COLORADO SPRINGS -- To end the first half of Mountain West Conference play, the BYU men’s basketball team (17-5, 5-3) defeated the Air Force Falcons (9-12, 0-8) 71-50 with four Cougars in double figures on Tuesday.

“It was a battle,” said BYU head coach Dave Rose. “I thought our guys responded well in a critical time. Air force had a lot of momentum and got their crowd into it, but when we got in our rhythm we pulled away.”

Junior Jonathan Tavernari became the 39th Cougar to score 1,000 career points against Air Force, bringing his all-time scoring to 1,006 points. The 1,000th point came on a free throw with 15:02 remaining in the game. Tavernari finished the game with 17 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals.

Jimmer Fredette hit 6-10 from the field, 4-4 from the stripe and 4-5 from the three-point line, leading the Cougars in points with 20 against the Falcons. Fredette has made 32 of his last 35 free throws this season.

“I’m feeling as comfortable as I ever have and the coaches are showing a lot of confidence in me,” said Fredette. “I am trying my hardest to get my shots and get the ball to my teammates as well. My teammates help me to get open with their screens, allowing me to drive to the basket when I’m open and hit a teammate when I’m not.”

Lee Cummard posted his third double-double of the season and the 10th of his career, putting up 12 points and 10 rebounds on the night. Chris Miles posted his third double-figure game in a row with 10 points on the night, posting some crucial points for the Cougars late in the second half.

To start out the scoring for the Cougars, Tavernari and Cummard posted the first seven points of the game. The Cougars went on two 7-1 runs broken up by a jumper from Air Force at the 13:24 mark to put them up 14-5.

BYU posted its largest lead at the 7:53 mark with a pair of free throws from Jackson Emery, tallying a 6-0 BYU run and a 13-point lead at 23-10.

To tie the lowest field goal percentage of the season, BYU hit only 37.5 percent of their shots in the first half. The Cougars didn’t post any fast break points in the first half, while they normally averaging 6.3 more than their opponent.

Leading the entire first half, the Cougars had some scares by the Falcons late in the first half. After their largest lead of the game at 13, the Cougars fell to two solid runs by the Falcons (8-2 and 13-4), shrinking the lead to four going into the locker rooms at 27-23.

To continue their adrenaline in the second half, the Falcons obtained their first lead of the game at the 11:50 mark at 39-41. The Cougars would battle for the lead for two and a half minutes until a 10-0 run would put them up 53-45.

With a team effort to get back on top of the Falcons, Tavernari, Cummard, Emery and Fredette all posted points to give the Cougars their eight-point lead late in the second.

The Cougars then proved unstoppable, posting a 26-3 run — that included a 16-0 spurt — to give them a 21-point victory over the Falcons at 71-50. BYU improved their shooting in the second half by 12.5 percent, shooting 50 percent from the field for the game. After finding themselves down 41-39 the Cougars hit 11-of-13 from the field to fuel the big run.

“I think the eight-day break is going to help us get ready for the second half of the MWC grind,” said Fredette. “It’s going to get us completely healthy and we’re going to practice and have a good eight days to be ready to take on Colorado State on Wednesday.”

BYU will have a one-week break before beginning the second half of the conference schedule on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at home against Colorado State at 6 p.m. Follow the game on www.byucougars.com and listen 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.

CLICK HERE for postgame notes and quotes.

Official Basketball Box Score
BYU vs Air Force
2/3/09 6:05 p.m. at USAFA, Colo. (Clune Arena)
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VISITORS: BYU 17-5, 5-3 MWC
                          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  4-6    0-1    4-4    1  9 10   4  12  3  3  1  0  35
45 TAVERNARI, Jonathan. f  7-14   1-3    2-2    0  6  6   2  17  2  1  0  3  36
54 MILES, Chris........ c  3-6    0-0    4-4    0  4  4   3  10  1  0  1  1  21
04 EMERY, Jackson...... g  2-4    2-3    2-2    0  3  3   4   8  2  0  2  2  24
32 FREDETTE, Jimmer.... g  6-10   4-5    4-4    0  2  2   0  20  3  2  0  1  37
01 ABOUO, Charles......    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  2  2   0   0  0  0  0  0   5
02 MORGAN, JR., Lamont.    1-3    0-1    0-0    0  1  1   2   2  2  3  0  0  18
05 ROSE, Archie........    0-0    0-0    0-1    0  1  1   0   0  0  1  0  0   3
15 ANDERSON, James.....    0-3    0-0    0-2    2  0  2   1   0  1  0  0  0   8
34 HARTSOCK, Noah......    1-1    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   1   2  1  0  1  0  13
   TEAM................                         2  2  4
   Totals..............   24-48   7-13  16-19   5 31 36  17  71 15 10  5  7 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  9-24 37.5%   2nd Half: 15-24 62.5%   Game: 50.0%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-8  37.5%   2nd Half:  4-5  80.0%   Game: 53.8%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  6-8  75.0%   2nd Half: 10-11 90.9%   Game: 84.2%    1
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HOME TEAM: Air Force 9-12, 0-8 MWC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
15 STEWART, Taylor..... f  0-2    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  2  0  0  12
31 HOLLAND, Matt....... f  4-10   3-8    2-2    0  5  5   1  13  1  1  0  3  35
34 SCHAFER, Sammy...... c  4-6    0-1    4-6    1  3  4   3  12  0  1  1  0  22
03 PROVOST, Brandon.... g  0-4    0-3    0-0    0  1  1   3   0  0  1  1  0  27
42 JOHNSON, Anwar...... g  0-2    0-1    0-0    0  1  1   3   0  3  1  1  0  24
04 EL-AMIN, Saj........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   1
10 HENKE, Andrew.......    4-12   2-6    2-3    0  3  3   4  12  1  3  0  0  30
13 NOONAN, Trevor......    2-2    0-0    1-3    0  2  2   1   5  0  1  0  1  13
32 HEMPSEY, Shawn......    2-6    0-3    0-0    0  3  3   1   4  2  2  0  1  23
35 WASHINGTON, Evan....    1-1    0-0    1-2    1  1  2   0   3  0  0  0  0   5
50 PARKER, Grant.......    0-0    0-0    1-2    0  0  0   0   1  1  1  0  0   8
   TEAM................                         1  1  2             1
   Totals..............   17-45   5-22  11-18   3 21 24  17  50  8 14  3  5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  8-18 44.4%   2nd Half:  9-27 33.3%   Game: 37.8%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-8  25.0%   2nd Half:  3-14 21.4%   Game: 22.7%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-10 50.0%   2nd Half:  6-8  75.0%   Game: 61.1%    1
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Officials: Randy McCall, Bruce Hicks, Eddie Jackson
Technical fouls: BYU-None. Air Force-None.
Attendance: 2743
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
BYU...........................   27   44  -   71
Air Force.....................   23   27  -   50
Points in the paint-BY 16,AF 22. Points off turnovers-BY 11,AF 8.
2nd chance points-BY 7,AF 6. Fast break points-BY 2,AF 2.
Bench points-BY 4,AF 25. Score tied-4 times. Lead changed-2 times.
Last FG-BY 2nd-00:45, AF 2nd-06:45.
Largest lead-BY by 21 2nd-01:43, AF by 2 2nd-11:48.

BYU GAME #22 FAST FACTS

BYU (16-5, 4-3)

at

Air Force (9-11, 0-7)

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009

Clune Arena (5,858)

Colorado Springs, Colo.

6 p.m. MT

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (8-31 in fourth season; same overall)

Air Force, Jeff Reynolds (25-25 in second season; 107-59 in sixth season overall)

Series

BYU leads, 47-12, including five-straight victories over the Falcons

TV

The Mtn. (Bill Doleman, play-by-play; Blaine Fowler, game analysis)

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (5 p.m. MT pregame show — Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Andy Toolson, game analysis)

Web

Live audio and live stats links are available on the basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

BYU to Face Air Force at Clune Arena

BYU men’s basketball (16-5, 4-3 MWC) will wrap up the first half of the conference season with a trip to Air Force (9-11, 0-7) on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 6 p.m. The Cougars are looking to tie for the second-best record in the conference entering the second half of the MWC schedule. BYU is 1-2 on the road in conference action including a win at Colorado State and losses at New Mexico and Utah. Tuesday’s game will be televised on The Mtn. while the radio broadcast can be heard on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City and on the Internet at KSL.com beginning with the pregame show at 5 p.m. MT.

Up Next

Following the Air Force game BYU will have a one-week break before beginning the second half of the conference schedule on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at home against Colorado State at 6 p.m. Follow the game on www.byucougars.com and listen 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.

Cougar Quick Hits

— Lee Cummard is now 13th all-time in scoring at BYU with 1,376 points. He is 13 points from passing Andy Toolson for 12th. Jonathan Tavernari is 11 points from reaching 1,000 for his career.

— Cummard and Tavernari continue to climb the BYU record books in the categories of made threes and steals. Cummard is tied for seventh in steals (118) and fourth in threes (143) and Tavernari is second in threes (172) and 10th in steals (104)

— 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 110 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.

Looking at Air Force

Air Force is 9-11 overall and 0-7 in MWC action. The Falcons are 7-6 at home but have dropped their last four — all conference games against San Diego State, TCU, Utah and UNLV. Air Force is last in the conference in scoring at 60.1 points per game and is second in points allowed at 60.2. The Falcons shoot 44.1 percent from the floor as a team and their opponents shoot just below 40.0 percent at 39.9 percent — also second in the league. Air Force is the second-best three-point shooting team in the conference at 38.1 percent and makes 6.5 treys per game. The three leading scorers for the Falcons are seniors in Anwar Johnson (13.4 ppg), Matt Holland (11.5 ppg) and Andrew Henke (11.1 ppg). Sophomore Evan Washington leads the team on the boards at 4.8 rebounds per game while contributing 7.5 points per contest. Holland is first in the conference in three-point shooting at 44.8 percent and leads the Falcons in shooting from the field (51.3 percent) and the line (79.3 percent). Jeff Reynolds is in his second season coaching the Falcons. He led Air Force to a 16-14 record last season and has a career mark of 107-59. Reynolds is coaching his sixth season overall as a head coach.

Air Force’s Last OUting — Falcons Fall to UNLV, 59-38

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) -Joe Darger had a game-high 18 points and UNLV connected on 12 3-pointers as the Rebels handed Air Force its eighth straight loss, 59-38, Saturday afternoon. The Rebels attempted 30 shots from 3-point range, with Kendall Wallace scoring all of his 15 points from beyond the arc. Wink Adams added 13 points for UNLV, while Matt Holland led Air Force with 13 points. The Falcons hit just 5-of-20 shots from 3-point range and shot 35 percent from the field in the loss, their ninth in 10 games. UNLV improved to 17-4 on the season, 5-2 in the Mountain West Conference, while Air Force fell to 9-11 overall and 0-7 in conference play.

Series Notes

Tuesday’s game will be the 60th meeting between BYU and Air Force with the Cougars owning a 47-12 advantage, including 20-7 in Clune Arena. BYU has won five-straight against the Falcons and is 5-1 vs. Air Force under Dave Rose. The Cougars recorded two wins over a ranked Falcon squad in 2006 including a 61-52 victory over No. 13 Air Force in the Marriott Center and a 62-58 win over the No. 25 Falcons in Colorado Springs. Last season BYU won 69-53 on the road and 76-57 at home. In a series typically dominated by the Cougars the Falcons won four of five from 2004 to 2006, including three victories at Clune Arena and one in the Marriott Center.

1,000-Point Man

Including a career-high 36 points against Long Beach State and performances of 30 points against Weber State, 28 against Cal Poly and 26 at Tulsa, Lee Cummard now has 363 total points for the season and 1,376 for his career. He is now 13th all-time in scoring in BYU history having passed Trent Plaisted (1,372) and Roland Minson (1,375) during the Wyoming game. He is 13 points from passing Andy Toolson for 12th all-time.

Approaching 1,000 Points

Junior forward Jonathan Tavernari is fast approaching the 1,000-point club. Coming into the season he had 640 career points and with 349 points so far this season and 989 for his career, Tavernari is now 11 points from reaching 1,000 for his career.

Downtown Record Watch

With two treys at Utah junior forward Jonathan Tavernari has 172 career threes, including 55 this season. He started the season with 117 threes and has passed Andy Toolson (141) and Mike Rose (163) and is now second all-time in school history in made threes. Tavernari also has 470 attempts from downtown, good for second all-time in school history. Lee Cummard was a perfect 3-of-3 at Utah and now has 143 threes for his career, good for fourth all-time at BYU. He is 21 from passing Mike Rose for third all-time. Cummard is also tied for fifth all-time in attempts with 321.

Top-10 Pick Pockets

With 19 steals this season Lee Cummard is now tied for seventh all-time in BYU history in career steals with Randy Reid with 118. Cummard had 16 steals as a freshman, 50 as a sophomore and 33 last season. He is seven steals from passing Matt Montague for sixth all-time. Jonathan Tavernari is also climbing the list with 38 thefts this season — including a career-high tying five vs. UNLV — and 104 for his career. He is now 10th all-time at BYU in career steals.