OGDEN, Utah – BYU men's basketball remained undefeated with a 92-62 victory over Weber State on Wednesday at the Dee Events Center. For the first time since 1991-92 the Cougars are 7-0 overall and 3-0 on the road while the Wildcats fall to 2-4.
“It was a good team win,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “We shot the ball very well and executed well defensively. We worked hard for good shots and played with great confidence.”
Senior Lee Cummard led the Cougars by posting 30 points on the night, shooting a career-best 12-of-13 from the field, making 3-of-4 3-pointers and playing 31 minutes.
“Lee was terrific from start to finish. He had a great game,” Rose said. “Lee has great shot selection and that allows him to hit at such a high percentage. Lee got us through the first half with his great play and kept us going in the second half.”
Sophomore Jimmer Fredette had one of the best games of his career as he posted career highs of 18 points and seven assists. He also set a career high with seven made field goals and tied his career high from downtown with four treys.
Junior Jonathan Tavernari led the Cougars on the boards with seven, while also tallying 11 points and a career-best six assists.
Cummard got the Cougars off to a big lead early, scoring seven points during a 15-4 BYU run to open the game. Fredette and Emery added 3-pointers during the run and Tavernari tallied two assists.
Even after an early 11-point lead, the Wildcats gave the Cougars a run for their money, using a 14-2 run to take a 24-20 lead at the 9:48 mark in the first half.
The lead changed hands five more times from that point before BYU closed the half on a 9-3 run to lead 46-39 at the break.
Cummard led BYU in the first half with 12 points. Fredette posted nine points in the first half while Lamont Morgan, Jr. came off the bench to score seven points.
Weber State freshman Kyle Bullinger led the Wildcast with 16 points in the first half, shooting 3 of 4 from three. Bullinger was shutout in the second half.
BYU center Chris Miles scored the first points of the second half and triggering a 12-4 run that gave the Cougars a 15-point lead at 60-45 less than four minutes into the second half. BYU remained on attack and at the 11:30 mark, took its first 20-plus point lead of the game at 74-53 on a Lamont Morgan Jr. layup.
The biggest lead of the game came at 92-60 with 1:42 to go on a James Anderson layup.
“I’m pleased with our second half defensive effort,” Rose said. “We got them on their heels in the second half. We rebounded well and were able to get out in transition.”
Morgan, Jr. chalked up nine points on the night, tying his season and career highs. He was 4 for 4 from the free throw line.
All 11 Cougars who dressed saw action against the Wildcats, with senior Archie Rose coming off the bench for the first time this season at the 14:24 mark to play nine minutes for the Cougars.
The undefeated Cougars will next meet up with Utah State in EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City on Saturday at 5 p.m.
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BYU GAME #7 FAST FACTS
BYU (6-0)
at
Weber State (2-3)
Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008
Dee Events Center (12,000)
Ogden, Utah
7 p.m. MT
Coaches
BYU, Dave Rose (78-26 in fourth season; same overall)
WSU, Randy Rahe (38-29 in 3rd season; same overall)
Series
BYU leads, 23-10, with BYU winning the last meeting 72-57 in 2008 in Provo
TV
Live on KJZZ and BYUTV
Radio
KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (6 p.m. MT pregame show —
Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analysis)
Web
Live audio and live stats links are available on the basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/
Cougars to Play at Weber State
BYU (6-0) will play at Weber State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. for its first of two games against in-state foes this week. The Cougars play Utah State on Saturday at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake at 5 p.m. Last Saturday BYU improved to 2-0 on the road with an 85-65 road win against Idaho State. Weber State improved to 2-3 on the year with a 77-62 home win against Montana Tech on Saturday. The Wildcats had lost two straight at Long Beach State (73-69 in double overtime) and at Utah State (73-49). Wednesday’s game will be televised live on KJZZ and BYUTV (online at www.byutv.org/streaming/) and can be heard live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 6 p.m. MT on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City or via the Internet at KSL.com.
Up Next
BYU will play its second-straight game against an in-state rival on Saturday, Dec. 6, against Utah State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Energy Solutions Arena and the game will be aired live on KJZZ and BYUTV.
Cougar Quick Hits
— At 6-0 BYU is off to its best start since the 1991-92 season.
— BYU exteneded its nation’s-best home winning streak to 51 games with a perfect 3-0 record at the Basketball Travelers Invitational in the Marriott Center. The Cougars went 16-0 at home last year. The streak is the longest in school history.
— Two-time MWC Coach of the Year Dave Rose has guided BYU to three-straight 20-win seasons and three-straight postseason appearances. In his first season the Cougars were 20-9 and made a trip to the NIT. In his second campaign he guided the Cougars to the outright MWC title, a top-25 ranking, a trip to the NCAA Tournament and a 25-9 overall record. Last season he led BYU to a 27-8 overall record, a second-straight outright league title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
— BYU has been picked to finish second (five first-place votes) in the MWC preseason poll by the league’s media.
Looking at Weber State
Weber State is off to a 2-3 start to the 2008-09 season. The Wildcats split a pair of games at the 2K Sports Classic in Los Angeles to open the season, losing 70-66 to Miami (Ohio) and defeating Prairie View A&M 78-68. Weber then dropped two straight to Long Beach State and Utah State before ending the skid with a 77-62 victory over Montana Tech at home last Saturday. Leading Weber State in scoring this season is 5-foot-6 guard Kellen McCoy at 13.6 points per game. McCoy is shooting at a 60.5 percent clip from the field and 50.0 percent from downtown. Steve Panos, a 6-foot-8 center, is second in scoring at 11.6 points per contest and first in rebounding at 7.0 boards per game. Guard Nick Hansen also averages double figures at 10.4 points per game and has hit a team-high 12 threes (42.9 percent). The Wildcats average 67.8 points per game as a team and their opponents average 69.6 points per game.
Weber State’s Last Outing — Wildcats Defeat Montana Tech
OGDEN, Utah -- The Weber State men’s basketball team moved to 2-3 on the season Saturday with a 77-62 win over Montana Tech at the Dee Events Center.
The Wildcats placed five players in double figures, led by Steve Panos, who hit 6 of 11 shots for 12 points. Panos also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Daviin Davis and Kellen McCoy each scored 11, while Nick Hansen and Damian Lillard each chipped in 10 for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats attacked the rim and earned a 46-20 edge in points in the paint. The aggressive offense led to 43.9 percent shooting for the game (48.6 in the second half).
Stephen Thomas led Montana Tech with 15 points on 7 of 11 shooting. Tony Trudnowski added nine points for the Diggers, who fell to 4-6 on the season.
Series Notes
Saturday’s game will mark the 34th meeting between BYU and Weber State. The Cougars hold a 23-10 lead in the all-time series, but trail 6-10 in Ogden. BYU is on a two-game winning streak at the Dee Events Center having won 79-61 in 2004 and 73-69 in overtime in 2006. Coach Dave Rose is 3-0 all-time against Weber State including 2-0 in Provo and 1-0 in Ogden. The Cougars have won the last five meetings, their longest winning streak in the history of the series, and eight of the last nine. BYU and Weber State have played every season since the 1980-81 season. The two teams met every year from 1973 to 1978 before taking a two-year break during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 seasons.
Comparing the Stats — BYU at Weber State
Season Averages Overall BYU WSU
Points Scored/Game 79.2 67.8
Points Allowed/Game 56.7 69.6
Rebounds/Game 38.7 33.4
Assists/Game 19.2 9.8
Steals/Game 7.2 5.2
Blocks/Game 2.7 2.2
Turnovers 12.5 17.6
FG Percentage .515 .472
FG Percentage Defense .378 .433
3FG Percentage .347 .398
3FG/Game 7.2 6.6
3FG Percentage Defense .320 .362
FT Percentage .714 .705