Game 18 - BYU at Colorado State

GAME #18 FAST FACTS

BYU COUGARS (11-6, 3-3 MWC)

at

COLORADO STATE RAMS (12-7, 1-5 MWC)

Saturday, Jan. 28, 2006

Moby Arena (8,745)

Fort Collins, Colo.

7 p.m. MST

Coaches:

BYU, Dave Rose (11-6 in first year; same overall)

CSU, Dale Layer (82-85 in sixth year; 249-172 in 15 years overall)

Series:

BYU leads 78-45 after splitting the season series last year with each team winning at home

TV:

None

Radio:

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (6 p.m. MST 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 TRAVELS TO COLORADO STATE SATURDAY

BYU (11-6, 3-3 MWC) travels to Fort Collins, Colo. Saturday to take on the Colorado State Rams (12-7, 1-5 MWC) in a 7 p.m. contest. The game will not be televised but can be heard live on KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network with Greg Wrubell and Mark Durrant calling the action.

UP NEXT

The Cougars continue their travels with a trip to New Mexico for a Wednesday night matchup with the Lobos. The 7:07 p.m. tip will be broadcast live via SportsWest Productions on UPN Z-24 in Utah and on KASY UPN-50 in Albuquerque as well as being available on ESPN Full Court and KSL Newsradio.

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 were picked to finish ninth in the Mountain West Conference in the league's preseason media poll. BYU is currently tied for fifth in the MWC with New Mexico with a 3-3 conference record.

-- BYU is 11-6 overall, including 9-1 at home, and has won nine straight in the Marriott Center. The Cougars are 1-5 away and 1-0 at a neutral site. BYU scores an MWC-leading 76.5 ppg and shoots .464 from the field, including .368 from long range and .715 from the line, second in the league. Cougar opponents average 70.3 points on .431 shooting, .335 from three and .725 from the line. BYU pulls down 36.3 rebounds per game, third in the MWC and 2.8 more than its opponents. The Cougars dish out an MWC-leading 17.0 assists per game.

-- Redshirt freshman forward/center Trent Plaisted leads BYU in scoring (13.0), followed by senior guard Brock Reichner (10.2). Junior forward Keena Young is the top Cougar rebounder (5.6), followed by Plaisted (5.5). Junior point guard Rashaun Broadus is the MWC's top assist maker (4.25), followed by junior combo guard Austin Ainge (2.94), who is eighth. Ten Cougars are logging 10 minutes or more per game.

-- 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 forward Keena Young was BYU's leading rebounder. Other returners with starting experience last year include swingman Jimmy Balderson, who led Canada in scoring at the World University Games this summer; center Derek Dawes, who made 13 starts in the middle last year; and 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 made two starts late last year after mostly limited action during the season.

LOOKING AT COLORADO STATE

The Rams are currently 12-7 overall and 1-5 in the Mountain West Conference, picking up their first league win last Saturday against TCU. CSU has gone 8-1 at home, with its first homecourt loss coming in its last game Wednesday night against Wyoming, 2-5 on the road and 2-1 on a neutral court this season. The Rams return three starters and five letterwinners from last year's 11-17 team that finished 3-11 in the MWC, tied for seventh with BYU. Last year's Newcomer of the Year, sophomore Jason Smith is first on the team and third in the league in scoring, averaging 16.6 ppg on 52.1 percent shooting from the floor. The 7-0 forward also pulls down 7.1 rebounds per game, fourth in the MWC. Junior forward Michael Harrison is second on the team in scoring with 11.9 ppg on a team-leading 61.9 percent shooting, which ranks third in the conference. Harrison is third on the team in rebounding, pulling down 5.2 boards per contest, and has recorded 45 blocks on the year. Sophomore guard Sean Morris is third on the team in scoring with 10.2 ppg while adding 1.6 rpg. Junior point guard Cory Lewis, who has played in and started every game but one this year, is second in the MWC in assists per game (4.0) behind BYU's Rashaun Broadus. Lewis also contributes 9.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest while leading the team with 25 steals on the year. Sean Morris' brother Micheal, a senior guard, is third on the team in rebounding with 5.5 boards per game. Overall, CSU averages 75.8 points per game, second in the MWC behind BYU, on 48.3 percent shooting from the field, also second in the league. The Rams are third in the conference in three-point shooting (.374) and free-throw shooting (.708). Ram opponents average 70.5 points per contest on 41.0 percent shooting from the the field, 32.9 percent from beyond the arc and 74.4 percent from the free-throw line. CSU outrebounds its opponents 35.4-34.1. Head coach Dale Layer is 82-85 in his sixth year at CSU and 249-172 in 15 years overall.

CSU'S PROBABLE STARTERS

Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG

F 14 Jason Smith 7-0 230 So. 16.6 7.1

F 32 Micheal Morris 6-4 215 Sr. 4.7 5.5

F 55 Michael Harrison 6-9 215 Jr. 11.9 5.2

G 4 Cory Lewis 6-0 170 Jr. 9.8 3.9

G 33 Stephan Gilling 6-2 195 Fr. 7.1 1.0

COLORADO STATE'S LAST OUTING -- Cowboys Survive Ram Rally

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (Jan,. 25, 2006) -- Wyoming withstood a furious comeback by Colorado State to beat the Rams, 72-67 in Mountain West Conference men's basketball action Wednesday night in Moby Arena. The visiting Cowboys jumped to a 21-4 lead 13 minutes into the game, only to see the Rams rally to lead late in the half. Sparked by the play of forward Jason Smith, who scored a game-most 18 points, the Rams used a 20-2 run over a six minute span to take their first lead of the game, 26-25. Stuart Creason's layin put the Rams ahead with one minute, 18 seconds in the half, though Wyoming came back to take the intermission lead by a point, 27-26. CSU held Wyoming without a field goal the final eight minutes, 11 seconds of the half, instead limiting the visiting Cowboys to four free throws. "We seemed out of synch early," said Rams' coach Dale Layer of his team's slow start. "We had some open looks, but we didn't finish." CSU clawed back into the contest behind Smith - who fouled out late in the game - but the 17-point deficit was too much to overcome, Layer said. "I thought they played harder than we did for 40 minutes. We played hard in spurts. They were attacking, we were reacting. The most aggressive team won." The teams traded four more leads in the opening three minutes of the second half. Wyoming took the lead for good, 35-33, on Brandon Ewing's basket and would stretch the lead to 10. Colorado State narrowed the deficit to three, 43-40, with 13 minutes, 30 seconds to play on a basket by Cory Lewis. But Wyoming outscored the Rams 9-2 over the next four minutes to widen the lead to 10. With Wyoming leading by six with just under four minutes to play, CSU closed within four, 63-59, on a pair of Smith free throws. The Rams would come no closer the rest of the way. CSU finished the night shooting 39 percent from the floor, by far the team's lowest figure of the year at home. The Rams were outrebounded, 44-27, the widest deficit of the season for CSU. Both teams finished with 23 field goals. Michael Harrison was the only other Ram to score in double figures, finishing with 11, while Stephan Gilling added nine points. Creason finished with eight, while Morris - who came off the bench to spark the first half rally - finished with seven. Wyoming was led by Ewing, who finished with a team-best 16 points.

SERIES NOTES

Saturday's game will be the 124th meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1938. BYU leads the series 78-45. The Rams hold a 32-26 advantage in Fort Collins while the Cougars own a 51-10 record in Provo. Last year, the two teams split the season series with each school defending its homecourt. In 2004, BYU swept the regular-season series for the second consecutive year, beating the Rams in Fort Collins and again in Provo. CSU has a 3-1 advantage in neutral court games. Before losing at CSU last season, BYU had won the last two games in Fort Collins, ending a six-game losing streak in Moby Arena dating back to 1994. The Cougars have won seven of the last 10 games overall. BYU has won six straight in Provo since CSU swept the series in 1998, winning in Provo, 55-44, on Jan. 22. The two teams did not meet in 1999.

BYU SERIES RECORD VS. COLORADO STATE

Overall Series Record: BYU leads 78-45

BYU Record in Provo: 51-10

BYU Record in Fort Collins: 26-32

BYU Record at Neutral Sites: 1-3

BYU Record under Dave Rose: 0-0

BYU Record in Overtime Games: 4-3* (1-1 Hm, 3-1 Rd, 0-1 Neutral)

*1-0 in 2OT (1971, won 98-92 in Ft. Collins)

Last Overtime Game: 2003, CSU 86, BYU 80

at MWC Tournament in Las Vegas

Longest BYU Win Streak: 9 (two times 1985-89, 1991-94)

Longest CSU Win Streak: 7 (1960-70)

Largest BYU Margin of Victory: 39, 91-52 in 1939

Largest CSU Margin of Victory: 25, 74-49 in 1958

Most Points Scored by BYU: 105 in 1972

Most Points Scored by CSU: 100 in 1996

QUOTING BYU HEAD COACH DAVE ROSE ...

"Colorado State does a good job with their inside game and their post guys. They also have a good high-low game. They can cause a lot of problems with their size."

"Jason Smith has similar abilities to (Marcus) Slaughter at San Diego State except he probably shoots the ball even better. He's a very long, athletic player who can make plays both offensively and defensively."

"CSU has had a tough schedule. They started league play with the most early road games so their confidence is down a bit. I believe they will really appreciate their schedule in the second half of the season."

"Our preparation will be the same as it is for any other game. We're doing the right things to prepare; we just need to execute and not turn the ball over."

RECENT SERIES RESULTS

LAST YEAR IN FORT COLLINS -- LATE SURGE FALLS SHORT AGAINST RAMS

FORT COLLINS -- BYU's Austin Ainge caught fire early and never cooled off in leading the Cougars with a career-high 25 points, but Colorado State's bench lifted the Rams past BYU 74-67 at Moby Arena. CSU's bench overwhelmingly outscored the Cougar bench, 47-8. "We need our bench to score more," BYU head coach Steve Cleveland said. "And we have to make shots on the road if we want to win." Ainge got the Cougars off to a quick start, connecting on a long range three-pointer and two free throws to take a 5-0 lead. BYU's early lead quickly disappeared as the Rams capitalized on Cougar turnovers and a dismal 18.9 percent first-half shooting performance. BYU's leading scorer Mike Hall was held scoreless in the opening period. The Rams ran away with a 10-0 run late in the first half to take a 32-22 lead into the locker room. In the second half, the Cougars jumped on the Rams with a quick 6-0 spurt and continued to crawl back, eventually taking a 43-42 lead at the 11-minute mark. But the Rams regained the lead for good on a lay-up by freshman 7-footer Jason Smith, who scored a career-high 19 points. With under a minute left to play, Ainge brought the Cougars within three on back-to-back three-pointers, but the Rams sharp free-throw shooting gave CSU the victory and continued its unbeaten record at home this season. "It came down to execution on both sides of the floor," Cleveland said. "Chris (Miles) and Jared (Jensen) both played well in the second half offensively and defensively." BYU finished the game shooting 35 percent from the field. Mike Hall contributed 11 points while Jared Jensen scored nine points and equaled a career-high 10 rebounds. Miles added eight points and a career-best seven rebounds while assisting in holding CSU's leading scorer Matt Nelson to just 11 points. BYU is now 0-10 when scoring less than 70 points. BYU is 6-11 overall and 0-2 in the Mountain West Conference.

LAST YEAR IN PROVO -- COUGARS EDGE RAMS, 50-49

PROVO -- The Cougars found a little love on Valentines Day as they ended their two-game skid with a 50-49 victory over Colorado State in the Marriott Center. Senior Mike Hall led BYU with 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor and 4-of-5 accuracy from the line. Sophomore Austin Ainge added 10 points, a game-high five assists and a team-best six rebounds. BYU's Derek Dawes, Chris Miles and Jared Jensen teamed to make CSU 7-footer Matt Nelson, who entered the game ranked sixth nationally in field goal percentage, work hard for his 10 points as Nelson made only 4-of-14 attempts from the field. Nelson pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to record a double-double, while fellow 7-footer Stuart Creason led the Rams with 11 points. The Rams' third 7-footer, Jason Smith, came off the bench to add four points and five rebounds. BYU forward Keena Young scored four points and grabbed four rebounds while giving up six inches to his opponent during 13 minutes on the floor. The Cougars opened the game with a sluggish start as CSU scored nine straight points to lead the Cougars 9-0. BYU wouldn't score in the first five minutes until an Ainge floater gave BYU its first points. The floater would spark a streak of scoring for the Cougars as they battled to pull within one. The streak was capped by a Hall steal and follow by a trailing Ainge to put the score at 13-12 or the Rams. Ainge would tie the game at 19 with a deep three pointer with 2 minutes left in the half. After a CSU miss, Ainge pushed the floor and dished to Hall who got fouled. He made the free throws and BYU had their first lead at 21-19. From there, the Cougars would go on a 6-2 run to end the half as BYU took a 27-21 halftime lead to the locker room. The Cougars opened up the second half with an immediate three by Jimmy Balderson, and BYU took its largest lead of the game a minute later at 31-21 on a Derek Dawes free throw. But Colorado pushed back, mainly by the play of their brother guard combo. The Morris', Michael and Sean, whittled the nine point lead down to two at 34-32. But the house would come down with a poster dunk by Hall, giving BYU a two-point lead and some badly needed momentum. Young took an Ainge miss and put it back to help extend the Cougars' lead. The Cougars were unable put the pesky Rams away. After a Cougar turnover, Colorado State scored a two-point bucket by Nelson to cut the lead to one with 25 seconds remaining. The Rams had the chance to pull out the victory after another BYU turnover but couldn't score on either of their last second attempts, allowing the Cougars to hold on for their third conference win of the season. The win gives Cleveland the most Mountain West Conference wins (48) and moves him into fourth place on BYU's all-time victory list with 138.

BYU NOTES

BYU's LAST OUTING -- BYU Rallies to Defeat TCU

PROVO -- BYU stormed back during the last minute of regulation to force overtime, and the Cougars outscored TCU 17-8 in the extra period, earning the 89-80 win and extending BYU's home win streak to nine games. Trent Plaisted had career and game highs of 22 points and 16 rebounds despite playing most of the game in foul trouble. Lee Cummard had just six points but hit the game-tying three with 10 seconds remaining in regulation. Brock Reichner was second on the team with 13 points while Rashaun Broadus had 12, Fernando Malaman and Keena Young had 11 apiece, and Jimmy Balderson added 10. Reichner also chipped in six assists. With the score tied at 57, Cummard hit a three, but then the Horned Frogs scored 13 of the next 14 points to go up 69-61. With less than one minute remaining, Reichner hit a three to cut the TCU lead to five, but Chinweze hit two free throws to push the lead back to seven at 71-64. Broadus hit a layup with 41.1 seconds remaining, and then the Cougars got the ball back, and Broadus hit a three to cut the lead to two. BYU quickly fouled Chinweze, who made 1-of-2 to put TCU up three. The Cougars quickly ran up the court but struggled to find an open man. Cummard eventually broke free and hit the game-tying three with 10 seconds left. After a series of timeouts, the Horned Frogs were unable to release the ball before the horn and the game went into overtime. TCU scored first but BYU went on a 10-2 run to go up by six at 82-76. Broadus and Reichner both hit threes during the run. Murry hit a three just at the one-minute mark to cut the lead to three at 82-79. The Cougars sealed the deal by scoring seven of the last eight points. The Cougars took a 19-14 lead early in the first half behind six points from Plaisted and threes by Reichner, Malaman and Austin Ainge. From there BYU went cold and TCU caught fire, scoring the next 13 points on 4-of-4 free-throw shooting and three shots from downtown. Plaisted continued his solid play by scoring six more before the half but the Horned Frogs continued to connect, taking a 41-29 lead into the break. The Cougars shot 28.1 (9-32) percent from the field in the first period, the lowest shooting percentage in a half this season. After starting 3-for-5 from downtown, BYU missed 11 consecutive threes to finish 3-of-16 for the half. The Horned Frogs, who entered the game hitting just 35.5 percent from the field as a team, hit 50 percent in the first half. The Cougars also struggled with turnovers as 13 first-half BYU miscues led to 21 TCU points. Plaisted finished one board shy of a double-double heading into the break, recording 12 points and nine rebounds. BYU turned the tables on TCU to start the second half, going on a 10-3 run to cut the lead to five at 44-39. The Horned Frogs, who started the second period just 1-of-11 from the field, pushed the lead back to nine at 50-41 behind four free throws by Murray. The Cougars then went on another run, this time 14-2, to take a 55-52 lead.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "We had a bleak couple of minutes there but we came out positive and made the big plays."

-- "Every game breeds new confidence. They are able to experience different things, and that builds confidence and builds the program. This was one of those games."

-- "These types of games also build character, the character to win. That's something you can build on. Even though we had a tough half, you've got to give credit to the guys who made big plays."

-- "We made a nice run in the second half. We made the big plays. We got confidence, and our team finally began to believe that we could win.

TCU Head Coach Neil Dougherty

-- "You've got to give credit to BYU; they made shots down the stretch and made the plays they had to make."

-- "Our effort level was good enough to win, but when it came down to it we had to make a couple more plays to put it away. It was a great game."

BYU NOTES FROM LAST OUTING

-- Junior Keena Young made his second start of the season against TCU, joining Austin Ainge, Brock Reichner, Lee Cummard and Trent Plaisted in the starting lineup.

-- Individual Career Highs: Trent Plaisted -- 22 points, 16 rebounds; Brock Reichner -- 6 assists (tied).

-- Team Season Highs/Lows: Most Steals -- 11; Most Three-pointers Made -- 11 (tied); Most Three-pointers Attempted -- 30; Lowest Field Goal Percentage in a Half -- .281; Fewest Points in a Half at Home -- 29.

-- With the win, the Cougars are now 9-1 at home this season, having won their last nine games in the Marriott Center.

-- The overtime win was BYU's first overtime game since an 82-72 OT win at UNLV on Feb. 5, 2005.

-- The nine-point win marks BYU's first MWC game this season decided by less than 10 points.

-- BYU continued its hot free-throw shooting against TCU, going 24-for-28 (.857) from the line on the night, including 8-for-8 in the first half. Three Cougars were perfect from the line -- Trent Plaisted (8-for-8), Brock Reichner (4-for-4) and Fernando Malaman (2-for-2). In the last three games, the Cougars have gone 61-of-72 (.847) from the charity stripe. Entering the TCU game, the Cougars were second overall (.702) and first in MWC play (.786) in that category.

-- The Cougars' 41-29 halftime deficit against TCU marks just the third time this year that BYU has trailed at the break in the Marriott Center (41-30 vs. Loyola Marymount, 44-36 vs. Boise State). Overall, the Cougars are 3-6 when trailing at the break with all three wins coming at home.

-- BYU outscored TCU 43-31 in the second half to force overtime. On the season, the Cougars have outscored opponents in the second period of play in all but three games, scoring an average of 6.0 more points than their opponents.

-- BYU has stepped up on the boards in the last three games, outrebounding its opponents by an average of 5.3 rpg. The Cougars have outrebounded their last three opponents 41.3 to 36.0. Prior to a +9 rebounding margin against TCU, BYU outrebounded the league's top two rebounding teams in Wyoming (43-38) and SDSU (38-34).

-- Trent Plaisted recorded two dunks against TCU, bringing his season total to 18. Fernando Malaman added his second dunk of the year to bring BYU's mark to 28.

-- Plaisted also posted his second double-double of the season with career highs of 22 points and 16 rebounds (previous -- 19 pts, 10 reb. vs. Boise State). Plaisted and Keena Young are the only Cougars to record a double-double this season as Young notched 16 points and 11 rebounds at Air Force.

-- With 11 points against TCU, Keena Young has scored in double figures in four of BYU's six conference games, including the last three. Young leads BYU in scoring in league games, averaging 11.5 points.

-- Plaisted's rebounding has steadily improved in the last three games as he has averaged 10.0 boards per game in the last three contests (8 vs. Wyoming, 6 at SDSU, 16 vs. TCU). Prior to that, the redshirt freshman was averaging 4.5 rpg. He has now improved his season average to 5.5 rpg, second on the team behind Keena Young (5.6).

MAKING NOISE

Despite starting only two games, junior forward Keena Young is second on the team in both scoring (11.5) and rebounding (6.0) in MWC games. He is shooting 60.0 percent from the floor and 88.2 percent from the line in league action. Trent Plaisted improved his rebounding in the last three games, averaging 10.0 boards while scoring 17.0 points. Prior to that, Plaisted was averaging 12.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. The redshirt freshman is now averaging 13.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest. As a team, BYU has shot 84.7 percent (61-of-72) from the line in its last three games, improving its season percentage to 71.5 percent. BYU is now second overall in the MWC in free-throw percentage and first in league play (.810).

COMEBACK COUGARS

With its 11-6 overall record, BYU has yet to suffer consecutive defeats this season, having bounced back from each loss with victory, a trend the Cougars continued with a win against TCU on Wednesday after losing at San Diego State. BYU has alternated wins and losses since beginning league play, winning three times at home and losing three times on the road. BYU's three road defeats have been against the MWC's top three teams in the standings in San Diego State, UNLV and Air Force. The Cougars have achieved three winning streaks this year -- two three-game streaks and one two-game streak.

MAGIC NUMBER: 70

BYU is 8-0 this season when holding opponents under 70 points and 3-6 when allowing opponents to surpass the 70-point threshold. Cougar foes are currently averaging 70.3 points per game. BYU is also 9-3 when scoring 70 or more points and 2-3 when falling below the 70-point mark. The Cougars lead the league in scoring, averaging 76.5 ppg.

ON THE BOARDS

BYU has stepped up on the boards in the last three games, outrebounding its opponents by an average of 5.3 rpg. The Cougars have outrebounded their last three opponents 41.3 to 36.0. Prior to a +9 rebounding margin against TCU, BYU outrebounded the league's top two rebounding teams in Wyoming (43-38) and SDSU (38-34). The Cougars are 6-3 this season when outrebounding opponents and are second in the MWC in rebounding offense in conference play (38.3) and third in rebounding margin (+4.5) in conference play.

FOR STARTERS

Overall this year, eight players have started while Coach Dave Rose has used five starting lineups. Junior Keena Young made his second start of the season against TCU while junior Austin Ainge got his fourth start of the season and his third at point guard against the Horned Frogs. Trent Plaisted has started each game while Fernando Malaman has started every game but the last two, Brock Reichner has started 16 games, Rashaun Broadus 14 and Jimmy Balderson nine games. Lee Cummard has eight starts, the last eight games. The majority of BYU's starting lineups have featured two freshmen (Plaisted and Cummard), two junior transfers (Broadus and Malaman) and one senior (Reichner). Reichner is the only one of the five to have started a Division I game prior to this season. He made two starts late last year in his first season at BYU. Five Cougars who started between seven and 23 games on last year's team (Austin Ainge, 23 starts; Jimmy Balderson, 16 starts; Keena Young, 15 starts, Derek Dawes, 13 starts; Mike Rose, 7 starts) have primarily been coming off the bench.

BYU AMONG MWC LEADERS

BYU leads the MWC in scoring (76.5) and assists (17.0) and is second in free-throw percentage (.715), assist/turnover ratio (1.15), defensive rebounds (25.18) and three-point field goals made (6.94). The Cougars rank third in scoring margin (+6.2), rebounding offense (36.3) and blocked shots (4.0). Individually, point guards Rashaun Broadus (4.25) and Austin Ainge (2.94) rank first and eighth, respectively, in assists. Broadus is also ranked second in assist/turnover ratio (1.55) while Ainge leads the conference at 2.27 but is one assist shy of the 51 required to be officially ranked. Keena Young and Fernando Malaman rank fourth and seventh, respectively, in field goal percentage at .570 and .551 while Trent Plaisted is ninth at .541. Plaisted is also 10th in scoring with 13.0 ppg and tied for 10th in blocked shots with 0.88. Young is tied for 10th in rebounding average (5.6), and Malaman is fifth in blocked shots (1.24). In conference play, the Cougars lead the MWC in free throw percentage (.810) and offensive rebounds (14.83) and are second in scoring (72.2), rebounding offense (38.3) and defensive rebounds (23.5) while coming in third in rebounding margin (+4.5) and assists (14.33). Plaisted jumps to from 13th to fourth in rebounding in MWC action (6.8).

BYU REDSHIRTS: SAM BURGESS, VUK IVANOVIC

Junior guard Sam Burgess is redshirting this season. The 6-foot-3 guard from Alpine, Utah, is one of nine juniors on the roster this year. Fellow junior Vuk Ivanovic will also redshirt while he sits out the season due to NCAA transfer rules.

TRANSFERRED: DAVID BURGESS

David Burgess, a 6-foot-10 redshirt freshman center, announced on Dec. 15 that he was transferring from BYU to complete his eligibility. BYU granted his request for a release. Burgess appeared in three of seven games this year, averaging 0.7 points and 1.7 rebounds. Said Burgess, "I thoroughly enjoyed my time at BYU and I think Coach Rose is an unbelievable coach but his system just isn't a good fit for me personally. When I signed, Coach Cleveland's system was a half-court offense, which fits me better as a player. I was excited for Coach Rose to be named the coach and I worked hard to lose some weight and try to prepare myself for his system but it's just not the best fit for me." Burgess has since announced he will transfer to Gonzaga.

SCORING FOR THE COUGARS

BYU is averaging an MWC-leading 76.5 ppg led by redshirt freshman Trent Plaisted's 13.0 points per game. Six different Cougars have led the team in scoring in BYU's first 17 games. Plaisted has led BYU seven times (20 at USC, 13 vs. Southern Utah, 19 vs. Boise State, 15 vs. Weber State, 16 vs. Tulsa, 17 vs. Wyoming and 22 vs. TCU), and junior Keena Young has led the team four times (12 vs. Northern Kentucky, 15 vs. Eastern Washington, 16 at Air Force and 16 at San Diego State) while senior Brock Reichner (18 at Washington State and 26 at Utah State) and junior Jimmy Balderson (18 vs. Loyola Marymount and 21 vs. Lamar) have each led BYU twice and juniors Rashaun Broadus (17 vs. Utah) and Fernando Malaman (13 at UNLV) have led the Cougars once. Eleven different Cougars have had a double-digit scoring outing for BYU this year (all except Jermaine Odjegba, high of 2).

HALFTIME REPORT

With its win against TCU, BYU is now 8-0 when leading at the half and 3-6 when trailing with all three wins coming at home. The Cougars' average halftime lead is 11.8 points, and they have led by double digits six times. BYU has been more impressive in the second half this season. The Cougars have outscored their opponents in the second period of play in all but three games this year (42-41 vs. Loyola Marymount, 45-42 at UNLV, 46-37 at San Diego State). BYU averages 6.0 more second-half points than its opponents.

BYU AT THE POINT

BYU's Rashaun Broadus (4.25 apg) and Austin Ainge (2.94 apg) rank first and eighth, respectively, among Mountain West Conference players in assists per game this season while helping the Cougars lead the MWC in team assists at 17.0 apg. Broadus and Ainge have combined for 80 assists compared to 38 turnovers in BYU's 11 wins while totaling 38 assists and 28 turnovers in the Cougars' six defeats. Broadus has 47 assists and 25 turnovers in the wins with 21 assists and 19 turnovers in the losses. Ainge boasts 33 assists to only 13 turnovers in the victories while totaling 17 assists and 9 turnovers in defeats. With his overall 50 assists to 22 turnovers, Ainge leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio at 2.27 but is one assist shy of the 51 required to be officially ranked while Broadus ranks second (1.55). 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 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 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. In conference play, Ainge has 10 assists and 11 turnovers while Broadus has 12 assists and 16 turnovers. As a team, BYU has made an assist on 62.2 percent of its field goals this season.

BYU IN THE POST

Trent Plaisted (13.0) leads BYU in scoring while fellow post players Keena Young (8.7) and Fernando Malaman (8.4) are third and fourth, respectively. Plaisted (11.8) and Young (11.5) rank first and second, respectively, in league games. Overall, Young is shooting a team-best .570 (57-of-100), fourth in the league. Malaman, who has made 55.1 percent (59-of-107) of his shots, and Trent Plaisted, who has converted 54.1 percent (79-of-146) of his attempts, rank seventh and ninth, respectively, among MWC players in field goal percentage. Derek Dawes is making .436 (17-of-39). Malaman also boasts a team-leading 48.1 percent success rate (13-of-27) from behind the three-point arc.

BYU ON THE WING

Senior Brock Reichner has started the last 16 games at 2-guard and is second on the team in scoring at 10.2 ppg, including a team-high 28 threes, while junior Jimmy Balderson started the first nine games at small forward and is sixth in scoring at 7.6 ppg, with 11 treys. BYU's two freshman wings are playing significant roles. Lee Cummard has started in place of Balderson the last eight games and is averaging 6.1 points in 16.1 minutes while shooting 47.4 percent from the floor. Cummard scored a career-high 13 points against Wyoming and hit the game-tying three-pointer with 10 seconds left vs. TCU to force overtime. Jackson Emery is shooting 41 percent from the floor and has made nine triples while averaging 3.1 points in 9.7 minutes. He has also been a solid defender for the Cougars, often helping guard the opponent's top perimeter player. Junior Mike Rose plays 10.4 minutes in the rotation on the wing, averaging 4.1 points, including 18 treys.

COUGAR OFFENSE

BYU's 76.5 points per game are coming in a variety of ways as the Cougars outscore their opponents in every statistical category on the season. BYU has scored 49 more points in the paint this season, outpacing its opponents underneath in eight games, tying in two and being outscored in seven. The Cougars have also capitalized on opponent miscues in their 17 games to date, scoring 13 more points off of turnovers while outscoring foes in that category in eight games, tying in one and being outscored in eight. BYU enjoys a 38-point advantage in second-chance points, partly due to the Cougars' +2.8 rebounding margin, as BYU has outscored opponents in that category in 10 games. The Cougars' largest advantage, however, comes on the fast break as BYU has only been outscored on the break in five games this year, with a 171-111 margin.

BYU TO RETIRE COSIC JERSEY

In an historic event, BYU will retire the uniform of the late Kresimir Cosic on March 4, 2006, during the final regular season home game against New Mexico. The former Cougar great becomes the second BYU men's basketball player to have his jersey retired, joining Danny Ainge. "Cosic was a great ambassador for both BYU and the game of basketball," said BYU Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe. "His accomplishments on and off the basketball court have impacted the lives of many worldwide. This honor is a well-deserved tribute to a great man." During his career at BYU, Cosic used his versatile inside-outside game to lead the Cougars in scoring (23.3 points per game) and rebounding (12.8 rebounds per game) as a junior and again as a senior (20.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg). His unselfish attitude also helped him to lead his team in assists. He ranks second on BYU's all-time rebounding list with 919, an average of 11.6 per game, and fourth all-time with a 19.1 career scoring average while recording a BYU-record 47 double-doubles. Behind the play of Cosic, the Cougars won two WAC titles and reached the NCAA Regional Tournament in 1971 and 1972. Cosic was a three-time first-team All-WAC selection and earned All-American accolades following his junior season. He likely would have been a four-year award winner but freshmen were not allowed to play on varsity. Upon graduation, Cosic became very involved with basketball throughout Europe. He played on four Olympic teams with his native land of Yugoslavia, winning a gold medal in 1980 and two silver medals in 1968 and 1976. He ended his career as the all-time Croatian scoring leader and went on to coach the Yugoslavian National Team for many years. In September of 1992, Cosic was appointed as the Croatian Deputy Ambassador to the United States. He and his family lived in Washington D.C where he performed his diplomatic duties in the same excellent manner in which he played basketball.

DANNY AINGE HONORED WITH PRESTIGIOUS 2006 NCAA SILVER ANNIVERSARY AWARD

Former BYU basketball great Danny Ainge was one of six recipients of the 2006 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, presented Saturday, Jan. 7, at the NCAA Honors Celebration in Indianapolis. He was presented the award by former Cougar All-American quarterback Gifford Nielsen, who received the award in 2003. Ainge is 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 Nielsen (Football, 1978). 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.

BYU BASKETBALL ON KSL NEWSRADIO

(102.7 FM and 1160 AM)

The "Voice of the Cougars" is KSL Newsradio 1160's Greg Wrubell. He is in his 10th season as the play-by-play voice of BYU basketball. Wrubell, also the voice of BYU football, is joined by former Cougar lettermen Mark Durrant and Russell Larson (for select broadcasts) as color analysts. Durrant has been part of the KSL broadcast team for nine years while Larson is in his first season as an analyst. In addition to live coverage of every Cougar game, the following programs can be heard each week on KSL Newsradio.

COACH ROSE ON KSL NEWSRADIO ...

Coach's Corner with Dave Rose

Mondays at 8:45 a.m.

The Dave Rose Show

Mondays from 7-8 p.m.

THE DAVE ROSE SHOW ON KSL-TV

BYU coach Dave Rose's weekly television show airs each Sunday evening at 11 p.m. on KSL-TV, channel 5 in Salt Lake City.