PROVO -- BYU men's basketball hung with No. 6 Wake Forest through almost the entire game, but fell just short in the last minutes as the Demon Deacons prevailed 94-87 on Saturday in the Marriott Center.

“I thought it was a hard fight between two competitive teams," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "We had a lot of opportunities but just could not convert. We had some good looks but just could not get the ball to go in.”

The loss at the Marriott Center is the first for the Cougars in 54 games. Prior to facing off against Wake Forest, BYU owned the nation’s longest home-court winning streak, 53 games.

After falling behind 14-5 just four minutes into the game, the Cougars used a 15-0 run to move ahead 20-14 at the 12:58 mark.

The teams would continued to play a close game throughout a first half that saw five ties and six lead changes.

With the score 45-43 in favor of the Deacons and only 0:20 left in the first half, Jimmer Fredette stole the ball at midcourt and drove in for a fast-break layup. He was fouled as he shot the ball, and following the play, Wake Forest center Chas McFarland was assessed a technical foul. Lee Cummard made both technical free-throws, and Jimmer Fredette made his free-throw, which gave the Cougars a three-point lead, 48-45 going into the break.

BYU’s defense held Wake Forest without a field goal for the last 3:14 of the first half. Fredette had 18 points in the first half on 7-of-11 shooting, and the Cougars were perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line as a team.

The Cougars continued their strong offensive play into the second half, and a Jackson Emery three-pointer put BYU up 62-54 at the 14:32 mark, when Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio called a timeout.

Poor three-point shooting hurt the Cougars down the stretch, as they were only able to make 4-of-17 attempts (23 percent) in the second half.

Neither team was able to pull away through the second half, and the teams were very close statistically as well. BYU out-rebounded the Deacons 46-42, and each team had 13 turnovers. Wake Forest out-scored the Cougars 36-35 in the paint, and had 10 fast-break points to BYU’s 14.

The teams fought back and forth throughout the second half until Wake Forest took the lead for good on a James Johnson tip-in.

Wake Forest’s Jeff Teague led all scorers in the game with 30 points. Fredette led the Cougars with 23 points and nine assists, and Jonathan Tavernari added 18 points. In all, five Cougars scored in double-figures.

Johnson had 15 rebounds, and Tavernari led BYU with nine. Cummard had seven boards to go with his 17 points.

“I was proud of how our guys fought," Rose said. "They played hard and battled hard.”

BYU falls to 11-2 this season, and Wake Forest improves to 13-0. The Cougars next take the hardwood on Tuesday, Jan. 6, when they make up the previously scheduled game against Western Oregon at the Marriott Center at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on KSL Radio.

BYU will then head on the road to begin 2008-09 Mountain West Conference play when they face Colorado State in Fort Collins. The game will tip off at 1:00 p.m. and will be broadcast live on The Mtn. and KSL Radio.

CLICK HERE for postgame notes and quotes.

Official Basketball Box Score
Wake Forest vs BYU Cougars
1/3/09 6:05 pm at Marriott Center, Provo, Utah
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Wake Forest 13-0
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
01 Aminu,Al-Farouq..... f  5-8    1-2    3-3    1  6  7   4  14  0  3  3  0  33
23 Johnson,James....... f  9-14   1-2    3-5    4 11 15   2  22  2  3  2  1  31
13 McFarland,Chas...... c  3-7    0-1    3-6    1  4  5   3   9  2  3  1  0  27
00 Teague,Jeff......... g  8-12   2-4   12-14   0  4  4   3  30  4  1  0  1  37
42 Williams,L.D........ g  3-9    1-3    4-8    0  1  1   1  11  3  1  0  1  27
02 Clark,Gary..........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
04 Hale,Harvey.........    1-3    0-2    0-0    0  3  3   3   2  0  0  0  0   9
10 Smith,Ishmael.......    3-10   0-2    0-0    1  2  3   4   6  3  2  0  3  26
44 Weaver,David........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   5
55 Woods,Tony..........    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   3
   TEAM................                         2  2  4
   Totals..............   32-64   5-16  25-36   9 33 42  21  94 14 13  6  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 17-33 51.5%   2nd Half: 15-31 48.4%   Game: 50.0%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-7  28.6%   2nd Half:  3-9  33.3%   Game: 31.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  9-11 81.8%   2nd Half: 16-25 64.0%   Game: 69.4%    5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: BYU Cougars 11-2
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
30 CUMMARD, Lee........ f  6-20   0-4    5-7    2  6  8   3  17  3  0  0  1  29
45 TAVERNARI, Jonathan. f  7-17   4-13   0-0    4  5  9   2  18  0  1  0  0  36
54 MILES, Chris........ c  1-3    0-0    0-0    2  2  4   5   2  3  1  0  0  17
04 EMERY, Jackson...... g  4-10   2-7    3-4    4  1  5   4  13  3  2  0  2  26
32 FREDETTE, Jimmer.... g  9-17   3-6    2-3    1  1  2   1  23  9  5  0  2  38
01 ABOUO, Charles......    3-8    1-2    3-3    1  4  5   5  10  1  1  0  0  23
02 MORGAN, JR., Lamont.    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  4  4   1   0  2  2  0  0   6
05 ROSE, Archie........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   3
15 ANDERSON, James.....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0  0+
34 HARTSOCK, Noah......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   2   0  0  0  0  0   1
53 MACGREGOR, Gavin....    1-2    0-0    2-3    1  4  5   5   4  0  1  0  1  21
   TEAM................                         2  2  4
   Totals..............   31-77  10-32  15-20  17 29 46  28  87 21 13  0  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 17-35 48.6%   2nd Half: 14-42 33.3%   Game: 40.3%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  6-15 40.0%   2nd Half:  4-17 23.5%   Game: 31.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  8-8  100 %   2nd Half:  7-12 58.3%   Game: 75.0%    1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Joe Demayo, Kevin O'Connell, DJ Carstensen
Technical fouls: Wake Forest-McFarland,Chas. BYU Cougars-None.
Attendance: 23096
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Wake Forest...................   45   49  -   94
BYU Cougars...................   48   39  -   87
Points in the paint-WF 36,BY 35. Points off turnovers-WF 21,BY 25.
2nd chance points-WF 14,BY 17. Fast break points-WF 8,BY 13.
Bench points-WF 8,BY 14. Score tied-10 times. Lead changed-11 times.
Last FG-WF 2nd-01:29, BY 2nd-00:10.
Largest lead-WF by 9 1st-16:47, BY by 8 2nd-14:37.

BYU GAME #13 FAST FACTS

BYU (11-1)

vs.

Wake Forest (12-0)

Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009

Marriott Center (22,700)

Provo, Utah

6 p.m. MT

Coaches:

BYU, Dave Rose (83-27 in fourth season; same overall)

Wake Forest, Dino Gaudio (29-13 in second season; 97-137 in ninth season overall)

Series:

Wake Forest leads, 3-1, including a 79-62 win in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Jan. 8, 2008

TV:

Live on The Mtn.

Radio:

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (5 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 Return Home to Play No. 6 Wake Forest

Coming off a 74-68 road win against Tulsa BYU (11-1) men’s basketball will look to extend its nation’s-best 53-game home winning streak when the Cougars face No. 6 Wake Forest (12-0) on Saturday at 6 p.m. MT. Saturday’s game is the first against a ranked foe in the Marriott Center since Feb. 3, 2007 when BYU defeated No. 25 UNLV 90-63. Wake Forest is the highest ranked nonconference team to ever play at the Marriott Center and the first top-10 nonconference team to visit Provo since 1984 when BYU defeated No. 7 Washington 84-75. The Demon Deacons lead the series 3-1 but Saturday is the first time the teams will play in Provo. Saturday’s game can be heard live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 5 p.m. MT on KSL Newsradio 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 The Mtn.

Up Next

BYU plays Western Oregon at home on Jan. 6 at 7:30 p.m., three days after hosting No. 6 Wake Forest. BYU was scheduled to play Western Oreon on Dec. 23 but the game was postponed to Jan. 6 due to inclement weather. Follow the game on www.byucougars.com and listen live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m. MT on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City or via the Internet at KSL.com.

Cougar Quick Hits

— At 11-1 BYU is off to its best start since the 1987-88 season.

— BYU extended its nation’s-best home winning streak to 53 games with a 91-76 victory over Portland 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. He has the best record through 100 games of any BYU basketball coach.

— BYU has been picked to finish second (five first-place votes) in the MWC preseason poll by the league’s media.

Limited Tickets Remain For Wake Forest Game

Approximately 2,000 tickets remain for the game against Wake Forest on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.byutickets.com or the BYU Ticket Office. The ticket office is closed until Saturday at noon. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online as soon as possible to avoid long lines around game time. The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.

Looking at Wake Forest

Wake Forest, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, is currently ranked No. 6 in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls. The Demon Deacons are off to a 12-0 start this season with recent victories at home against Radford (83-61) and on the road against East Carolina (95-54) and Richmond (86-79). Wake Forest averages 84.5 points per game and shoots 51.3 percent from the field as a team. Opponents score 62.2 points and shoot 36.0 percent against the Demon Deacons. Leading scorer Jeff Teague averages 18.8 points per game and is shooting .525 from the field, .517 from downtown and .842 from the free throw line. He is also first on the team in assists (50) and steals (28). Aminu Al-Farouq (12.9), James Johnson (12.8) and Chas McFarland (10.3) also average double figures. Al-Farouq leads the squad in rebounding at 9.1 boards per contest while Johnson adds 7.7 boards and McFarland 6.6 boards. Wake Forest outrebounds it opponents 43.9 to 33.5 per game.

Series Notes

Saturday’s game will mark the fifth meeting between BYU and Wake Forest and the second-straight season the teams will meet. The Demon Deacons downed the Cougars 79-62 on Jan. 8, 2008 in WInston-Salem, N.C. That game was the first time the teams had met since 1969. Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between BYU and Wake Forest in Provo. The teams have played twice in Winston-Salem and twice on neutral courts.

BYU Against the Top-25

BYU’s game against No. 6 Wake Forest on Saturday will be the Cougars’ second game this season against a top-25 opponent. BYU played Arizona State on Dec. 20 at University of Phoenix Stadium and lost 76-75 when Charles Abouo’s tip at the buzzer was waved off after a review by the officials. BYU is 50-112 all-time against ranked teams including 14-20 in the Marriott Center. No. 6 Wake Forest will be the highest ranked nonconference team to ever play at the Marriott Center and the first top-10 nonconference team to play in the Marriott Center since No. 7 Washington in 1984. The Cougars are 17-61 all time against the top-10, including 7-13 in home games. BYU has played teams ranked No. 6 four times and is 1-3 in those games. The Cougars have never played a No. 6 ranked team at home.

1,000-Point Man

Including a season-high performance with 36 against Long Beach State, 30 against Weber State, 28 against Cal Poly and 26 at Tulsa, Lee Cummard now has 221 total points for the season and 1,234 for his career. He is now 19th all-time in scoring in BYU history. Cummard is 51 points from passing Alan Taylor for 19th all-time.

Best Start Through 110 Games

BYU coach Dave Rose coached his 110th game as the head coach of the Cougars when BYU defeated Tulsa on Dec. 30. His career record through 110 games of 83-27 (.755) is the best record for a BYU men’s basketball coach through his first 110 games. Rose is the only BYU coach to have won 80-or-more games in their first 110 games coached at BYU and seven games better than the next best coach. Below are the records of BYU coaches through their first 110 games and their career records.

Downtown Record Watch

With two treys at Tulsa Jonathan Tavernari has 150 career threes, including 33 this season. He started the season with 117 and has passed Andy Toolson for third place and is 14 downtown makes from passing Mike Rose (163) for second. Tavernari also has 408 attempts from downtown, good for second all-time in school history. Lee Cummard has 133 threes for his career, now nine threes from passing Andy Toolson for fourth.

Magic Number: 70

With a 74-68 win at Tulsa BYU is now 10-1 when scoring at least 70 points in 2008-09. BYU’s only game without scoring 70 points was a 68-63 win against Utah State. In 2007-08 the Cougars were nearly perfect when scoring at least 70 points, posting a record of 22-1. The Cougars scored 90 or more points in five games last season (three times this season), reaching 100 against Jackson State, and were 10-0 when scoring more than 80 points. BYU is 6-0 when scoring more than 80 points in 2008-09. Portland and Arizona State are BYU’s only opponents to have reached 70 points in a game in 2008-09. Prior to the Arizona State loss the Cougars had won 20 games in a row when reaching 70 points.

Home Winning Streak

BYU extended its home winning streak to 53 games with a 91-76 victory over Portland on Dec. 13. The Cougars are 6-0 at home in 2008-09. The streak is a school record and currently the longest in the nation. The Cougars set the school record with their 67-59 win over Utah in the Marriott Center on Feb. 20, their 45th straight home win. The Cougars were 16-0 at home last year and won 17 home games the prior season after going 14-1 at home in 2005-06. BYU’s last home loss was in the 2005-06 season opener against Loyola Marymount. BYU has since won 29 straight over nonconference opponents and 24 consecutive over MWC foes. BYU’s last league loss at home was its season finale in 2005 to UNLV. BYU is 425-116 (.786) all-time in the Marriott Center, and Cougar head coach Dave Rose is 53-1. Prior to the current streak, BYU’s longest homecourt victory streak was 44 games from Feb 19, 2000 to Jan 16, 2003.

Top-10 Pick Pockets

With 10 steals this season Lee Cummard has climbed to ninth all-time in BYU history in career steals with 110. Cummard had 16 as a freshman, 50 as a sophomore and 33 last season. Jonathan Tavernari is also climbing the list with 22 thefts this season and 88 for his career. He is now tied for 16th with Rafael Araujo.