Team Effort Leads Cougars Past TCU

FORT WORTH -- In a Valentine’s Day match-up, the number one field-goal shooting team in the nation, the BYU Cougars (19-5, 7-3) added another win in the second half of conference play, jumping past the TCU Horned Frogs (13-12, 4-7) 79-63.

“It was a great road win for our team,” said BYU head coach Dave Rose. “Our consistent offensive effort was very good tonight. I think we’re playing with a lot of confidence and the way we executed our game was very effective.”

With three Cougars in double figures, the points were spread amongst the starters. Senior team captain Lee Cummard led his troops to battle, posting 24 points, Jonathan Tavernari had 19 points and Jimmer Fredette had 16 points.

In his 93rd start at BYU, Cummard played a well-rounded game scoring 24 points, shooting 6-for-10 from the field, 2-for-2 three pointers and 10-for-10 free-throw shooting. Cummard also posted two blocks, two steals and five rebounds on the night.

To open the scoring for the Cougars, Fredette found Chris Miles downtown to dunk on the Horned Frogs, triggering a 4-0 run to start the game off right. However, TCU responded with a 8-0 run, gaining the lead until Jackson Emery drained a trey, ending the only lead the Horned Frogs would have all game.

With the general manager of the San Antonio Spurs and other NBA scouts in Fort Worth to watch Cummard, he posted back-to-back threes with 9:00 and 8:37 left in the first half. Cummard would post 10 points in the first half.

Tavernari led the team in points and rebounds in the first half with 16 points, four rebounds and one steal. Feeding the ball to all of his Cougars, Fredette tallied five assists in the first half. Miles also posted seven points and three rebounds in the first half to bring the score to 40-26 going into the locker rooms.

The Cougars would shoot 69.6 percent as a team in the first half, 50 percent from the three-point line and 57.1 percent from the free throw line.

To start out the second half scoring was reigning MWC Player of the Year, Cummard, who put the Cougars up by 16 early in the second half.

Cummard would give BYU its biggest lead of the game thus far at the 12:10 mark of the second half, making a jumper and putting BYU up 60-41, a 19-point lead.

After only scoring two points in the first half, Fredette helped the Cougars in the second, posting 14 points. BYU spread the ball around the entire game, with three players in double figures and solid play from all 10 players who saw action in the game.

The Cougars finished off the game with a 79-63 win, giving the Cougars their second win in the second half of Mountain West Conference play.

BYU next returns to the Marriott Center to host New Mexico on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 8 p.m. MT. Follow the game on www.byucougars.com and listen live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 7 p.m. MT on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

CLICK HERE for postgame notes and quotes.

Official Basketball Box Score
BYU Cougars vs TCU
2/14/09 6:30 p.m. at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum
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VISITORS: BYU Cougars 19-5, 7-3 MWC
                          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  6-10   2-2   10-10   0  5  5   1  24  2  1  2  2  35
54 MILES, Chris........ c  3-4    0-0    2-3    1  2  3   4   8  3  3  1  1  28
04 EMERY, Jackson...... g  2-3    2-3    0-0    0  1  1   2   6  1  1  0  0  24
32 FREDETTE, Jimmer.... g  6-10   1-2    3-5    1  4  5   1  16  5  2  0  1  37
45 TAVERNARI, Jonathan. g  8-13   2-5    1-1    0  6  6   5  19  0  3  0  1  29
01 ABOUO, Charles......    0-1    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   1   0  0  0  0  0   6
02 MORGAN, JR., Lamont.    0-2    0-0    0-1    0  1  1   0   0  4  0  0  0  21
05 ROSE, Archie........    0-0    0-0    2-2    0  0  0   1   2  0  2  0  0   6
15 ANDERSON, James.....    2-2    0-0    0-0    1  1  2   4   4  0  0  0  1  11
34 HARTSOCK, Noah......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  0  1  0  0   3
   TEAM................                            4  4
   Totals..............   27-45   7-12  18-22   4 24 28  21  79 15 13  3  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 16-23 69.6%   2nd Half: 11-22 50.0%   Game: 60.0%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-8  50.0%   2nd Half:  3-4  75.0%   Game: 58.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  4-7  57.1%   2nd Half: 14-15 93.3%   Game: 81.8%    1
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HOME TEAM: TCU 13-12, 4-7 MWC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
01 BULJAN, Zvonko...... f  5-12   1-3    2-2    2  8 10   2  13  2  3  0  2  31
32 LANGFORD, Kevin..... f  5-10   1-1    8-8    3  0  3   3  19  1  3  2  1  31
05 MOSS, Ronnie........ g  3-11   0-2    1-2    0  0  0   0   7  1  1  0  1  29
13 RUZGAS, Edvinas..... g  4-10   3-7    3-3    2  0  2   3  14  0  0  0  0  32
23 ROSE, Kavon......... g  0-1    0-1    1-2    0  3  3   1   1  1  1  0  0  12
03 EBIE, Jason.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   4   0  2  1  0  0  17
22 MITCHEM, Keion......    0-4    0-3    2-4    0  3  3   2   2  3  2  0  1  22
24 BUTLER, Kevin.......    3-5    0-1    1-2    2  1  3   5   7  0  2  0  0  26
   TEAM................                         1  1  2
   Totals..............   20-53   5-18  18-23  11 16 27  20  63 10 13  2  5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  9-28 32.1%   2nd Half: 11-25 44.0%   Game: 37.7%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-9  33.3%   2nd Half:  2-9  22.2%   Game: 27.8%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-6  83.3%   2nd Half: 13-17 76.5%   Game: 78.3%   3,1
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Officials: Eddie Jackson, Bill Kennedy, Chris Rastatter
Technical fouls: BYU Cougars-None. TCU-None.
Attendance: 4807
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
BYU Cougars...................   40   39  -   79
TCU...........................   26   37  -   63
Points in the paint-BY 26,TC 26. Points off turnovers-BY 19,TC 21.
2nd chance points-BY 7,TC 17. Fast break points-BY 5,TC 4.
Bench points-BY 6,TC 9. Score tied-0 times. Lead changed-2 times.
Last FG-BY 2nd-03:52, TC 2nd-00:35.
Largest lead-BY by 22 2nd-03:16, TC by 4 1st-15:34.