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PROVO -- For the first time during the Dave Rose era, BYU defeated UNLV in Las Vegas, 89-77, on Wednesday.

“This is a really competitive group,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “I thought we’d have a chance in the second half if we could stay with them and sustain their runs in the first half. I thought we spaced the floor really well and shared the ball, and we have a great player in Jimmer (Fredette).”

The senior guard tag-team of Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery led the way for the Cougars scoring 39 and 22 points respectively. Brandon Davies also contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.

“I was happy for our two senior guards,” Rose said. “It was big for them to get a win here.”

The game was neck-and-neck for the first ten minutes of play as both teams struggled with shooting early on. After the Cougars took a 15-12 lead, the Rebels went on an 13-0 run to take their largest lead of the night with the score 25-15. The Cougars shot 5-of-25 in the opening 14 minutes of play as BYU struggled to battle back.

However, Emery and Fredette got hot in the following 26 minutes. Three treys from Fredette and a dunk by Davies ignited the Cougars as they pulled within two of UNLV, 32-30. BYU would eventually take a 38-35 lead to go into the half off yet another Fredette three-pointer. After beginning the half 1-for-6, Fredette ended the half with 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting.

On the opening scoring play of the second half, Emery fed Noah Hartsock for an and-one layup. The combined forces of Emery and Fredette tallied eleven points in the first 4:30 of the second half to extend the Cougar lead to 52-38. Logan Magnusson took an elbow to the face with 13:49 remaining, resulting in a technical foul call. Less than a minute later another technical foul was called on the UNLV bench. Fredette sank 3-of-4 on the technical foul shots to give BYU a 57-42 lead.

Seven-straight Emery points allowed BYU to extend the lead to 17. A layup by Davies and a Fredette three-pointer from beyond NBA range gave the Cougars an 18-point advantage with 7:53 remaining.

The Rebels did not go down without a fight, cutting the Cougar lead to 10 after going on a 13-2 run but another Fredette trey would silence the Thomas & Mack Center crowd momentarily. Still, four straight UNLV points cut the BYU lead to eight. Time ran out for the Rebels though as they would be forced to foul and send Fredette to line to close out the victory.

The Cougars face Air Force on Saturday at 1 p.m. MT in the Marriott Center. Listen to the game live on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

BYU Opens Conference Play at UNLV

No. 15/14 BYU basketball opens MWC play with a game at No. 25/rv UNLV on Wednesday, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. PT in the Thomas and Mack Center. The Cougars are 14-1 on the season and will be looking to open conference play with a win for the fifth-straight season. Last season BYU defeated UNLV 77-73 at home in its MWC opener. The Cougars are coming off a 93-57 home win over Fresno Pacific and have won four-straight games. Jimmer Fredette leads the team in scoring (24.1 ppg) and assists (4.4 apg) while Jackson Emery adds 11.8 points per game and Brandon Davies contributes 10.9 points per game. UNLV is 12-2 and has won four straight after dropping back-to-back games in the second week of December. Chace Stanback (12.5 ppg), Oscar Bellfield (11.6 ppg) and Tre’Von Willis (11.3 ppg) all average double figures for the Rebels. Wednesday’s game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 6 p.m. PT on 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on CBS College Sports.

Up Next

No. 15/14 BYU will play its Mountain West Conference home opener on Saturday, Jan. 8, at 1 p.m. MT in the Marriott Center. Live stats and audio links will be available on www.byucougars.com and fans can listen live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 12 p.m. MT on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

Cougar Quick Hits

— No. 15/14 BYU head coach Dave Rose is 141-41 in his six seasons at BYU and is the program’s all-time leader in winning percentage at .775 and third in wins.

— The Cougars were ranked in the AP Preseason Poll for the first time since the 1980-81 season and are currently ranked No. 15 in the AP Poll and No. 14 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

— Jimmer Fredette has been named to eight preseason All-America teams (AP, ESPN.com, Sporting News, SI.com/Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times, Athlon Sports, Dick Vitale and Blue Ribbon Magazine). Fredette is averaging 24.1 points, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game this season.

— Senior guard Jackson Emery is second on the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game and adds 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a team-best 2.9 steals per game. He has posted four-plus steals seven times this season. Brandon Davies is third on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game on .565 shooting. He has scored in double figures eight times this season, including a stretch of six-consecutive games that ended with the Fresno Pacific game.

BYU GAME #16 FAST FACTS

No. 15/14 BYU (14-1, 0-0) at UNLV (12-2, 0-0)

Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011

Thomas and Mack Center

Las Vegas

7 p.m. PT

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (141-41 in sixth season at BYU; same overall)

UNLV, Lon Kruger (149-65 in seventh season at UNLV; 467-297 in 25th season overall)

Series

UNLV leads 18-14, including a 2009-10 regular season split and a Rebel victory in the MWC Tournament last season

TV

CBS College Sports (Ted Robinson, play-by-play; Steve Lappas, game analysis)

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network

(Greg Wrubell, play-by-play)

Web

Live audio and live stats links are available on the men’s basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

Looking at UNLV

2010-11 Record: 12-2, 0-0

Conference: Mountain West

2009-10 Record: 25-9, 11-5 (T-3rd)

2010 Postseason: NCAA First Round

Highlights:

- UNLV opened the season with nine-consecutive victories, including a home win against Wisconsin, the 76 Classic title against Virginia Tech and road wins at Illinois State and Nevada.

- Three players average double figures for UNLV, including Chace Stanback (12.5 ppg), Oscar Bellfield (11.6 ppg) and Tre’Von Willis (11.3 ppg).

- Bellfield leads the team in assists at 4.3 per game and three-point shooting (50.9 percent and 2.1 per game) while Derrick Jasper leads the team in rebounds at 5.5 per game and adds 9.3 points per game.

Coach: Lon Kruger (Seventh season at UNLV)

UNLV’s Last Outing — UNLV Dominates Central Michigan, 73-47

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Tre’Von Willis scored 15 points and added five assists, two steals and a block to lead UNLV to a 73-47 victory over Central Michigan on Thursday night in its final non-conference game of the 2010-11 season.

Justin Hawkins had a career-high 13 points and three steals, and Oscar Bellfield added 11 points and five assists for the Runnin’ Rebels (12-2).

Trey Zeigler had 16 points, and Jalin Thomas added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Central Michigan (3-10).

The Rebels took control of the game early in the first half, opening the contest with a 15-4 run, holding CMU to just one field goal in the first 11 minutes of play. Willis scored 11 of his 15 points in the first half, including seven in the final minute and a half of the half.

UNLV took control with a 14-2 run that gave them a 52-33 lead midway through the second half. The Rebels increased their lead to 31 with a 16-2 run over a six minute span putting the game out of reach.

The Chippewas had 25 turnovers, which the Rebels converted into 31 points.

Quintrell Thomas had eight rebounds for UNLV.

Series Notes

UNLV leads the all-time series 18-14, including a regular season split last season and a Rebel win in the MWC tournament quarterfinals at the Thomas and Mack Center. UNLV holds a 14-4 advantage in Las Vegas with BYU’s last win in Las Vegas coming on Feb. 5, 2005.

Record Watch

Three-Point Field Goals

1. Jonathan Tavernari (2006-10) - 265

2. Jimmer Fredette (2007-present) - 214

3. Mark Bigelow (1998-99, 01-04) - 213

4. Jackson Emery (2005-06, 08-present) - 172

5. Mike Rose (2003-07) - 163

6. Lee Cummard (2005-09) - 153

7. Andy Toolson (1984-85, 87-90) - 141

Three-Point Field Goal Attempts

1. Jonathan Tavernari (2006-10) - 698

2. Mark Bigelow (1998-99, 01-04) - 559

3. Jimmer Fredette (2007-present) - 551

4. Jackson Emery (2005-06, 08-present) - 440

5. Mike Rose (2003-07) - 381

T-6. Lee Cummard (2005-09) - 355

T-6. Randy Reid (1992-96) - 355

8. Nick Sanderson (1991-93) - 350

Free Throws

5. Danny Ainge (1977-81) - 493

6. Fred Roberts (1978-82) - 467

7. Jimmer Fredette (2007-present) - 445

8. Michael Smith (1983-84, 86-89) - 431

9. Mark Bigelow (1998-99, 01-04) - 414

Free Throw Percentage

1. Tyler Haws (2009-10) - .917

2. Michael Smith (1983-84, 86-89) - .878

3. Jimmer Fredette (2007-present) - .876

Assists

3. Nathan Call (1986-88, 90-92) - 528

4. Marty Haws (1986-90) - 502

5. Randy Reid (1992-96) - 458

6. Jimmer Fredette (2007-present) - 421

7. Scott Runia (1976-80) - 405

Steals

1. Danny Ainge (1977-81) - 195

2. Jackson Emery (2005-06, 08-present) - 192

3. Marty Haws (1986-90) - 182

4. Jonathan Tavernari (2006-10) - 165

5. Scott Sinek (1981-85) - 140

6. Jimmer Fredette (2007-present) - 139

7. Nathan Call (1986-88, 90-92) - 138

8. Russell Larson (1991-95) - 131

9. Lee Cummard (2005-09) - 129

Points

1. Danny Ainge (1977-81) - 2467

2. Michael Smith (1983-84, 86-89) - 2319

3. Devin Durrant (1978-80, 82-84) - 2285

4. Jimmer Fredette (2007-present) - 1893

5. Russell Larson (1991-95) - 1885

Wins Played in

1. Jonathan Tavernari (2006-10) - 103

2. Lee Cummard (2005-09) - 97

T-3. Russell Larson (1991-95) - 94

T-3. Jimmer Fredette (2007-present) - 94

T-5. Chris Miles (2004-05, 07-10) - 90

T-5. Mark Durrant (1989-90, 92-95) - 90

T-5. Shane Knight (1991-95) - 90

...

Jackson Emery (2005-06, 08-present) - 88