Cougars Stay Composed, Win Paradise Jam Title

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (Nov. 25, 2002) -- The second half kids have done it again. BYU's patience against St. Bonaventure's pressure defense and aggressive second half game plan helped the Cougars claim a 66-57 victory Monday and the 2002 University of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam title.

St. Bonaventure's frenetic up-and-down, pressing style producing 91 and 89 points in its first two victories at the Paradise Jam, but BYU maintained its composure despite trailing 34-28 at the half thanks to a Marques Green three for the Bonnies at the first half buzzer.

The Cougars used tough second half defense to shut the Bonnies down, holding St. Bonaventure to 25.8 percent shooting and 28.1 percent for the game. BYU set a new Paradise Jam record for fewest average points allowed at 59. BYU used key rebounds and free throws down the stretch to hold off the Bonnies in the final round of the tourney at St. Thomas.

"We took the fight to them in the second half," said BYU coach Cleveland. "We competed on every possession and the guys played like warriors at the end of the game."

Jared Jensen led BYU in scoring with 15 points and grabbed six rebounds. Travis Hansen turned in a double-double performance with 12 points and 12 boards. Mark Bigelow added 11 points while Rafael Araujo chipped in seven points and had 10 rebounds. The double-digit rebounds from two Cougars was a first since Jan. 23, 1999 against Fresno State.

The Cougars took an eight-point lead on a Hansen follow jam off a miss, as part of a 7-0 run, with just under eight minutes to go.

Following a timeout, Green scored 10 straight points in the middle of a 10-2 Bonnies' run to tie the game at 57 with 2:35 remaining.

With less than two minutes to go, BYU missed seven consecutive shots but controlled the glass. Jensen and Hansen grabbed the boards and each hit free throws in the final minute to seal it for BYU.

BYU connected on 22 of 27 free throws in the game after shooting just two from the line in the first half. The Bonnies led 34-28 at the half by taking 11 more shots from the field and 12 more free throws than the Cougars in the first 20 minutes.

BYU began the second half on 9-2 run and took a three-point lead on a three-point-play by Araujo. The Cougars maintained a slim lead throughout most of the half until Green took control for the Bonnies, tying the game with 2:30 to play.

The Bonnies' Green led all scorers with 19 points. Forward Mike Gansey added 10 points along with six rebounds.

Hansen and Bigelow were named to the all-tournament team.

The 3-0 start for the Cougars is their best start since the 1991-92 season, and the best start of the Steve Cleveland era. The Cougars will bring their show back home and play host to the Rice Owls on Saturday night at 7 pm.

Official Basketball Box Score -- GAME TOTALS -- FINAL STATISTICS
St. Bonaventure vs BYU
11/25/02 8:15 p.m.AST at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
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VISITORS: St. Bonaventure 2-1
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
03 GANSEY, Mike........ f  3-8    1-3    3-3    2  4  6   1  10  3  1  0  1  29
10 CHEEKS, Robert...... f  1-3    0-0    2-2    2  4  6   2   4  0  3  0  0  24
30 TERRELL, Jamil...... c  0-3    0-0    2-2    3  3  6   3   2  0  0  2  1  26
04 GREEN, Marques...... g  5-15   2-6    7-9    0  1  1   3  19  2  3  0  1  31
20 PRATO, Patrico...... g  2-8    1-2    0-0    1  1  2   5   5  0  1  0  2  14
01 SMITH, Ahmad........    1-7    0-2    0-0    2  2  4   0   2  1  2  0  0  19
05 SHEPHERD, Joe.......    3-8    2-4    1-3    1  1  2   2   9  1  0  0  1  22
11 DUMBLIAUSKAS,Saulius    2-5    0-0    0-0    1  1  2   2   4  0  0  0  0  14
24 METHOT-LOTTIN, Pat..    0-5    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   2   0  0  0  0  2   9
55 BROWN, Calvin.......    1-2    0-0    0-3    2  2  4   4   2  0  0  0  0  12
   TEAM................                         1  1  2             1
   Totals..............   18-64   6-17  15-22  16 20 36  24  57  7 11  2  8 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-33 30.3%   2nd Half:  8-31 25.8%   Game: 28.1%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-8  50.0%   2nd Half:  2-9  22.2%   Game: 35.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 10-14 71.4%   2nd Half:  5-8  62.5%   Game: 68.2%    2
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HOME TEAM: BYU 3-0
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
02 HANSEN, Travis...... f  2-7    0-2    8-10   6  6 12   1  12  1  8  1  1  35
14 BOWER, Ricky........ f  1-2    1-1    1-2    0  5  5   2   4  1  1  0  0  31
24 WOODBERRY, Kevin.... f  3-13   1-7    1-2    0  1  1   2   8  2  3  1  2  29
55 ARAUJO, Rafael...... c  3-5    0-0    1-1    3  7 10   4   7  1  0  2  0  18
03 BIGELOW, Mark....... g  4-7    1-3    2-2    0  2  2   4  11  2  1  1  1  24
04 LEMES, Luiz.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  1  0  0   2
05 SHOFF, Jake.........    1-2    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   0   2  0  0  0  0   2
10 NASHIF, Terry.......    1-4    0-1    0-0    0  1  1   4   2  2  1  0  2  23
15 ALLEN, John.........    1-3    1-1    2-2    1  3  4   2   5  0  0  0  0  14
40 HOWARD, Dan.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  1  0  0   1
52 JENSEN, Jared.......    4-7    0-0    7-8    1  5  6   2  15  0  2  0  0  21
   TEAM................                         1  3  4
   Totals..............   20-50   4-15  22-27  13 33 46  23  66  9 18  5  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-24 45.8%   2nd Half:  9-26 34.6%   Game: 40.0%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-9  44.4%   2nd Half:  0-6   0.0%   Game: 26.7%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  2-2  100 %   2nd Half: 20-25 80.0%   Game: 81.5%   2,2
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Officials: (R) Karl Hess, (U) Tony Greene, Pat Adams
Technical fouls: St. Bonaventure-None. BYU-None.
Attendance: 2473
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
St. Bonaventure...............   34   23  -   57
BYU...........................   28   38  -   66
Championship game of the 2002 Paradise Jam Tournament.

BYU Plays St. Bonaventure in Championship Game of the University of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam

After winning the St. Thomas Division with victories over Toledo (71-56) Friday and Kansas State (73-64) Saturday, BYU (2-0) will face St. Bonaventure (2-0), winner of the St. John Division, in the championship game of the University of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Monday at 8:30 p.m. AST (5:30 p.m. MST). The Paradise Jam is being played in St. Thomas at the 3,000-seat Sport and Fitness Center at the University of the Virgin Islands.

The Cougars face a St. Bonaventure team that opened the tournament with a 91-78 win over Virginia Tech Friday and is coming off an 89-68 victory over Michigan Saturday. BYU and SBU are both idle Sunday when Michigan (0-1) plays Virginia Tech (0-1) and Kansas State (0-1) faces Toledo (0-1). The winners of Sunday's games will face each other Monday in the 6:15 p.m. AST (3:15 p.m. MST) game, while the two losing teams will tip off Monday's final round at 4 p.m. AST (1 p.m. MST).

The BYU vs. St. Bonaventure game will be broadcast on KSL Newsradio 1160 and the Cougar Sports Network, beginning with a one-hour pregame show. KSL's Bill Riley will call the play-by-play action with former Provo High School and Fresno State guard Brian Santiago providing game analysis. A live internet audio link is available on the official BYU athletics website, byucougars.com. The game is not being televised.

GAME 3 FAST FACTS

BYU (2-0, 0-0 MWC) vs. St. Bonaventure (2-0, 0-0 Atlantic-10)

Monday, Nov. 25, 2002

Univeristy of the Virgin Islands Sport and Fitness Center (3,000)

St. Thomas, USVI

8:30 p.m. AST (5:30 p.m. MST)

Coaches:

BYU, Steve Cleveland (87-69 in sixth year; same overall)

St. Bonaventure, Jan van Breda Kolff (19-13 in second year; 193-141 in 12th year overall)

Series:

BYU leads, 2-0

Last Meeting: BYU won 96-84, Dec. 27, 1966, at the Holiday Festival

TV: None

Radio:

KSL Newsradio 1160 AM (Cougar Sports Network)

Pregame Air Time: 7:30 p.m. AST (4:30 p.m. MST)

Play-by-Play: Bill Riley

Game Analyst: Brian Santiago

Web: Live audio link available at byucougars.com/basketball_m/ (select schedule button above)

BYU's Probable Starters:

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

F 3 Mark Bigelow 6-7 195 Jr. 15.0 4.0 3.5 apg

F 52 Jared Jensen 6-9 250 So. 6.0 3.0

C 55 Rafael Araujo 6-11 265 Jr. 5.0 4.5

G 2 Travis Hansen 6-6 210 Sr. 20.5 5.0 3.5 apg

G 24 Kevin Woodberry 6-0 170 Jr. 3.5 1.5 2.0 apg

BYU Reserves:

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

G 14 Ricky Bower 6-4 185 Jr. 8.5 3.5 1.5 apg

G 10 Terry Nashif 5-10 165 Fr. 3.0 1.5 0.5 apg

G 4 Luiz Lemes 6-3 180 Jr. 0.0 1.0

F 15 John Allen 6-7 215 So. 5.0 1.0

F 32 Bart Jepsen 6-9 235 Jr. 0.0 0.0

C 40 Dan Howard 7-0 225 Jr. 5.5 2.0 1.5 bpg

F 5 Jake Shoff 6-9 265 Jr. 0.0 4.0

G 12 Marc Roberts 6-3 205 So. -- --

ST. BONAVENTURE BONNIES

The Bonnies are off to a 2-0 start after opening with victories over Virginia Tech and Michigan at the Paradise Jam. Eight letterman return from last year's team including three starters. Coach Jan van Breda Kolff (193-141 in 12th year overall) guided his team to a 17-13 record in his first season at St. Bonaventure. His team earned a third-place finish in the Atlantic 10 Conference Eastern Division. Junior guard Marques Green (5-foot-7) scored 15.4 ppg last year and added 3.5 rebounds. Additional returning starters are junior swingman Patricio Prato (6-foot-5) and senior forward Robert Cheeks (6-foot-6). Prato averaged 11.8 points and 5.0 rebounds while Cheeks added 4.6 points per game. The Bonnies posted 19- and 47-point victories in their first two exhibition games against Upstate All-Stars and Greater Toronto Express. In the game against Upstate, five Bonnies scored in double figures, led by Prato with 19 points. Six players reached the double-digit mark against GT Express with Prato leading all scorers at 25. He was 4-5 from three-point range. BYU leads series 2-0. BYU last met St. Bonaventure in 1966 (96-84 win at Holiday Festival).

SERIES VS. ST. BONAVENTURE

Overall Series Record: BYU leads 2-0

BYU Record at Neutral Sites: 2-0

BYU Record under Steve Cleveland: 0-0

BYU Record in Overtime Games: N/A

Longest BYU Win Streak: 2 (1965 -- present)

Longest St. Bonaventure Win Streak: 0

Largest BYU Margin of Victory: 12 in 1965 and 1966

Largest St. Bonaventure Margin of Victory: 0

Most points scored by BYU: 99 in 1965

Most Points Scored by St. Bonaventure: 87 in 1965

12-29-65 vs. St. Bonaventure 99-87 W

12-27-66 vs. St. Bonaventure* 96-84 W

*Holiday Festival

BYU NOTES

POTENTIAL BEST START SINCE 1991-92

BYU has started the season 2-0 for the fourth straight year (Steve Cleveland is 6-0 in season-openers). The Cougars have a chance to have their best start since the 1991-92 season with a win Monday. BYU hasn't opened the year with three straight wins since the 1991-92 team won seven straight out of the gate. That team, like this year's team, was picked to finish fourth in the conference entering the season. The 1991-92 team went on to win the Western Athletic Conference title and finish 25-7 after losing to LSU and Shaquille O'Neal in the NCAA tournament.

HANSEN STARTS SENIOR SEASON STRONG

BYU's lone senior, guard Travis Hansen, is off to a strong start in his final campaign. He leads BYU in scoring (20.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg), despite being ejected with 8:48 to go in Saturday's win over Kansas State. Hansen, who also shares a team-high seven assists (3.5 apg) with junior Mark Bigelow, is shooting 56.5 percent (13-23) from the floor, 80 percent (4-5) from behind the extended three-point line, and 78.6 (11-14) from the free throw line.

PLAYER PERSONNEL

With junior forward Jake Shoff seeing his first playing time of the year, all 12 players who are expected to play this year have received playing time in BYU's first two games. Shoff hadn't played in any of BYU's exhibtion contests or the opening game with Toledo due to back problems. He has had limited practice time as well since practices started in October. Sophomore guard Marc Roberts is on the trip but has not played to keep a redshirt opportunity available. Junior center Dan Howard hurt his ankle against Toledo Friday. He played 17 minutes Saturday against Kansas State and is expected to play Monday.

FOR THE RECORD

Entering Sunday's games, BYU holds the Paradise Jam tournament record for fewest average points allowed in tournament games at 60.0 ppg. The previous record was LaSalle's 62.7 points allowed over three tournament games last year. BYU's ability to maintain the record will be put to a tough test Monday when the Cougars face St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies enter Sunday's games with the biggest tournament scoring average, 90.0 ppg in their two wins. Miami of Florida held the previous mark at 80.3 ppg.

FROM BEHIND THE EXTENDED ARC

Playing the experimental three-point distance of 20 feet, six inches has not been a detriment to BYU's long-range shooting. The Cougars have made 57.7 percent of their attempts in the first two games, going 15-26 on trey attempts. All six players to attempt a shot from behind the arc have connected at least once. Travis Hansen (4-5) and Mark Bigelow (4-6) lead the way, followed by Ricky Bower (2-2), John Allen (2-3), Terry Nashif (2-3) and Kevin Woodberry (1-7). Woodberry is the only player shooting less than 66.7 percent from behind the arc.

EXPERIMENTAL RULES USED AT PARADISE JAM

The NCAA requires that certified events play with experimental rules as directed by the men's basketball rules committee. The experimental rules that will be used at the 2002 Paradise Jam are as follows:

? Moving the three-point line nine inches behind the current three-point line to create a new experimental distance of 20 feet, six inches.

? Widening the free throw lane by two feet on each side. The experimental lane will serve both as the three-second land and the free throw lane.

? Relocating the free throw lane block between the first free throw lane space adgacent to the end line and the next lane space on both sides of the lane.

SUNDAY ACTIVITIES

BYU coach Steve Cleveland will speak at a Church Fireside gathering Sunday evening at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in St. Thomas. Several BYU players are also expected to partcipate. Members of the team and BYU travel party attended regular church services earlier in the afternoon. In keeping with BYU's policy against Sunday play, BYU will not conduct a practice Sunday in preparation for Monday's game.

PARADISE JAM AWARDS CEREMONY MONDAY

A five-man all-tournament team and tournament MVP will be awarded at the conclusion of the BYU-St. Bonaventure game Monday evening. The player awards will be announced during a small ceremony honoring the event's team champion.

TEAM DEPARTS TUESDAY

BYU's team will return Tuesday to Salt Lake City, flying through Miami with a connection in Dallas. There is no scheduled practice Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving day. The Cougars host Rice Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Marriott Center in their next game. It is not being televised.

BREAKing THROUGH ON THE ROAD

While BYU owns the nation's longest active home winning streak at 36 games, the Cougars also finished last season having lost their last 10 games away from the Marriott Center, including two overtime defeats. BYU snapped that streak with its two wins at the Paradise Jam. BYU's prior road win was a neutral court 81-76 upset over No. 13 Stanford at the Las Vegas Showdown on Dec. 22, 2001. In true away games, BYU has lost its last 11 straight games on an opponents home court since opening last year with a 70-59 victory at the University of San Diego on Nov. 17. BYU has a chance to end that streak at Arizona State on Dec. 4.

NEUTRAL COURT

BYU is 11-7 on a neutral court under Steve Cleveland. Last year BYU was 1-1 on a neutral floor. Prior to the Paradise Jam, BYU's last neutral court game was a 62-51 loss to San Diego State at the 2002 MWC Tournament. BYU's prior neutral win was over No. 13 Stanford, 81-76, at the Las Vegas Showdown. The Cougars have won six of their last eight neutral court contests.