Game 6 - Idaho State Next Up for Cougars

COUGARS TO TAKE ON IDAHO STATE

BYU (5-0) will hit the road two days after Thanksgiving to take on Idaho State on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. The Cougars will look to add to their perfect start that includes four home victories and one road win. Last week BYU defeated Pepperdine on Tuesday before playing three striaght on Thursday, Friday and Saturday to win the Basketball Travelers Invitational. Idaho State is 1-3 on the year and is n a three-game losing streak. The Bengals have lost three straight, all in overtime with the last two going to double overtime. Idaho State has already played an extra 25 minutes of basketball in just four games. Saturday’s game will be televised live on BYUTV (online at www.byutv.org/streaming/) and can be heard live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 6 p.m. MT on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City or via the Internet at KSL.com.

BYU GAME #6 FAST FACTS

BYU (5-0)

vs.

Idaho State (1-3)

Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008

Holt Arena (12,000)

Pocatello, Idaho

7 p.m. MT

Coaches:

BYU, Dave Rose (77-26 in fourth season; same overall)

ISU, Joe O’Brien (26-39 in 3rd season; same overall)

Series:

BYU leads, 29-6, with BYU winning the last meeting 90-69 in 2008 in Provo

TV:

BYUTV (Dave McCann, play-by-play; Andy Toolson, game analysis; Jarom Jordan, sideline)

Radio:

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (7 p.m. MT 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/

LOOKING AT IDAHO STATE

Idaho State is off to a 1-3 start this season. The Bengals opened the year with a 75-70 victory over Eastern Oregon at home but have since dropped three-straight overtime games to Hawai`i, Boise State and Long Beach State. Amorrow Morgan has been an offensive force all season, leading the team in scoring at 22.3 points per game and scoring a season-high 31 points in a double-overtime loss to Boise State. Against Long Beach State Deividas Busma was 8-of-9 from the field, scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds. Demetrius Monroe added a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds and Morgan chipped in 20 points. Idaho State is guided by Joe O’Brien, who is in his third season at the helm. Last season he led the Bengals to a 12-19 record and a trip to the Big Sky Conference semifinals.

IDAHO STATE’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Pos.#NameHt. Wt.Yr. PPGRPG

G1Amorrow Morgan6-5210Jr.22.32.8

G20Donnie Carson6-2195Jr.4.85.3

G31Matt Stucki6-6210Sr.8.83.0

F21Demetrius Monroe6-8200Jr.13.012.3

C4Lucas Steijn6-11240Sr.7.34.5

IDAHO STATE'S LAST OUTING - BENGALS FALL TO LONG BEACH STATE IN 2OT

Pocatello, ID --- It looked all too familiar to anyone on the Idaho State bench, as the Bengals played a third straight overtime, and a second-straight double overtime game, and again they came out on the short end of the stick, losing 88-82 to Long Beach State. The Bengals tied the school record for consecutive overtime games played, as the Bengals played three straight overtime games against Northern Arizona, Montana, and Montana State from February 10-17, 2001. Idaho State has played back-to-back multiple overtime games just once, losing double overtime games to Montana State and Louisville January 10 and 13, 1976.The Bengals never looked like they would even get to overtime in the first half as Long Beach State bolted to a 30-15 lead, paced by a 6-of-7 three-point start by Stephan Gilling, but ISU fought all the way back to tie it at the half. The Bengals then led by as much as six in the second half before Long Beach battled back. Tied at 61, Matt Stucki hit Devidias Busma underneath for a wide open layup with 36.7 left to give the Bengals a 63-61 lead, but Stucki fouled out hitting Donovan Morris, who hit both of his shots with 24.2 left to tie it. ISU couldn’t get a shot down at the end of regulation, and it was off to overtime again. In the first OT, no one led by more than two. After a fluke basket by Long Beach State when Donnie Carson stole a ball, rolled over and threw it right to Casper Ware underneath the basket for an easy layup making it 69-67, Amorrow Morgan hit one of two free throws with 1:20 left, and then Busma hit one of two with 1:02 left to tie it. Long Beach State then got two shots to tie after a miss and a turnover, and it was time for a second overtime, and that was when Donovan Morris took over. Morris, LBSU’s leading scorer, hit a long two and then a big three to open the second extra session, and quickly it was 74-69. The Bengals got the game down to four at 78-74 after a Morgan basket with 2:26 left, but Long Beach hit plenty of free throws down the stretch, including a 14-for-16 night by Morris as he scored 14 points in the extra sessions. The 49ers took advantage of ISU’s overtime miscues, outscoring the Bengals 7-0 on points off turnovers over the final 10 minutes. The loss overshadowed more superb performances, including Busma’s first career double-double, scoring 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting, hitting his first eight shots, and adding 11 rebounds in his first start. Demetrius Monroe had 13 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double, and Matt Stucki added 10. For LBSU, Morris had 24, and Gilling had 18, although they all came in the first 11 minutes of the game. Casper Ware added 15 and Larry Anderson added 10. ISU outrebounded the 49ers 46-36.

SERIES NOTES

Saturday’s game will mark the 36th meeting between BYU and Idaho State. The Cougars hold a 29-6 lead in the all-time series, including 15-4 in Pocatello. In fact the Cougars have not lost at Idaho State since 1977, also the last time BYU lost in the series. The Cougars have won four-straight in the overall series, all at home. BYU and Idaho State were regular opponents during the 1940s and 50s but never played in the 60s. The Cougars and Bengals battled five times in the1950s, once in the 80s and three times during the current decade.

DOWNTOWN RECORD WATCH

After going scoreless against Cal Poly, Jonathan Tavernari’s streak of making at least one three-pointer ended at 20-consecutive games. He was two games shy of tying Mark Bigelow’s school record of 22 straight games with a trey (over two seasons; 1998-99 and 2001-02). Jonthan Tavernari has passed Terrell Lyday for fourth place on BYU’s career list for three-point attempts with 353 and three-point makes with 130. He is 11 from tying Andy Toolson for third all-time in career made threes. Lee Cummard has 124 threes, trailing Terrell Lyday by three makes for fifth all-time in school history.

5-0 STARTS

For the 22nd time in school history BYU men’s basketball is off to a 5-0 start. In the 21 previous season during which BYU started at least 5-0 the Cougars won 20-plus games 11 times and finished first or tied for first in conference play eight times. In fact, the last five times BYU has started at least 5-0 the Cougars have won or shared the regular season conference title, including last season’s squad that was 27-8 overall and won the conference outright at 14-2. The Cougars were not members of a conference the first five seasons BYU started 5-0. Three of BYU’s season-opening win streaks of five-plus games have ended with losses to ranked opponents, including No. 1 North Carolina last season, No. 11 Michigan in 1991-92 and No. 2 NC State in 1955-56. BYU’s most obscure loss to end a perfect start to a season was to Denver Piggly Wiggly in 1932-33. The Cougars were 6-0 before the loss but regrouped to finish 20-7 and first in conference play.