-0 Bronco run. Back-to-back makes from Plaisted pushed the lead back up to nine points at 42-33, but Boise State quickly responded with two buckets from long range to cut the lead to just three points. After seeing their lead dwindle to just three points at 46-43, things got worse for BYU as Jonathan Tavernari went into the stands trying to save a ball and went to the bench limping with 14:32 left to play. Tavernari returned to the game later, but the Broncos made the most of the moment with an easy layin on the next possession to cut the lead to just one point. Cummard kept Boise State at bay as he nailed two free throws, but the battle was on with 13 minutes to play in the game. Moments later, the Broncos completed the comeback bid after a goal-tending call tied the game at 50-50. After a Cougar turnover, Boise State had a chance to take the lead but couldn't capitalize, instead seeing Fredette drain his third from three-point range on the other end. However, after a Bronco layin, BYU mishandled the in-bounds pass and Boise State nailed a three-pointer to take its first lead since 19-17 at 55-53 with 8:45 left to play. The lead grew to 60-54 before Cummard made another pair of free throws and then Burgess reversed and scored. A fall-away jumper went for Boise State, but Cummard drained a three-pointer to cut the lead to one point at 62-61 with 5:25 left to play. However, an 8-1 run for the Broncos soon made it an eight-point game at 70-62 with just under three minutes to play. Just when the game looked out of reach for the Cougars, two of the team's captains stepped up as Burgess hit from long range and then stole the ball and found Cummard, who laid it in to cut the lead to three points. Cummard capped the 7-0 BYU run with two free-throw makes at the 1:03 mark to make it a one-point game at 70-69. However. The Cougars couldn't come up with enough at the end as they fell, 73-70.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "There's so many different things that happen in a game, but when it came down to making big plays, they did it and we struggled. We battled and competed but came up short."

-- "You have to be consistent with all your players. Some players are going to have better nights against certain teams with certain matchups, but you have to go into the game knowing what you're going to get."

-- "Our biggest challenge going into tonight was handling their two post players, and we didn't do a very good job of that. They both got a lot done out there."

-- "Jimmer (Fredette) was shooting the ball really well, and we had some opportunities where we could've maybe made one extra pass to get the ball to him., but it's really a feel."

-- "This is a disappointing loss, but we've actually gone through quite a large portion of our season without being in this position. Now we have some real adversity, and we'll find the true character of this team. No one ever wants to get beat, but we've got to get better. This is a team thing. We'll see how we react to the adversity that we're facing here."

 

BYU NOTES FROM LAST OUTING

-- The 73-70 loss marked the first time this season the Cougars have fallen when scoring at least 70 points. BYU is now 10-1 when scoring at least 70 points in a game.

- The Cougars have posted a double-digit lead in 12 of 13 games, including a game-high lead of 12 points against the Broncos. The lone exception came against No. 1 North Carolina when the game-high BYU lead was two points. BYU has now seen two double-digit leads slip away including a 10-point lead against No. 9 Michigan State that turned into a 68-61 Spartan win.

- With 12 points at Boise State, Plaisted remains the only Cougar to score in double figures in every game this season. Cummard have posted double-digit points in 11 of 13 games.

- Cummard surpassed the 20-point mark for the sixth time in his career and the fourth time this season as he led BYU with 26 points at Boise State. Cummard went 9-for-14 from the field with all five coming from three-point range as he was 7-for-7 inside the arc and 2-for-7 outside. He also went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the game. In the last four games, Cummard is averaging 21.5 points on 33-for-49 (.673) shooting from the field and 11-for-12 (.917) shooting from the free-throw line. Cummard has gone 24-for-30 (.800) inside the three-point line in those contests.

- With a 38-27 halftime lead at Boise State, the Cougars have now led at halftime in 12 of 13 games this year, including 10 double-digit leads. However, the loss marks the second time this season BYU has seen a double-digit halftime lead slip away as the Cougars are now 10-2 when holding a halftime advantage while outscoring opponents by an average of 12.4 points in the first half.

- BYU has held all 13 of its opponents this year under 40 points in the first half while holding foes under 30 points in the first period of nine games. BYU has scored at least 30 first-half points in every game this season.

- With the loss, BYU is now 136-57 all-time as a ranked team, including an 8-5 mark under head coach Dave Rose.

- After scoring seven of the first 11 Cougar points against SUU in BYU's last outing, Cummard once again came up big for the Cougars to start the game at Boise State. Cummard recorded nine of BYU's first 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting in the first seven minutes of the game.

- Jimmer Fredette provided a huge spark off the bench for BYU in the first half as he drained two three-pointers during a 13-0 Cougar run and added a long jumper to tie his first-half season high with eight points. Prior to the Boise State game, Fredette had gone eight games without multiple three-point makes after making nine from long range in his first four games of the year. Fredette finished with 11 points, his fourth double-digit scoring outing this year.

- Jonathan Tavernari left the game with 14:32 left to play after going into the stands for a ball and cutting his leg on a stand support. After receiving treatment, Tavernari returned to the game with 10:17 to play.

BYU PLAYER OF THE WEEK

LEE CUMMARD (DEC. 31) -- Junior guard Lee Cummard led BYU with a game-high 26 points at Boise State Saturday on 64.3 percent shooting from the floor (9-for-14) and a perfect 6-for-6 night at the free-throw line. The 6-foot-7 Mesa, Ariz., native added six rebounds, two assists and a game-best two blocked shots. He scored 13 points in 14 first-half minutes to help the Cougars to an 11-point halftime advantage. He added another 13 points in 18 second-half minutes to score more than 20 points in a game for the fourth time this season. Cummard also performed well on the defensive end of the floor, holding Boise State senior swingman Tyler Tiedeman well below his season averages. Tiedeman came in averaging 11.9 points on 48.8 percent shooting from the floor and a team-best 45.1 percent from behind the arc. Cummard held him to only five points in his 33 minutes, seven below his average. Cummard blocked two of his shots as Tiedeman managed only 22.2 percent shooting going 2-for-9 overall and 1-for-4 (.250) from three-point range.

PREVIOUS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

JONATHAN TAVERNARI (DEC. 24)

LEE CUMMARD (DEC. 17; MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK)

TRENT PLAISTED (DEC. 10; MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK)

LEE CUMMARD (DEC 3)

TRENT PLAISTED (NOV. 26; MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK)

TRENT PLAISTED (NOV. 19)

LEE CUMMARD (NOV. 12)

CRUNCHING CUMMARD'S NUMBERS

Lee Cummard has scored 20 or more points four times this season, including three of the last four games. He is averaging 21.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.3 blocks and 2.0 steals over the last four games while shooting 67.3 percent (33-of-49) from the floor, 47.3 percent (9-for-19) on threes and .917 percent (11-for-12) at the line. He has made 80 percent (24-for-30) of his two-point attempts over the four-game stretch.

-- In his last road outing, Cummard led BYU with a game-high 26 points at Boise State Saturday on .643 shooting from the floor (9-for-14) and a perfect 6-for-6 night at the free-throw line. He added six rebounds, two assists and a game-best two blocked shots. Defensively, he held BSU senior swingman Tyler Tiedeman well below his season averages. Tiedeman came in averaging 11.9 points on 48.8 percent shooting from the floor and a team-best 45.1 percent from behind the arc. Cummard held him to only five points on 2-for-9 shooting in 33 minutes.

-- In his last home outing, Cummard filled the stat sheet vs. Southern Utah, tying career highs with 8 assists and 5 steals while scoring 12 points with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in a career-equaling 37 minutes.

WORTHY OF MENTION

-- BYU's 20-point club this year includes Trent Plaisted, Lee Cummard and Jonathan Tavernari. Plaisted and Cummard have scored 20 points or more in four games while Tavernari has done so once. Among Plaisted's top scoring nights were 21 points against No. 6 Louisville and a season-high 24 points against No. 1 North Carolina. Cummard had a career-high 27 points against Lamar adn 26 at Boise State while Tavernari totaled a career-best 29 vs. No. 6 Louisville.

-- BYU has had six individual double-double performances this year with Plaisted accomplishing the feat four times and Cummard on two occasions. Cummard became the first Cougar to record a double-double this season with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Idaho State. He added his fifth career double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds against Lamar. Plaisted had 21 points and 12 rebounds against No. 6 Louisville before tallying 24 points and 17 rebounds against No. 1 North Carolina. He totaled 14 points and 15 rebounds vs. Weber State and had 18 points and a career-high-tying 18 rebounds against Pepperdine.

-- Trent Plaisted is the lone Cougar to score in double figures in all 13 games this season. His longest streak of consecutive double-figures scoring games is 15 during his freshman season in 2005-06 when he reached double digits in 25 of 29 games. Plaisted has scored in double figures in 59 of 81 games during his career.

-- Senior point guard Ben Murdock dished out a personal-best 10 assists with only two turnovers at Portland as the lone Cougar to reach double-digit assists in a game this year. He has dished out five or more assists in a game five times this year.

-- Freshman guard Jimmer Fredette made three three-pointers and scored 11 points during his 21 minutes at Boise State. He has hit from behind the arc in eight games this season. Fredette is one of four true freshman playing for the Cougars this year, joining forward Chris Collinsworth and guards Michael Loyd and Nick Martineau. Collinsworth has started the last four games.

-- BYU leads all MWC teams in scoring (79.0), field-goal percentage defense (.379), rebounds (40.9), rebounding margin (+6.8), assists (18.2) and defensive rebounds (29.3).

-- BYU has led at the half in 12 of 13 games this year, including 10 double-digit leads. The Cougars' only deficit came when they trailed 38-31 against No. 1 North Carolina. The Cougars are outscoring opponents by 12.4 points in the first period of play.

-- The Cougars have posted a double-digit lead in 12 of 13 games. The lone exception came against No. 1 North Carolina when the game-high BYU lead was two points.

FROM THE BENCH

BYU's reserves have outscored the opposition's bench only four times this year but they have done it in each of the last two games after seven straight games in a scoring defecit off the bench. In BYU's first nine games with Jonathan Tavernari starting, BYU's bench was outscored by an average of 1.6 points. BYU's reserves have averaged 3.8 more points than the opposition in the four games since Tavernari has been coming off the bench. Overall, the BYU bench and opponent reserves have each totaled the exact same total points over 13 games, scoring 269 total points or an average of 20.7 points per game.

DEFENDING THE HOME COURT

With 38 straight wins in the Marriott Center, the Cougars currently own the nation's longest active home victory streak along with No. 2 Memphis. The Cougars are 7-0 at home this year and won 17 home games last season after going 14-1 at home in 2005-06. BYU's last home loss was in the 2005-06 season opener against Loyola Marymount. BYU has since won 22 straight over nonconference opponents and 16 consecutive over MWC foes since losing its season finale in 2005 to UNLV. BYU is 409-116 (.779) all-time in the Marriott Center. The Cougars' longest home winning streak came from Feb 19, 2000 to Jan 16, 2003 when BYU won 44 straight in the Marriott Center.

Active Homecourt Winning Streaks (As of Jan. 1, 2008)

Wins Team This year Next home game

38 BYU 7-0 Jan. 3 vs. Loyola Marymount

38 Memphis 6-0 Jan. 3 vs. Siena

ON THE ROAD

The Cougars are 2-1 in true road games this year. With a 1-2 record on neutral courts, BYU is 3-3 this season away from home. BYU won five of its last seven games on the road last season including a win at then-No. 20 Air Force (62-58), snapping the Falcons' 30-game home winning streak. BYU was 6-7 on the road last year and 5-3 in conference play, becoming the only Mountain West Conference team with a winning record on the road in league play last year.

MAGIC NUMBER: 70

BYU is 10-1 when scoring at least 70 points this season and 8-1 when holding opponents under the 70-point mark while averaging 79.0 points and allowing just 63.5 ppg. The Cougars have scored 90 or more points in three games this season, reaching 100 against Jackson State and are 5-0 when scoring over 80 points on the year. Overall, BYU leads the Mountain West Conference in scoring and is second in scoring margin (+15.5)

CLEANING THE GLASS

BYU has won the battle of the boards in 10 of 13 games this year with the only deficits coming against No. 6 Louisville (39-37), No. 9 Michigan State (37-29) and Boise State (36-34). BYU is besting opponents by an average of 6.8 boards per contest. The Cougars posted a season-high +19 rebounding margin (38-19) against Hartford as four Cougars pulled down at least five rebounds. BYU began the season with a 55-40 rebounding advantage at Long Beach State, matching last year's season high of 55 boards against Seton Hall. Five Cougars posted at least six rebounds in BYU's win over Lamar, marking the first time since Jan. 8, 2005 that feat has been done.

BALANCED SCORING

BYU has had five players score in double figures in a game three times this season, already matching last year's total of three games in which at least five players reached double digits. Four different Cougars have led the team in scoring this year with Lee Cummard pacing BYU a team-best six times. Team-high rebounding and assist honors have been shared by four players.

BETTER LATE AT THE LINE

The Cougars are shooting 68 percent from the free-throw line as a team. In the final five minutes, however, BYU is converting 75.5 percent of its free-throw attempts.

WINNING BIG

The Cougars' 10 victories this year have come by an average margin of 22.1 points, including a seaon-opening 40-point road win at Long Beach State (74-34). The win over the 49ers marked BYU's largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent since defeating Morgan State by 41 points (110-69) on Dec. 28, 1995. Including BYU's three losses, the Cougars still boast a scoring margin of 15.5 points this year. BYU won 17 games by double-digits last year, including seven by 20 or more points, and was the only team in the Mountain West Conference to not have a regular-season game decided by less than four points. With an average scoring margin of +9.1 last season, the Cougars posted their largest margin of victory since 1993 over the course of the year.

HITTING THE MARK

BYU is shooting 48.5 percent from the field this season while allowing opponents to shoot just 37.9 percent from the floor (No. 1 in the MWC). Overall, the Cougars have shot above 50 percent in six games this year. BYU has shot above 50 percent in the first half of six games this season and in the second half of seven contests, totaling 13 halves of play out of 26 with a shooting percetage of 50 percent higher, including three above 60 percent. The Cougars posted a season-high 60.4 percent efficiency against Hartford bolstered by a 63.6 percent second-half shooting mark (14-for-22). The Cougars shot a season-high 65.2 percent in the second half at Portland, making their first seven shots of the period. BYU's first-half season high came against Pepperdine when the Cougars shot 62.1 percent from the field while building a 40-33 halftime lead over the Waves. Individually, Lee Cummard and Trent Plaisted rank one and three among MWC players in field-goal percentage at 61.9 and 57.3 percent, respectively.

HALFTIME REPORT

The Cougars are 10-2 this season when leading at the half with 10 of the 12 advantages coming by double digits. BYU suffered its first loss of the year after holding a halftime lead with a 68-61 defeat against No. 9 Michigan State after a 35-25 lead at the break. The Cougars led by 11 points at the half at Boise State but fell by three points to the 9-3 Broncos. No. 1 North Carolina was the only team this season to post a halftime lead against BYU with a 38-31 advantage at the break. The Cougars are besting opponents by an average of 12.4 points in the first period of play after while scoring at least 40 points in the first half of seven of 13 games this season. BYU has scored at least 30 points in the first half of every game this season while holding opponents under 30 points nine times. The BYU defense kept Long Beach State and Idaho State under 30 points, under 30 percent shooting from the field and under 10 field goals made in the first 20 minutes. The Cougars' 36-12 lead at the break in Long Beach marked their largest halftime advantage since being up by 28 points (51-23) against Western Oregon on Dec. 22, 2006. The 12 points given up by BYU in the first 20 minutes of the game at LBSU marked the fewest points allowed in a half by the Cougars since allowing a record-low 10 points against Air Force in 2003. BYU has topped 40 points in the second half of six games this year while surpassing the 50-point mark in the second half twice.

COACH ROSE

-- Dave Rose has a .740 winning percentage as a college head coach (222-78), including a 10-3 record this season, a 25-9 (.735) mark last year, a 20-9 (.690) season in his first year at BYU and a 167-57 (.746) record in seven seasons at Dixie State College.

-- Dave Rose has guided BYU to consecutive 20-win seasons and the program's first national ranking since 1993 after succeeding Steve Cleveland as BYU Men's Basketball Head Coach on April 11, 2005.

-- Dave Rose was named the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year each of his first two seasons, becoming the first-ever BYU men's basketball coach to win back-to-back league coach-of-the-year honors.

-- BYU was the second-most improved team in the nation in 2005-06 under Rose and his coaching staff in their first season.

-- The BYU coaching staff has playing experience in NCAA Final Fours, including a National Championship.

-- The BYU coaching staff has played with or coached 27 NBA players.