Davies, Emery lead BYU past Air Force

USAFA -- Jackson Emery led all scorers with 21 points, breaking the game open early in the second half for BYU as the Cougars defeated Air Force, 67-49, on Wednesday.

Emery shot 8-of-13, including 5-of-10 from three, adding five rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block as BYU improved to 17-1 overall and 2-0 in Mountain West Conference play. The 17-1 record equals the best mark through 18 games by a Cougar squad set in 1987-88. BYU has also won 12-straight games, tied for the fourth longest winning streak in school history.

The junior guard scored eight points over the first seven minutes of the second half, part of a 15-2 run to take a five-point halftime lead to a 51-33 margin. The Cougars held the Falcons to one field goal in the first eight minutes of the second period.

“I was really proud of our composure when Air Force played as well as they did in the first half,” said BYU head coach Dave Rose. “Jackson was just terrific to start the half to get us going.”

After a quiet first half, freshman Tyler Haws took over the scoring duties after Emery’s run, scoring off a jumper, two free throws and a driving layup to give BYU a 55-37 lead. Haws finished with 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and a block.

Brandon Davies, also a freshman, posted his first ever double-double, racking up 11 points and career-highs of 10 rebounds and three blocks, including a huge swat of a Falcon one-handed dunk attempt in the second half.

“Brandon really, really helped us tonight,” Rose said. “The points and rebounds are big stats, but his touches in the post collapses the defense and allows us to do more things offensively.”

Jimmer Fredette returned from an illness, coming off the bench to play 18 minutes, scoring eight points with three assists. Jonathan Tavernari added six rebounds, five points, two assists and two steals.

As a team, the Cougars shot 47.9 percent to 33.3 percent for Air Force. The Falcons shot just 22.2 percent in the second half, going 6-for-27. BYU also outrebounded the Falcons, 38-28.

“Every game it seems like there’s a new combination that helps us win,” Rose said. “That’s a sign of a good team, one that’s progressing. I feel tonight, especially in the second half, no matter what five we had in, we were engaged in finding the open man and the open shot. I really liked the look in our eyes, I liked our attitude and how we communicated with each other.”

BYU returns to the Marriott Center for a conference tilt with Colorado State on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 4 p.m. MST. The game is billed as Wells Fargo Family night and tickets are discounted in the entire arena. Lower chair tickets will be available for $10, upper chair for $5 and upper bench for $1.

CLICK HERE for game notes and quotes.

Official Basketball Box Score
BYU vs Air Force
1/13/10 6:00 p.m. at Clune Arena (USAFA, Colo.)
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VISITORS: BYU 17-1, 2-0 MWC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
34 HARTSOCK, Noah...... f  0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   3   0  0  1  0  0   7
54 MILES, Chris........ c  3-4    0-0    2-2    1  1  2   0   8  0  0  1  0  13
02 MORGAN, JR., Lamont. g  1-1    1-1    0-0    0  2  2   1   3  1  0  0  0  16
04 EMERY, Jackson...... g  8-13   5-10   0-0    0  5  5   1  21  3  1  1  2  34
23 HAWS, Tyler......... g  4-7    0-3    2-2    0  3  3   0  10  2  3  1  0  28
00 DAVIES, Brandon.....    3-10   0-0    5-5    4  6 10   3  11  0  2  3  0  26
01 ABOUO, Charles......    0-2    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   7
10 LOYD, JR., Michael..    0-0    0-0    0-1    0  2  2   0   0  1  0  0  0  15
12 MAGNUSSON, Logan....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   3
13 ZYLSTRA, Brock......    0-0    0-0    1-2    0  0  0   0   1  0  0  0  0   2
15 ANDERSON, James.....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
32 FREDETTE, Jimmer....    2-4    1-2    3-5    0  1  1   0   8  3  1  0  0  18
45 TAVERNARI, Jonathan.    2-7    1-5    0-0    0  6  6   0   5  2  1  0  2  30
   TEAM................                         3  3  6
   Totals..............   23-48   8-22  13-17   8 30 38   8  67 12  9  6  4 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 14-25 56.0%   2nd Half:  9-23 39.1%   Game: 47.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  5-13 38.5%   2nd Half:  3-9  33.3%   Game: 36.4%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-6  50.0%   2nd Half: 10-11 90.9%   Game: 76.5%    1
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HOME TEAM: Air Force 8-8, 0-3 MWC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
14 LYONS, Michael...... f  0-4    0-3    0-0    1  1  2   0   0  1  0  0  0  23
20 FOW, Tom............ f  3-10   1-6    2-2    0  2  2   1   9  0  1  0  1  27
34 BROEKHUIS, Taylor... c  1-4    0-1    0-0    1  2  3   4   2  0  2  0  0  17
10 FLETCHER, Todd...... g  2-6    1-5    0-0    0  3  3   2   5  3  2  0  1  28
35 WASHINGTON, Evan.... g  1-7    1-2    0-0    1  6  7   3   3  1  1  0  2  33
05 FITZGERALD, Mike....    3-6    3-5    0-0    0  1  1   0   9  0  0  0  0  20
13 BOHANNON, Zach......    3-4    1-1    1-3    2  3  5   3   8  1  0  0  1  18
22 MERRIEX, Avery......    1-2    0-0    1-2    1  1  2   3   3  2  1  0  0  14
24 BROOKS, Derek.......    4-11   2-7    0-0    1  0  1   1  10  1  1  0  1  19
32 HEMPSEY, Shawn......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  1  0  0  0   1
   TEAM................                         1  1  2
   Totals..............   18-54   9-30   4-7    8 20 28  17  49 10  8  0  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-27 44.4%   2nd Half:  6-27 22.2%   Game: 33.3%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  6-14 42.9%   2nd Half:  3-16 18.8%   Game: 30.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  1-3  33.3%   2nd Half:  3-4  75.0%   Game: 57.1%    1
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Officials: Dick Cartmell, Larry Spaulding, Martin Cota
Technical fouls: BYU-None. Air Force-None.
Attendance: 3185
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
BYU...........................   36   31  -   67
Air Force.....................   31   18  -   49
Points in the paint-BY 26,AF 14. Points off turnovers-BY 12,AF 9.
2nd chance points-BY 6,AF 7. Fast break points-BY 4,AF 2.
Bench points-BY 25,AF 30. Score tied-1 time. Lead changed-6 times.
Last FG-BY 2nd-05:22, AF 2nd-00:18.
Largest lead-BY by 27 2nd-04:03, AF by 2 1st-15:30.