Game 11 - BYU Hosts Tulsa Friday

GAME #11 FAST FACTS

BYU COUGARS (7-3, 0-0 MWC)

vs.

TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE (4-6, 0-0 C-USA)

Friday, Dec. 30, 2005

Marriott Center (22,700)

Provo, Utah

7:05 p.m. MST

Coaches:

BYU, Dave Rose (7-3 in first year; same overall)

Tulsa, Doug Wojcik (4-6 in first year; same overall)

Series:

BYU leads, 6-4, with Tulsa winning the last meeting at the 1998 WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, 59-56.

TV:

None

Radio:

KSL Newsradio (102,7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (6 p.m. pregame show -- Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analysis)

Web:

Live audio and live stats broadcasts are available at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

BYU HOSTS TULSA FRIDAY

BYU (7-3, 0-0 MWC) finishes its nonconference schedule Friday when the Cougars host the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (4-6, 0-0 C-USA) at 7 p.m. in the Marriott Center. The radio broadcast can be heard on KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network with Greg Wrubell and Mark Durrant calling the action.

UP NEXT

BYU begins Mountain West Conference play at Air Force on Thursday, Jan. 5, in a 9 p.m. start being televised nationally on ESPN2. The Falcons are off to a 11-1 start, including wins over two ACC teams.

COUGAR QUICK HITS

-- Coming off a disappointing 9-21 season after five straight postseason appearances, BYU looks to return to the ranks of conference contenders and postseason invitees under the direction of new head coach Dave Rose, who served the past eight seasons as Steve Cleveland's lead assistant. The Cougars are off to a 7-3 start this year.

-- Among BYU's returning players, honorable mention All-MWC guard Austin Ainge was the team's second-leading scorer and top assist man last year, and junior forward Keena Young was BYU's leading rebounder. Other returners with starting experience include junior swingman Jimmy Balderson, who represented Canada at the World University Games this summer; junior center Derek Dawes, who made 13 starts in the middle last year; and junior guard Mike Rose, who made seven starts last year and averaged 7.7 points while making a team-leading 56 treys. Lone senior Brock Reichner has started the last nine games this season after mostly limited action last year.

-- BYU is 5-1 at home this year and has won five straight in the Marriott Center. The Cougars are 1-2 away and 1-0 at a neutral site. BYU averages an MWC-most 80 points and shoots an MWC-best .500 as a team, including .406 from long range and .667 from the line. Cougar opponents average 69.4 points on .426 shooting, .314 from three and .717 from the line. BYU pulls down 35.5 rebounds per game, 2.4 more rebounds per contest than its opponents. The Cougars dish out an MWC-leading 18.7 assists per game.

-- Redshirt freshman forward/center Trent Plaisted leads BYU in scoring (13.4), followed by senior guard Brock Reichner (10.5). Junior forward Keena Young is the top Cougar rebounder (5.4), followed by Plaisted (5.0). Junior point guard Rashaun Broadus is the MWC's top assist maker (5.4), followed by junior combo guard Austin Ainge (3.9), who ranks third.

LOOKING AT TULSA

The Hurricane returns five letterwinners from last year's 9-20 team, including three starters: Deion James (5.0 ppg last year), Brett McDade (9.6 ppg last year) and Anthony Price (13.3 ppg last year). Eight scholarship newcomers join the Tulsa roster this year, including two junior college transfers and six freshmen. As a program, Tulsa has averaged 21 wins per season since the 1999-2000 campaign with a .636 winning percentage to rank 35th nationally. Doug Wojcik is in his first season as the Tulsa head coach. He came to Tulsa after helping lead Michigan State to the 2005 NCAA Final Four. He won his first career game as a head coach in the third contest of the year, a 73-67 victory against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at home. Tulsa is 3-2 at home and 1-4 away this year and has played common BYU opponent, Lamar, losing to the Cardinals in Beaumont, Texas, 86-78. The Hurricane are coming off a loss at Eastern Michigan on Dec. 22. McDade leads three Tulsa players averaging double figures at 12.6 ppg, followed by Price (11.2) and Charles Ramsdell (10.6). Ramsdell also pulls down a team-leading 7.1 rebounds per game. As a team, Tulsa averages 64 ppg while shooting .440 from the floor, .305 from three-point range and .680 from the line. The Hurricane allow 66.6 ppg and .406 shooting from the field and .294 from behind the arc.

TULSA'S PROBABLE STARTERS

POS. # NAME HT. WT. YR. PPG RPG Hometown

F 15 Darold Crow 6-7 210 Jr-JC 8.7 4.2 Lubbock, Texas

F 41 Charles Ramsdell 6-10 212 Jr-2L 10.6 7.1 Kingfisher, Okla.

C 45 Sam Mitchell 6-9 225 Fr-HS 1.4 1.7 Bartlesville, Okla.

G 53 Ray Reese 6-5 210 Fr-HS 6.6 3.8 Los Angeles, Calif.

G 5 Brett McDade 6-0 165 So-1L 12.6 4.2 Denton, Texas

OFF THE BENCH . . .

F 50 Anthony Price 6-8 250 Sr-3L 11.2 5.7 The Woodlands, Texas

G 1 Deion James 6-1 280 So-1L 6.1 3.9 3.1 apg, Milwaukee

G 2 Chris Wallace 6-2 198 Sr-3L 3.2 2.4 Broken Arrow, Okla.

F 12 Bishop Wheatley 6-6 210 Fr-HS 1.5 1.2 Cedar Hill, Texas

G 22 Antonio Hanson 6-2 170 Fr-HS 1.6 1.0 apg Liberal, Kan.

F 13 Kyle Young 6-6 205 Fr-HS 1.1 0.4 Turpin, Okla.

TULSA's LAST OUTING -- Hurricane Fall at Eastern Michigan

Craig Cashen and Carlos Medlock scored 15 points apiece to lead Eastern Michigan to a 67-62 win over Tulsa on Dec. 22. In a battle of first-year coaches, Charles Ramsey's Eastern Michigan Eagles (3-4) trailed by one at halftime before going on an 18-4 run in the first five minutes of the second half. Medlock helped spur the run with a pair of steals, while sophomore forward Nick Freer knocked down three 3-pointers during the run.But Doug Wojcik's Golden Hurricane (4-6) slowly clawed their way back with strong play from forwards Darold Crow and Charles Ramsdell, who finished with 12 and 10 points in the second half, respectively. Tulsa trailed by just three points, 61-58, after Ramsdell sank a 3-pointer from the left corner with less than two minutes to play. But that was as close as the Golden Hurricane came, as Eastern Michigan sank six of eight free throws in the ensuing possessions to seal the victory. The Eagles had three players in double figures, including career high points totals for Cashen and Freer (14). Medlock also had six steals and four assists. Brett McDade led the Golden Hurricane with 20 points, including 11 in the second half. Tulsa shot the ball better than the Eagles, 42.1 percent to 37 percent, but turned the ball over 22 times on the night.

SERIES INFORMATION

This is the 11th meeting between BYU and Tulsa. The Cougars lead the series 6-4, but Tulsa has won the last two meetings. The last game was at the 1998 WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, which Tulsa won 59-56. The series is tied 2-2 in Provo, as Tulsa has won the last two games in Provo. BYU leads the series in Tulsa 4-1.

Overall Series Record: BYU leads 6-4

BYU Record in Provo: 2-2

BYU Record in Tulsa: 4-1

BYU Record at Neutral Sites: 0-1

BYU Record Under Dave Rose: 0-0

BYU Record in Overtime Games: 0-0

Longest BYU Win Streak: 5 (1979-91)

Longest Tulsa Win Streak: 3 (1997-98)

Largest BYU Margin of Victory: 16, 102-86 in 1991

Largest Tulsa Margin of Victory: 16, twice in 1997 and 1998

Most Points Scored by BYU: 102 in 1991

Most Points Scored by Tulsa: 86 in 1991

12-07-79 at Tulsa 73-71 W

02-02-87 Tulsa 72-57 W

02-07-90 at Tulsa 66-64 W

12-22-90 Tulsa 62-60 W

12-05-91 at Tulsa 102-86 W

02-20-97 at Tulsa 65-80 L

01-25-97 Tulsa 56-72 L

02-07-98 Tulsa 59-65 L

02-05-98 at Tulsa 57-53 W

03-03-98 vs. Tulsa 56-59 L

BYU NOTES

BYU's LAST OUTING -- Cougars Run Away From Eagles

PROVO -- BYU's fast-break offense and hot shooting were too much for Eastern Washington as the Cougars earned a 97-66 victory over the Eagles Tuesday. Six players scored in double figures for BYU, improving the team to 7-3 on the season while Eastern Washington fell to 5-6. Keena Young had a career-high 15 points off the bench to lead BYU. Fernando Malaman had 14, Brock Reichner and Mike Rose had 12 each and Trent Plaisted and Jimmy Balderson had 11 apiece. As a team, BYU shot 64.5 percent (40-62), a season high, led by Plaisted's perfect 5-of-5 and Malaman hitting 6-of-8. The Cougars made 8-of-16 three pointers, including Rose hitting 4-of-4 and Balderson 3-of-4. The 97 points scored by the Cougars tied a season high, set in a win over Lamar in the Delta Center. BYU outscored Eastern Washington 21-10 on fast break points and had 45 bench points compared to just 13 for the Eagles. Rashaun Broadus engineered the offense, dishing out nine assists, which tied his career high. Reichner shared the ball as well, setting a career high with six assists. As a team, the Cougars had 29 assists, a season high. Young had a team-high eight rebounds, while Malaman, Balderson and Plaisted each had five. Rodney Stuckey led Eastern Washington with 19 points, despite hitting just 6-of-21 shot attempts. Kellen Williams and Deuce Smith were the other Eagles in double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively. BYU started the game out on fire, hitting 11 of their first 12 shot attempts, including eight in a row at one point. With the game tied at four, the Cougars outscored the Eagles 17-1 to go up 21-5, including a string of 14-consecutive points. The Cougars extended the lead to 18 at 28-10, but Eastern Washington trimmed the lead back down to eight at 38-30 led by eight points from Stuckey. Just when the Eagles seemed to have slowed the BYU offense, the Cougars went on a 15-4 run to end the half and lead by 19, 53-34. The 19-point lead marked BYU's biggest halftime lead of the year and the 53 points were the most scored in a half this season. Malaman and Reichner had the hot hands in the first period, combining to hit 10-of-12 shots for 22 points. Malaman had 14 points and Reichner eight, including BYU's first four of the game. The Cougars continued their strong play in the second half, extending their lead to as many as 36 at 91-55. BYU outscored Eastern Washington 44-32 in the second period.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "What we want is for all players to play at the highest level. The strength of the team is in the team itself, and how we played showed that. Sharing the ball makes a team better, and tonight we played well."

-- "We are trying to develop consistent play from this group. It has to do with the way other teams prepare and how we perform. You can tell a lot about the makeup of a group with how they come out and play after they've had a setback."

-- "Brock (Reichner) has been one of the most consistent players, and he's earned a lot of play because of his defense."

-- "Rashaun (Broadus) gets better every game, especially in transition. It is a learning process for him, and he is getting better."

Eastern Washington Head Coach Mike Burns

-- "Shooting percentage is indicative of effort. BYU showed tremendous effort, and it showed in their shooting."

-- "BYU fought harder than us; they were quicker to the ball and they got more loose balls. They came out tonight with a lot of energy, and we couldn't match them. They were hungrier than us."

-- "BYU's tempo game is much quicker under Coach Rose than it has been in the past, and it matches the personalities of their players."

BYU NOTES FROM LAST OUTING

-- Freshman Lee Cummard made this first start of the season against Eastern Washington.

-- Individual Career Highs: Keena Young -- 15 points; Rashaun Broadus -- 9 assists (tied); Brock Reichner -- 6 assists; Jermaine Odjegba -- 1 assist.

-- Individual Season Highs: Mike Rose -- 12 points, 3 assists.

-- Team Season Highs/Lows: Most Points Scored -- 97 (tied); Largest Margin of Victory -- 31; Most Points Scored in a Half -- 53 (First); Largest Halftime Lead -- 19; Highest Field Goal Percentage in a Half -- 71.9 (First); Highest Field Goal Percentage in a Game -- 64.5; Assists -- 29.

-- Trent Plaisted slammed down his 11th, 12th and 13th dunks of the year against the Eagles while Lee Cummard also added his third. As a team, the Cougars have recorded 18 slams this season.

-- Malaman made 1-of-2 three-point attempts on the night, making his season percentage .733 (11-15).

-- Malaman, Mike Rose and Jimmy Balderson combined to go 8-for-10 from three-point range, recording all of BYU's long-range makes as the Cougars went 8-for-16 from beyond the arc.

-- Six BYU players scored in double figures for the first time since Jan. 11, 2005 as Keena Young (15), Fernando Malaman (14), Brock Reichner (12), Mike Rose (12), Jimmy Balderson (11) and Trent Plaisted (11) reached double figures.

-- BYU's 31-point win over EWU marked its largest margin of victory since a 40-point win over Montana State-Billings on Jan. 11, 2005.

-- BYU's 64.5 field goal percentage is its highest mark since Feb. 23, 2004 when the Cougars shot 63.9 percent in a 67-61 win over Air Force.

-- After trading points to start the game and reaching a 4-4 tie, the Cougars went on a 14-0 run over four minutes in the first half, their largest run of the year.

-- Keena Young made an immediate impact upon entering the game late in the first half, scoring five straight points to keep the Eagles at bay. His contributions included BYU's only point during an 8-1 EWU run and a bucket at the 3:45 mark to stop the Eagles' run and spark a 9-0 Cougar run. Young's first basket of the second half also came at a crucial time, ending a 7-0 EWU run.

BYU AT THE POINT

BYU's Rashaun Broadus (5.4 apg) and Austin Ainge (3.9 apg) rank first and third, respectively, among Mountain West Conference players in assists per game average this season while helping the Cougars lead the MWC in team assists at 18.7 apg. Broadus and Ainge have combined for 65 assists compared to 21 turnovers in BYU's seven wins while totaling 28 assists and 14 turnovers in the Cougars' three defeats. Broadus has 38 assists and 15 turnovers in the wins with 16 assists and 10 turnovers in the losses. Ainge boasts 27 assists to only 6 turnovers in the victories while totaling 12 assists and 4 turnovers in defeats. With his overall 39 assists to 10 turnovers, Ainge easily leads all MWC players in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.90), while Broadus ranks second (2.16). In BYU's season-opening loss to Loyola Marymount the two guards combined for six assists and five turnovers, and in the loss at USC they totaled seven assists and five turnovers. Broadus and Ainge showed marked improvement in the Cougars' win at Washington State, where the two combined to dish out 10 assists while committing only two turnovers, as each posted a line of a game-high 5 assists with only one turnover. In BYU's victory over Southern Utah, they combined for 13 assists with only one turnover, as Ainge tied a career high with 8 assists without a turnover and Broadus had 3 assists and one turnover while scoring a season-best 11 points. Against Lamar, Broadus dished out a career-best 9 assists, including an assist on BYU's first six baskets, while Ainge added two assists to help BYU achieve 22 assists for the second straight game. Broadus recorded a team-high 6 assists against Boise State and the two points combined for 7 assists (4 Ainge, 3 Broadus) and only 1 turnover (Broadus) vs. Northern Kentucky and 7 assists (4 ainge, 3 Broadus) and only 2 turnovers vs. Weber State. Ainge had 7 assists without a turnover at USU while Broadus had 8 assists and 4 turnovers while scoring a career-best 21 points. Broadus tied a career-best 9 assists while Ainge added 4 to fuel BYU to a season-high 29 assists vs. Eastern Washington. As a team, BYU has made an assist on 64.3 percent of the team's field goals this season.

BYU IN THE POST

BYU's post players are all efficient from the floor. Starters Fernando Malaman, who has made 62.5 percent (35-of-56) of his shots, and Trent Plaisted, who has converted 61.3 percent (49-of-80) of his attempts, rank second and third, respectively among MWC players in field goal percentage. Off the bench, Derek Dawes is making .591 (13-of-22) and Keena Young is shooting .528 (28-of-53). Malaman's numbers are perhaps the most impressive to date, considering the 6-foot-9 Brazilian transfer is scoring from all over the floor, including a team-leading 73.3 percent success rate (11-of-15) from behind the three-point arc.

BYU ON THE WING

Senior Brock Reichner has started the last nine games at 2-guard and is second on the team in scoring at 10.5 ppg, while junior Jimmy Balderson started the first nine games at small forward and is third in scoring at 9.3 ppg. BYU's two freshman wings are making significant contributions. Lee Cummard started in place of Balderson against Eastern Washington and is averaging 5.8 points in 13.6 minutes while shooting 48.8 percent from both the floor and .400 on threes. Jackson Emery is shooting 48.5 percent from the floor and is a perfect 4-for-4 from the line while averaging 4.4 points in 11.7 minutes. He has also been a solid defender for the Cougars, often helping guard the opponent's top perimeter player. Junior Mike Rose is also part of the rotation on the wing, averaging 4.6 points in 9.6 minutes.

FOR STARTERS

Seven players have started this year while the Cougars have used three starting lineups. Rashaun Broadus, Fernando Malaman and Trent Plaisted have started each game while Brock Reichner and Jimmy Balderson have started in nine of 10 outings. Austin Ainge has one start, the first game, and Lee Cummard has one start, the last game). Balderson (16 starts) and Ainge (23 starts) are the only two who started for BYU last year. In addition to Ainge, players with starting experience last year who are coming off the bench this season include Keena Young, 15 starts; Derek Dawes, 13 starts; and Mike Rose, 7 starts.

PUTTING ONE WIN IN FRONT OF THE OTHER

BYU has had two three-game victory streaks this season. Last year, BYU was able to record only one victory streak, winning three in a row, during a challenging 9-21 season.

BYU AMONG MWC LEADERS

BYU leads the MWC in scoring (80.0), field goal percentage (.500) and assists (18.7) and is second in scoring margin (+10.6), three-point field goal percentage (.406), assist/turnover ratio (1.24), three-pointers made (7.6) and defensive rebounds (26.40). The Cougars rank third in blocked shots (4.70) and assist/turnover ratio (1.17). Individually, point guards Rashaun Broadus (5.4) and Austin Ainge (3.9) rank first and third, respectively, in assists and are the top two MWC playmakers in assist/turnover ratio, with Ainge leading all MWC players (3.90 assist/turnover ratio), followed next by Broadus (2.16). Fernando Malaman and Trent Plaisted rank second and third, respectively, in field goal percentage at .625 and .613.

SCORING FOR THE COUGARS

BYU is averaging an MWC-leading 77.9 points, led by redshirt freshman Trent Plaisted's 14.8 points per game. The 6-foot-11 forward/center reached double figures in seven of eight games. He scored 8 points on 4-of-5 shooting vs Northern Kentucky and only failed to reach double digits on the merits of an 0-for-4 night at the line. Junior Jimmy Balderson adds 10.3 points per game as the second Cougar to average double figures. Four different Cougars have led the team in scoring in BYU's first seven games (Plaisted four times, 20 at USC, 13 vs. Southern Utah, 19 vs. Boise State and 15 vs Weber State; Balderson twice, 18 vs. Loyola Marymount and 21 vs. Lamar; senior Brock Reichner, 18 at Wash. State; and junior Keena Young, 12 vs. Northern Kentucky).

FROM THREE-POINT RANGE

BYU has made 50 percent of its three-point shots in four games this year but has also made less than 33.3 percent on threes in four games. Overall, BYU is making .406 percent from long range, with eight different players having made a trey, led by Brock Reichner's 17 triples (17-for-34). Fernando Malaman is shooting .733 (11-for-15).

FORMER COUGAR DANNY AINGE TO BE HONORED WITH PRESTIGIOUS 2006 NCAA SILVER ANNIVERSARY AWARD

Former BYU basketball great Danny Ainge has been selected as one of six recipients of the 2006 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award. The award recognizes former student-athletes who completed successful collegiate careers in various sports 25 years ago and went on to excel in their chosen professions. Silver Award winners are selected by the NCAA Honors Committee, which comprises eight athletics administrators at member institutions and nationally distinguished citizens who are former student-athletes. Joining Ainge as 2006 recipients are Valerie B. Ackerman (University of Virginia, women's basketball); Charles E. Davis (Vanderbilt University, men's basketball); Dr. Terry Schroeder (Pepperdine University, men's water polo); Michael Singletary (Baylor University, football); and Susan D. Wellington (Yale University, women's swimming and softball). The awards will be presented at the NCAA Honors Celebration on Saturday, January 7, during the annual NCAA Convention in Indianapolis. The Convention will serve as the kick-off to the NCAA's Centennial with the theme, Celebrating the Student-Athlete. Ainge becomes the third former BYU student-athlete to receive the prestigious award, joining current BYU Faculty Representative Larry Echohawk (Football, 1970), who was honored in 1995, and former Cougar All-American quarterback Gifford Nielsen (Football, 1978), who received the award in 2003.