BYU vs. Weber State: Games Notes & Quotes

BYU vs. Weber State

Nov. 27, 2009

Marriott Center (Provo, UT)

Player Notes

— Dating back to last season, with 23 points against Weber State, Jimmer Fredette has now scored in double figures in 19 consecutive games. The last Cougar with at least 19 games in a row in double figures was Travis Hansen during the 2002-03 season with 21 straight.

— Brandon Davies set a new career high with a free throw less than a minute before halftime. Davies was perfect in the first half (3-3 FG, 4-4 FT) for 10 total points.

— Making 10-of-10 from the free throw line, Fredette has now made 17 straight free throws. After missing his first two free throws of the season, Fredette is 30 for his last 31. His career high is 19 straight, accomplished last season.

— Michael Loyd, Jr., scored 5 points, shooting 2-of-2. On the season, Loyd is 12-of-17 (.706), the best percentage on the team.

— Jackson Emery secured his third game out of five this season with at least 4 three-pointers, shooting 5-of-8. Emery was also 5-of-8 vs. Idaho St. and 4-of-6 vs. Southern.

— Noah Hartsock connected on the first 3-point attempt of his career with 4:50 left in the game, giving BYU a 76-60 lead.

— Jimmer Fredette led the team with 23 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, a block and a steal.

Team Notes

— The win for BYU is its 10th in a row at home, 7th in a row against Weber St. and 18th in a row against Weber State at the Marriott Center where the Cougars have never lost to the Wildcats

— BYU shot a second half season-best 63.6% from the field.

— BYU’s 28-of-33 (.848) from the free throw line were season bests in makes and attempts.

— The 87-70 win is the fourth-straight game BYU has scored 80+ points. The last time BYU accomplished this feat was during the 2005-06 season, scoring 80, 88, 89 and 86 against Wyoming, SDSU, TCU and CSU, respectively.

Record Watch

— Tied with Gary Trost for 21st on the all-time scoring list coming into the game, Tavernari scored 14 points, moving past Trost and taking over Doug Richards for 20th all-time with 1,219 points.

— With one 3-pointer tonight, Tavernari is now three from breaking Mark Bigelow’s BYU career record of 213 threes made.

— Tavernari added 2 steals to his career total, moving him within one of seventh-place Matt Montague on the Cougar career list.

Game Trends

— The Cougars jumped out to a 18-4 run on 6-of-10 shooting in the first 5 minutes of the game, including 5 points apiece from Tavernari and Emery. The Wildcats were 1-of-6 in that same span.

— The Cougars went on a 16-4 run, going from down three points (48-51) to up ten points (67-57) over the course of 7 minutes. The last nine points of the run went unanswered as Emery hits two treys and Fredette added another.

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

“I thought Randy’s team was terrific. It was a hard fought game but I was proud of our team for how we responded. We got some big stops and rebounds. Jackson and Jimmer both hit big shots and I think responding in the way we did was a big step for us.”

“We came out and played so well early on. We got some open looks and hit our shots, so they adjusted the way they were guarding us. They started playing more physical, and we didn’t respond like we should have, but all the credit goes to Weber.”

BYU point guard Jimmer Fredette

On Weber State’s tough play: “We expected their hard play. We came out strong in the beginning and I think their coach got mad and they came out fighting. Luckily, we were able to respond well in the second half.”

On three-pointers in the second half: “It was a great thing that I was able to get into the lane and get Jackson the ball because I have all the confidence in the world that he will make his shots. I was also able to get some open shots and my teammates did a great job of finding me as well. Overall, it was a big half for us.”

BYU shooting guard Jackson Emery

On his big shots: “I try to create a spark because when the fire gets going for us we are like an engine and we can’t be stopped. It takes big plays to create that spark, so I try to look for the right opportunities whether it be a shot, rebound or steal. I just try to do whatever it takes.”

On the team’s second half play: “It’s hard for us because early in the season we tried to play some easier teams to get warmed up and then we have a rivalry game like this against Weber State. But to be down by three and then come back fighting was huge for us and I think it will be very important for us to do that throughout the rest of the season.”

Weber State Head Coach Randy Rahe

“The game was a battle. We have very high character kids that are going to fight every step of the way. I was proud of our kids. I thought they fought hard, they did what we wanted. I was pleased with the team.”

“BYU is a team as good as any other. It is hard to avoid runs with that team, but we helped them out with two or three turnovers in a row.”

“We got off to a rough start. But we have a tough schedule this year, it’s a brutal schedule with tough teams.”

“Both teams were playing at a high level tonight. I thought the flow was really good. It was a high level game. Both teams did well on both ends, especially in the first half.”