Second Half Explosion Leads Cougars Past Boise State

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PROVO -- The BYU men’s basketball team remained unbeaten Wednesday as it earned its ninth win of the season. The Cougars played a dominant second half, scoring 61 points to beat Boise State 94-56.

“In the first we were rushed and hurried things, but in the second we settled down. Rather than hurry to do things ourselves, we relied on teammates,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “This is where we want to be right now. In the next few weeks we’ll see what this team is really made of.”

BYU came out the more dominant team, going on a 9-1 scoring streak to begin the game. The Cougars led by 11 with 3 minutes left in the half. Solid offense from Boise State’s Aaron Garner put the Broncos back in the game. Garner scored 17 points in the first half and helped BSU tie the game with just under six minutes remaining.

Both teams turned in strong defensive performances with BYU earning 20 total rebounds to Boise State’s 19. The Cougars also notched five steals and four blocks.

The Cougars continued to pressure Boise State and sophomore Jimmer Fredette gave the Cougars back the lead, scoring four points in the last two minutes to end the half with a 33-29 scoreline.

Fredette began the second half the way he ended the first, scoring seven points in the first three minutes. With baskets by Jackson Emery and Jonathan Tavernari, BYU pulled to a 47-31 lead.

BYU went on a 45-13 run and increased their lead to 36 with ten minutes left in the game. The team showcased its depth with five players in double figure scoring. Fredette led the team with a career-high 23 points. James Anderson notched career highs of 10 points, seven rebounds and five blocks.

“Jimmer did a terrific job tonight finding opportunities to score,” Rose said. "James played really great in the way we needed him to—he was strong inside on offense and defense and I'm pleased with his effort."

The Broncos put defensive pressure on BYU with 43 rebounds, but the Cougars had the advantage in both blocks and steals.

The Cougars will look to improve their nation's best home winning streak to 52 games on Saturday night as they face Portland. The game begins at 8 p.m and will be broadcast live on The Mtn.

CLICK HERE for postgame notes and quotes.

Official Basketball Box Score
Boise State vs BYU Cougars
12/10/08 8:05 pm at Marriott Center, Provo, Utah
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VISITORS: Boise State 6-2
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
03 Okoye, Ike.......... f  4-7    0-0    1-1    1  3  4   1   9  1  1  1  1  19
25 Noonan, Paul........ f  1-3    1-3    1-2    0  2  2   1   4  2  6  1  0  21
43 Sanchez, Mark....... f  4-12   0-1    1-3    3  6  9   1   9  1  0  0  0  25
04 Greene, Jamar....... g  0-3    0-1    0-0    0  3  3   4   0  3  3  0  0  26
11 Thomas, Anthony..... g  0-5    0-3    0-0    0  1  1   4   0  2  6  0  0  20
01 Rouse, Shawn........    0-3    0-3    0-0    0  1  1   1   0  0  0  0  0   7
12 Garner, Aaron.......    7-13   3-7    2-2    0  3  3   1  19  0  0  0  0  26
14 Larsen, Nate........    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   3
20 Imadiyi, Sean.......    1-4    0-0    0-1    3  2  5   1   2  0  0  0  0  15
24 Anderson, La'Shard..    0-5    0-1    0-0    0  4  4   1   0  4  7  0  2  18
32 Moritz, Zack........    3-5    0-0    0-0    3  0  3   1   6  0  0  0  0   5
50 Cunningham, Kurt....    3-5    0-0    1-1    3  0  3   2   7  1  2  0  0  15
   TEAM................                         3  2  5
   Totals..............   23-66   4-20   6-10  16 27 43  19  56 14 25  2  3 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-31 38.7%   2nd Half: 11-35 31.4%   Game: 34.8%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-9  44.4%   2nd Half:  0-11  0.0%   Game: 20.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  1-2  50.0%   2nd Half:  5-8  62.5%   Game: 60.0%    0
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HOME TEAM: BYU Cougars 9-0
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
30 CUMMARD, Lee........ f  6-15   2-2    6-6    3  4  7   1  20  4  1  1  0  25
45 TAVERNARI, Jonathan. f  5-12   3-6    0-0    0  8  8   1  13  2  0  1  1  26
54 MILES, Chris........ c  0-2    0-0    0-0    1  3  4   3   0  2  2  2  0  13
04 EMERY, Jackson...... g  5-7    2-4    2-2    0  2  2   2  14  2  1  0  2  21
32 FREDETTE, Jimmer.... g 10-15   1-2    2-2    0  0  0   0  23  2  0  0  4  31
01 ABOUO, Charles......    1-2    0-1    1-4    0  0  0   0   3  0  2  0  1  19
02 MORGAN, JR., Lamont.    3-3    2-2    0-2    0  2  2   0   8  2  4  0  1  18
05 ROSE, Archie........    1-2    0-0    1-2    2  3  5   2   3  1  0  0  1  15
15 ANDERSON, James.....    4-7    0-0    2-5    2  5  7   3  10  2  0  5  2  27
20 PINEGAR, Matthew....    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   5
   TEAM................                         1  4  5
   Totals..............   35-66  10-18  14-23   9 31 40  12  94 17 10  9 12 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 13-32 40.6%   2nd Half: 22-34 64.7%   Game: 53.0%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  1-6  16.7%   2nd Half:  9-12 75.0%   Game: 55.6%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  6-8  75.0%   2nd Half:  8-15 53.3%   Game: 60.9%    4
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Officials: Vern Harris, Bob Staffen, Mark Whitehead
Technical fouls: Boise State-Greene, Jamar. BYU Cougars-None.
Attendance: 10506
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Boise State...................   29   27  -   56
BYU Cougars...................   33   61  -   94
Points in the paint-BSU 28,BY 45. Points off turnovers-BSU 7,BY 40.
2nd chance points-BSU 11,BY 4. Fast break points-BSU 4,BY 23.
Bench points-BSU 34,BY 24. Score tied-4 times. Lead changed-2 times.
Last FG-BSU 2nd-00:53, BY 2nd-00:44.
Largest lead-BSU by 2 1st-03:05, BY by 42 2nd-05:16.