Game 5 - Instate Game Against Weber State

Instate Challenge Against Weber State

BYU improved to 4-0 with a 107-51 home victory over Southern on Tuesday, Nov. 24, and will look to keep its perfect record intact when Weber State (1-3) comes to town on Friday, Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m. MT. The game is the 35th meeting between the Cougars and Wildcats with BYU leading 24-10 overall including 17-0 in Provo. Friday’s game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m. MT on 102.7 FM and 1160 AM or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

Up Next

BYU will play its second-straight game against an instate foe on Wed., Dec. 2, at Utah State at 7 p.m. in the Spectrum. Listen to the game live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 6 p.m. MT on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on The CW30.

Cougar Quick Hits

— Jimmer Fredette posted the second double-double of his career with 12 points while tying his career high with 10 assists against Southern. He has scored in double figures in 18-straight games, the longest such streak since Travis Hansen scored in double figures in 21-straight games during the 2002-03 season.

— Since Rose took over as head coach of BYU basketball, the Cougars are 64-3 (.955) in the Marriott Center, including a 53-game winning streak from 2005 to 2008 — the longest in school history. With the win over Southern, the Cougars have a nine-game home winning streak.

— Two-time MWC Coach of the Year Dave Rose has guided BYU to three-straight MWC regular season titles and three-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. Under Rose, BYU also has four-straight 20-win seasons and four-straight postseason appearances. At 101-34 (.748) overall, he reached 100 wins faster than any other coach in BYU history. Roger Reid held the previous record, reaching 100 wins in 143 games.

— BYU has been picked to finish first (23 of 24 first-place votes) in the MWC preseason poll by the league’s media.

— Senior forward Jonathan Tavernari is on the verge of becoming BYU’s all-time leader in three-pointers (210 — four from passing Mark Bigelow) and is climbing the lists for points (T21st with 1,205) and steals (8th with 121).

Looking at Weber State

Weber State picked up its first win of the season when it defeated Western State 89-62 at home on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The Wildcats are now 1-3 on the year after opening with losses at home against Utah State (66-60), at UC Santa Barbara (66-57) and at Seattle (91-87). Damian Lillard leads the team in scoring at 18.5 ppg and is followed by Kyle Bullinger (11.8) and Steve Panos (11.5). Panos leads the team in rebounding at 6.5 boards per game while Lillard and Lindsey Hughey are tied for the team lead with nine assists. Hughey also leads with nine steals and Franklin Session has proved to be a defensive force off the bench with six blocks and four steals. As a team Weber State averages 73.2 points per game and allows its opponents 71.2 points. The Wildcats shoot .423 from the field and allow their opponents to shoot .453. Randy Rahe is in his fourth season at Weber State where he is 58-39. Last season he led the team to a Big Sky Conference regular season title and a berth to the NIT.

Weber State’s Last Outing — Wildcats Use Big Second Half to Blow Past Western State

Down 36-31 to Division II Western State College at halftime, Weber State went on a 35-9 scoring run in the first ten minutes of the second half to blow past the 2-0 Mountaineers, 89-62 before 3,354 Tuesday night in the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah. Western State used a 5-15 shooting effort from the three-point line in the first half to forge the five point halftime lead. The Mountaineers were 15-31 (.484) from the floor in the half and defensively forced nine turnovers. Weylan Towns, a lightning quick point guard, led Western State with eight first half points and handed out six assists, The Wildcats got six points each from reserves Trevor Morris and Matt Washington. Western State’s defense held WSU leading scorer, Damian Lillard, to just two points - both from the free throw line - and 0-2 shooting. Whatever speech head coach Randy Rahe gave at halftime needs to be kept on file as the Wildcats came out gun’s a blazing hitting 20-30 from the field, 5-7 from the arc, and forced 11 second half turnovers from the Mountaineers while only committing five. Damian Lillard led the way hitting 6-8 shots from the field, including two three-pointers, scoring 18 of his game high 20 in the half. The Wildcats also got 11 second half points from Nick Hansen as they out scored the Mountaineers 58-26. The Wildcats broke a five-game losing streak dating back to the last two games of the 2008-09 season, and broke a two-game losing streak in the Dee Events Center. Lindsey Hughey, who started at forward in place of Franklin Session, scored 10 points hitting 5-6 from the floor. Steve Panos scored 14 and Trevor Morris added 12. Alex Hart led the Mountaineers with 12 and Towns scored 10 but just two in the second half.

Series Notes

Friday’s game will be the 35th meeting between BYU and Weber State. The Cougars lead 24-10 overall and 17-0 in Provo. BYU has won the last six meetings overall in the series including last season’s 92-62 meeting in Ogden. The Cougars have won the last six meetings in Provo by double figures, including a 72-57 win on Dec. 5, 2007. Last season Lee Cummard paced the Cougars with 31 points while Jimmer Fredette added 18 points and seven assists.

The Oquirrh Bucket

The Old Oquirrh Bucket (named after the Oquirrh Mountains to the west of Salt Lake City) is the symbol of in-state basketball supremacy in Utah. Each year the trophy is awarded to the in-state college team (Utah, BYU, Southern Utah, Utah State, Utah Valley and Weber State) which has the best won-loss record against in-state competition. BYU has claimed the Bucket 10 times since its inception, including the last three seasons. BYU plays Weber State, at Utah State and twice against Utah.

100 Victories and Counting

With BYU’s 83-65 win over Hawai’i, Dave Rose earned his 100th career victory in his 134th game as BYU’s head coach. He reached the 100-win plateau faster than any coach in BYU history. Roger Reid previously held the record, achieving the mark in 143 games. Below is a list of the BYU head coaches who won at least 100 games, their career record, how many games it took them to reach the milestone and who they defeated for victory number 100.

1,000-Point Scorers

With 14 points at home against Southern, Jonathan Tavernari has 1,205 career points, tied for 21st all-time at BYU. He is 14 points from passing Doug Richards for 20th all-time.

19. Alan Taylor (1976-80) - 1,284

20. Doug Richards (1971-74) - 1,218

21. Gary Trost (1987-88, 1990-93) - 1,205

T21. Jonathan Tavernari (2006-present) - 1,205

Downtown Record Watch

Jonathan Tavernari hit two treys vs. Southern to give him 210 for his career. He is four from passing Mark Bigelow (213) for first all-time at BYU. He owns the record for threes in a season with 88 in 2007-08. He also has 563 attempts from downtown, first all-time and four ahead of Bigelow.

Top-10 Pick Pockets

Senior forward Jonathan Tavernari had two steals vs. Southern to give him 121 for his career. He is eighth all-time in BYU history and four from passing Matt Montague seventh.

Road Success

In 2008-09, BYU set an MWC record for road wins in a season with nine. The Cougars were 9-3 overall in road games, their best record in road games since 1987-88 when they were 9-3. Nine road wins is tied for second most in a season at BYU behind the 1949-50 and 1979-80 teams that won 10 road games. In the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons combined, BYU is 17-8 on the road, including 11-5 in MWC games. The 17 road victories are the most in a two-year span since the Cougars won 18 in the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons. BYU’s 83-65 win at Hawai’i got the Cougars off to a 1-0 start in road games this season.

First Half Defense

BYU is averaging a 17.8 point lead at the half thanks to its defense. Cougar opponents are shooting just 35.3 percent from the field in the first half of games, including 27.3 percent by Bradley and 26.7 percent by Idaho State. Last season BYU held just two opponents to sub-30.0 percent shooting in the first half — at home against North Florida (20.0 percent) on Nov. 20, 2008 and at home against UNLV (29.6 percent) on Feb. 21, 2009.

Second Half Shooting

After shooting 53.7 percent in the first half and 54.1 percent in the second half vs. Southern, BYU has shot 50-plus percent in its last five halves of play. The Cougars have hit 51.7 percent of their shots in the second halves of games this season.

Defense Leads to Offense

BYU has taken advantage of its opponents miscues through three games by converting them into points. The Cougars have converted their opponents’ 73 turnovers into 116 points, including 40 points off 22 turnovers vs. Southern. BYU is averaging 1.6 points per opponent turnover this season.

Improved Depth

BYU’s bench has scored at least 21 points in all four games this season with 21 against Bradley, 30 vs. Idaho State, 23 at Hawai’i and a season-high of 46 vs. Southern. Last season the BYU bench scored 20-plus points just eight times all season.

Keeping it Close

BYU has trailed a total of 11:08 out of a possible 160 minutes of action so far this season. The Cougars trailed Bradley 2-0 for 2:01 before taking a 3-2 lead on a Jackson Emery three and never trailed the rest of the way. Idaho State led for a total of 6:12 but never led by more that three points. BYU trailed Hawai’i for a total of 1:34. Southern led for 1:21 against the Cougars. BYU’s largest deficit was three against Idaho State.