Game 7 - Matchup with San Francisco at Energy Solutions on Saturday

Matchup with San Francisco at Energy Solutions on Saturday

The Cougars (5-1) will look to bounce back from a road loss at Utah State when they take on San Francisco (2-5) at Energy Solutions Arena on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 4 p.m. Saturday’s game is the 10th meeting all-time between the teams with San Francisco leading the series 5-4. The Dons won the last meeting between the teams 84-72 in 2002 in San Francisco. Saturday’s game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 3 p.m. MT on 102.7 FM and 1160 AM or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on KJZZ and BYUTV.

Up Next

BYU will host Arizona State in the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. Listen to the game live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 7 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 Mtn.

Cougar Quick Hits

— With 19 points at Utah State, Jimmer Fredette has scored in double figures in 20-straight games, the longest such streak since Travis Hansen scored in double figures in 21-straight games during the 2002-03 season. He was also 6-of-6 from the line against the Aggies, extending his streak of consecutive makes to 23.

— Since Rose took over as head coach of BYU basketball, the Cougars are 65-3 (.956) in the Marriott Center, including a 53-game winning streak from 2005 to 2008 — the longest in school history. With the win over Weber State, the Cougars have a 10-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 102-35 (.745) 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 (212 — two from passing Mark Bigelow) and is climbing the lists for points (20th with 1,223) and steals (T7th with 124).

BYU GAME #7 FAST FACTS

BYU (5-1) vs. San Francisco (2-5)

Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009

Energy Solutions Arena (19,911)

Salt Lake City, Utah

4 p.m. MT

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (102-35 in fifth season; same overall)

San Francisco, Rex Walters (13-24 in second season; 44-57 in fourth season overall)

Series

San Francisco leads 5-4, including an 84-72 win at San Francisco in 2002

TV

Live on KJZZ and BYUTV (Steve Brown, play-by-play; Andy Toolson, game analysis; Jarom Jordan, sideline)

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM and online at KSL.com) and the Cougar Sports Network (3 p.m. MT pregame show — Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analysis)

Web

Live stats links are available on the basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

Looking at San Francisco

San Francisco is 2-5 overall and currently on a five-game losing streak. The Dons opened the season with home wins over Cal Poly and Dominican but have since lost at Arizona State and UC Santa Barbara, at home vs. Montana State and then in double overtime at Colorado State and at Colorado. Dior Lowhorn leads the team in scoring (18.3) and rebounding (5.0) while shooting .489 from the field and .818 from the free throw line. He had three 20-point games so far, including a 26-point effort at UC Santa Barbara. Kwame Vaughn is second on the team in scoring at 13.7 points per game and assists with 17. Angelo Caloiaro is the team’s top three-point shooter at .526 (10-19). As a team the Dons average 70.0 points per game while shooting .433 from the field. They allowed opponents to score 78.1 points per game and .480 shooting from the field. Opponents also shoot .413 from downtown while San Francisco shoots .314 from long range.

San Francisco’s Last Outing — San Francisco Downed by Colorado 78-54

(Boulder, CO) - San Francisco was on the wrong end of a 17-2 run to open the second half and Colorado cruised to a 78-54 non-conference victory Tuesday night in the Coors Events Center. The Dons (2-5) led early, but could not slow down the Buffs (5-2), who had four players reach double-digit scoring. Michael Williams led San Francisco with a career-high 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting beyond the arc in his first game back after missing the previous four contests with an injury. Sophomore guard Kwame Vaughn had 11 for the Dons, while freshman forward Perris Blackwell chipped in 10 points to go along with a career-high nine rebounds. San Francisco continued to struggle shooting the basketball, converting on .340 (17-50) from the field. Colorado’s Cory Higgins led the way with a game-high 22 on 9-of-12 from the floor. The Buffs connected on .563 (9-16) from 3-point land. The Dons did win the battle of the boards 33-30, including a 11-3 edge on the offensive glass. After staggering out of the gate in their first game on the Rocky Mountain road swing Sunday at Colorado State, USF got off to a much better start at the Coors Events Center. San Francisco held a 18-16 lead with 12:05 remaining in the half on a Williams 3-pointer, but the Buffs roared back, using a 26-14 run to take a 42-32 cushion into the locker room at the intermission. Colorado shot a sizzling .615 (16-26) from the field and connected on .600 (6-10) from long distance, while the Dons shot .379 (11-29) and .500 (4-8) from deep. Higgins led all Buffs’ scorers with 16 points and did not miss from the field (6-6, 2-2) or the stripe (2-2). Williams led the Dons with nine before the break.USF returns to San Francisco for 48 hours before heading back to the Rockies to take on BYU Saturday, December 5 in Provo, Utah. The Dons and Cougars square off at 3:00 PM (PT) at the Marriott Center in a game broadcast live on Green 960 and USFDons.com.

Series Notes

Saturday’s game will be the 10th meeting between BYU and San Francisco with the Dons owning a 5-4 advantage in the series, including an 84-72 win in the last meeting in 2002. The Cougars won the first three meetings in the series in the 1940s and 50s but San Francisco has since won five of six. BYU and San Francisco have met twice on neutral floors and have split the two games.

BYU at Energy Solutions Arena

Saturday’s game will be the sixth game at Energy Solutions Arena for BYU since 2003. The Cougars are 3-2 at Energy Solutions Arena with the most recent game ending in a 68-63 BYU victory over Utah State last season.

12/6/03, vs. Oklahoma State - W, 76-71

12/11/04, vs. Washington State - L, 46-49

11/30/05, vs. Lamar - W, 97-74

12/8/07, vs. No. 9 Michigan State - L, 61-68

12/6/08, vs. Utah State - W, 68-63