Cummard and Co. Defeat Air Force to Reach MWC Semis

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LAS VEGAS -- In the quarterfinal match of the 2009 Conoco Mountain West Conference Men’s Basketball Championship between BYU and Air Force, the Cougars defeated the Falcons 80-69 in the Thomas & Mack Center on Thursday to advance to the semifinals.

“I thought it was an extremely competitive game,” said BYU head coach Dave Rose. “When you consider the last 80 minutes of basketball that we’ve played, Air Force has been an extremely competitive team. I am really proud of our players for being able to find a way to win in both those games.”

With solid team chemistry, four Cougars found themselves in double figures with sophomore Jimmer Fredette leading the way posting 21 points on the afternoon. Other Cougars in double figures included Jonathan Tavernari (19), Lee Cummard (16) and Chris Miles (11).

“We got a lot of help from a lot of different players,” said Rose, “but that’s the way our team has been throughout the season. It was a good win for our team and we’re excited to move on.”

Tavernari tallied his seventh double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds against the Falcons. He shot 4-for-8 from the 3-point arc.

Cummard followed with 16 points and eight rebounds, going 8-for-8 from the stripe. Cummard played unselfishly, leading the team with seven assists on the afternoon. Center Chris Miles chalked up 11 points, three rebounds, two blocks and one steal.

The Cougars posted the first points on the afternoon with a second-chance look to Fredette for three. With tough defensive play from BYU, Jackson Emery stole the ball to tally a fastbreak layup at the 17:33 mark, putting the Cougars up 5-0.

Chris Miles would follow with a dunk at the 16:10 mark to bring the score to 7-2. Air Force fired back with an 11-1 run, BYU’s only point coming from Emery making 1-of-2 free throws.

Fredette made it to the charity stripe at the 13:24 mark, knocking down two to bring the Cougars within three at 10-13.

Air Force and BYU found themselves trading baskets until Tavernari sparked a 14-2 run at the 11:17 mark. Tavernari and Fredette each posted five points of that run, with baskets also from Lamont Morgan Jr. and Lee Cummard.

The Falcons answered back with a 6-0 run, capturing the lead once again at 26-27 at the 4:37 mark. Both teams traded the lead until Air Force drained a three with four seconds left in the half, making the score 38-41 going into the locker rooms.

After missing three of the first four free throws of the game, BYU went a perfect 12-for-12 to end the first half. The Cougars shot 81.3 percent from the stripe, 10-for-22 from the field at 45.5 percent and 38.5 percent shooting from long range in the first half.

However, Tavernari ended the half making three threes on second chance baskets. He had 13 points to end the first half, going 4-for-7 from the field. BYU scored 12 points from offensive rebounds in the first half.

Two Cougars posted double-digit scoring in the first half, Tavernari with 13 and Fredette with 10. Both Fredette and Cummard were perfect from the stripe, each shooting 4-for-4 in the first half.

In only the first two and a half minutes of the second half, Fredette posted a 9-2 run to put the Cougars up 47-42. Cummard and Miles then posted back-to-back buckets, widening the lead to nine.

But the Flacons wouldn’t give up without a fight. After Miles posted a second-chance dunk at the 15:31 mark (53-44), Air Force went on a 10-0 run to take the lead by one point. Cummard silenced the Falcon run by making two free throws at the 10:46 mark to regain the lead at 55-54.

After missing his first two free throws in the game, Miles made both of his free throws at the 9:31 mark, bringing the lead to three.

The Falcons answered with a three at the 8:33 mark, knotting the score at 57. BYU then posted a 6-0 run, four of which being free throws from Cummard and Tavernari going 4-for-4, widening the lead to six at 63-57.

Air Force continued to score, but it wouldn’t be enough to take the lead again. Tavernari posted his fourth three of the afternoon at the 3:41 mark, bringing the lead to 71-65. Cummard followed with a 12-foot jumper at the 2:54 mark.

Solid play came from Morgan, Jr. who came off the bench to score 2-for-2 free throws at the 1:50 mark. He posted nine points on the afternoon.

BYU shot perfect free throws in the second half until the 1:40 mark when Emery missed both foul shots. The Cougars hit 23-straight, one shy of the school record for consecutive free throws without a miss in a single game.

Air Force posted only two baskets in the last two minutes of play as the Cougars pulled away, going to the line four times, ending the game at 80-69.

The Cougars advance to the MWC semifinals and play the winner of Thursday’s second quarterfinal between fourth-seeded San Diego State and fifth-seeded UNLV. Friday’s semifinal will begin at 6 p.m. PT and will be televised nationally on CBS College Sports in HD.

CLICK HERE for postgame notes and quotes.

Official Basketball Box Score
Air Force vs BYU
03/12/09 12:00 PM at Las Vegas, Nev. (Thomas & Mack Center)
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VISITORS: Air Force 10-21
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
31 HOLLAND, Matt....... f  4-8    2-5    0-0    0  0  0   2  10  0  1  0  0  27
42 JOHNSON, Anwar...... f  7-16   0-0   10-11   1  2  3   2  24  0  2  0  0  38
34 SCHAFER, Sammy...... c  1-2    0-0    1-1    2  2  4   1   3  1  0  0  0  18
15 STEWART, Taylor..... g  0-5    0-2    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  0  0  0  0  19
22 MERRIEX, Avery...... g  0-1    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   3
03 PROVOST, Brandon....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0  0+
10 HENKE, Andrew.......    6-11   3-5    3-4    0  4  4   4  18  5  2  0  1  38
13 NOONAN, Trevor......    1-4    1-3    0-0    0  0  0   5   3  3  1  0  0  15
20 FOW, Tom............    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
33 McLAIN, Mike........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  0  0  0  0   1
35 WASHINGTON, Evan....    0-1    0-0    1-2    2  5  7   5   1  0  2  0  0  19
50 PARKER, Grant.......    3-6    1-2    3-4    0  4  4   2  10  2  1  1  0  21
   TEAM................                         4     4
   Totals..............   22-55   7-18  18-22  10 17 27  25  69 11  9  1  1 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 15-29 51.7%   2nd Half:  7-26 26.9%   Game: 40.0%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-8  50.0%   2nd Half:  3-10 30.0%   Game: 38.9%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  7-8  87.5%   2nd Half: 11-14 78.6%   Game: 81.8%   3,1
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HOME TEAM: BYU 22-9
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
45 TAVERNARI, Jonathan. f  5-13   4-8    5-6    2  9 11   3  19  3  1  0  1  39
54 MILES, Chris........ f  4-5    0-0    3-6    1  2  3   2  11  0  0  2  1  28
04 EMERY, Jackson...... g  1-3    0-1    2-6    3  1  4   4   4  3  2  1  1  33
30 CUMMARD, Lee........ g  4-9    0-4    8-8    2  6  8   2  16  7  0  2  1  38
32 FREDETTE, Jimmer.... g  5-10   4-7    7-7    0  3  3   2  21  2  5  1  2  36
01 ABOUO, Charles......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0  0+
02 MORGAN, JR., Lamont.    2-5    1-2    4-4    0  1  1   2   9  0  0  0  0  17
15 ANDERSON, James.....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0  0+
34 HARTSOCK, Noah......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   3   0  1  0  1  0   9
   TEAM................                         2  1  3
   Totals..............   21-45   9-22  29-37  10 24 34  18  80 16  8  7  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-22 45.5%   2nd Half: 11-23 47.8%   Game: 46.7%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  5-13 38.5%   2nd Half:  4-9  44.4%   Game: 40.9%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 13-16 81.3%   2nd Half: 16-21 76.2%   Game: 78.4%    4
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Officials: Verne Harris, Michael Irving, Martin Cota
Technical fouls: Air Force-None. BYU-None.
Attendance:
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Air Force.....................   41   28  -   69
BYU...........................   38   42  -   80
2009 Mountain West Conference Quarterfinals
Points in the paint-AF 20,BY 14. Points off turnovers-AF 10,BY 11.
2nd chance points-AF 9,BY 20. Fast break points-AF 0,BY 2.
Bench points-AF 32,BY 9. Score tied-10 times. Lead changed-10 times.
Last FG-AF 2nd-00:46, BY 2nd-02:56.
Largest lead-AF by 7 1st-11:34, BY by 11 2nd-00:53.