LARAMIE -- Despite being behind at the half, the BYU men’s basketball team (23-6, 11-4) pulled into a three-way tie for first place in the Mountain West Conference defeating the Wyoming Cowboys 78-68. The Cougars are now tied for first in the conference standings with Utah and New Mexico.

“It’s great to coach guys who really, really compete,” said BYU head coach Dave Rose. “I think right now this group is in a position where we can find different ways to win and find different ways to shoot the ball. We were a little more aggressive going to the basket and getting to the free throw line."

Leading the Cougars in the Arena-Auditorium was senior Lee Cummard who posted 24 points, eight rebounds, one steal and one block. Jonathan Tavernari had his sixth double-double of the season throwing up 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Cougars.

Jimmer Fredette was also in double figures for the Cougars with 15 points and eight rebounds. He was perfect from the charity stripe, going 6-for-6.

As a team, the Cougars grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and 34 defensive, for 48 total rebounds on the night, posting 12 second-chance points. The team also scored 12 points off turnovers.

BYU started with the first points on the board at 2-0, the first and last lead of the first half. Wyoming answered with a two and a three, with BYU not scoring until Lamont Morgan, Jr. subbed in to post a bucket for the Cougars to bring the score to 4-5 at the 15:08 mark.

The Cougars and the Cowboys would trade baskets until Cummard made two free throws and a three pointer to knot the score at 13. The Cougars were 0-for-7 from the three-point line before Cummard chalked up a trey at the 11:55 mark.

The Cowboys then tallied three free throws in a row, answered by another jumper by Cummard—only to be answered by Wyoming again, giving them a five-point lead at 15-20.

Not willing to succumb to the Cowboys’ the Cougars put up a 5-0 run with Tavernari draining a three at the 8:55 mark, followed by two free throws from Fredette to tie the score at 20. The two free throws from Fredette were his first points on the night.

However, Wyoming would soon post its largest lead of the game at 10 – going on a 10-0 run. Not being able to respond with quite as many points, the Cougars posted a 6-0 run with buckets from Fredette, Cummard and Tavernari.

Fredette would make a tough turnaround jumper at the 2:17 mark to bring the Cougars within four. Wyoming head coach Heath Schroyer would voice his opinion on Fredette’s drive, giving him a technical foul, sending the Mountain West Conferene’s best free throw shooter, Cummard, to the line to drain the two baskets, cutting Wyoming’s lead to two.

Trading baskets for the last two minutes, the Cowboys would lead 40-35 going into the locker rooms. Sean Ogirri led Wyoming with 17 points on five threes in the first half.

“One of the things about Wyoming that is so difficult to defend is that they have four true scorers. It's difficult to figure out how they are scoring. When you get four scorers that are three-point shooters, it's something that you must shut down."

In the first half BYU shot only 32.4 percent from the field and 20.0 from the three-point line. Free throws kept the Cougars in the game, making 11-for-12 (91.7 percent). Cummard led in points with 11 at the half, followed by Tavernari with nine and Fredette with six.

Coming out running, the Cougars posted an 8-2 run to start the half, giving them their first lead of the game since 2-0 at 44-42.

Both teams would trade the lead until Tavernari posted an up-and-under move to take the lead at 48-47. A fast break dunk by James Anderson later put the Cougars up by four points at 53-49. The Cowboys answered with a 7-0 run to regain the lead at 56-53, keeping it until Cummard hit two free throws, sparking an 11-0 run. Following the free throws, Cummard also made a three-point play at the 7:22 mark to give the Cougars a two-point lead. In the 11-0 run, Cummard had eight of the points.

Wyoming knocked down 1-of-2 from the stripe at the 3:37 mark to end the 11-0 Cougar run. Trying to run down the clock, BYU kept the ball between the circles until Fredette made a three with the shot clock winding down, putting the Cougars up by nine points.

A defensive rebound by Tavernari and a long pass down-court from Fredette to Cummard for a dunk gave the Cougars their biggest lead of the game at the 43-second mark, 73-62.

The Cougars will conclude the regular season on Saturday, March 7, at home against Air Force. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Marriott Center. BYU will honor its seniors, Lee Cummard, Archie Rose and Gavin MacGregor, Saturday night prior to the game.

“Saturday is going to be tough for us to say goodbye to Lee Cummard,” said Rose. “He has been one of the greatest players BYU has ever seen and he will be greatly missed.”

Only 3,000 tickets remain for the final regular season game. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-322-BYU1 or by visiting www.byutickets.com. BYU won the first meeting this season 71-50 in Colorado Springs. Follow the game on www.byucougars.com and listen 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. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

CLICK HERE for postgame notes and quotes.

Official Basketball Box Score
BYU vs Wyoming Cowboys
3-4-09 6:00 PM at Laramie, Wyo. (Arena-Auditorium)
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VISITORS: BYU 23-6 (11-4 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  5-12   1-3   13-15   1  7  8   3  24  0  4  1  1  39
45 TAVERNARI, Jonathan. f  7-16   3-6    2-3    1 10 11   3  19  0  0  1  0  35
54 MILES, Chris........ c  1-7    0-0    2-2    5  3  8   3   4  0  3  1  1  24
04 EMERY, Jackson...... g  2-5    1-4    0-0    1  2  3   4   5  6  0  0  1  35
32 FREDETTE, Jimmer.... g  4-13   1-4    6-6    1  7  8   3  15  2  3  0  0  36
01 ABOUO, Charles......    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   3
02 MORGAN, JR., Lamont.    1-2    0-1    0-0    0  1  1   1   2  0  1  0  0   6
15 ANDERSON, James.....    3-4    0-0    1-3    2  3  5   3   7  0  1  0  1  10
34 HARTSOCK, Noah......    0-1    0-0    2-2    1  1  2   1   2  0  0  2  0  12
   TEAM................                         2     2
   Totals..............   23-61   6-18  26-31  14 34 48  21  78  8 12  5  4 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-34 32.4%   2nd Half: 12-27 44.4%   Game: 37.7%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-10 20.0%   2nd Half:  4-8  50.0%   Game: 33.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 11-12 91.7%   2nd Half: 15-19 78.9%   Game: 83.9%    2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Wyoming Cowboys 18-11 (7-8 MWC)
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
11 MUOJEKE, Afam....... f  4-7    0-2    3-5    0  7  7   3  11  4  3  1  2  35
21 JOHNSON, Tyson...... f  3-12   1-1    1-2    0 10 10   3   8  0  1  0  1  32
15 WADDELL, Adam....... c  2-3    0-0    1-2    1  5  6   4   5  0  2  1  0  23
00 OGIRRI, Sean........ g  7-17   6-15   5-6    1  1  2   2  25  1  1  0  2  40
23 EWING, Brandon...... g  6-14   0-5    4-5    0  0  0   2  16  7  1  1  2  38
05 DERMODY, Ryan.......    0-1    0-1    0-0    1  0  1   3   0  0  0  0  0   6
13 LINSKENS, Mikhail...    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
25 THIAM, Djibril......    1-3    0-0    1-3    1  4  5   2   3  0  2  2  0  24
51 DAVIS, A.J..........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   1
   TEAM................                         2     2
   Totals..............   23-58   7-24  15-23   6 27 33  20  68 12 10  5  7 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 14-31 45.2%   2nd Half:  9-27 33.3%   Game: 39.7%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  6-16 37.5%   2nd Half:  1-8  12.5%   Game: 29.2%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  6-8  75.0%   2nd Half:  9-15 60.0%   Game: 65.2%    3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Verne Harris, Rick Batsell and Shawn Lehigh
Technical fouls: BYU-None. Wyoming Cowboys-TEAM.
Attendance: 6749
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
BYU...........................   35   43  -   78
Wyoming Cowboys...............   40   28  -   68
Points in the paint-BY 24,WY 28. Points off turnovers-BY 12,WY 12.
2nd chance points-BY 12,WY 2. Fast break points-BY 4,WY 8.
Bench points-BY 11,WY 3. Score tied-7 times. Lead changed-10 times.
Last FG-BY 2nd-00:35, WY 2nd-00:20.
Largest lead-BY by 11 2nd-00:43, WY by 10 1st-05:56.

BYU GAME #29 FAST FACTS

BYU (22-6, 10-4)

at Wyoming (18-10, 7-7)

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Arena-Auditorium (15,000)

Laramie, Wyo.

6 p.m. MT

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (94-32 in fourth season; same overall)

Wyoming, Heath Schroyer (30-28 in second season; 65-75 in fifth season overall)

Series

BYU leads, 100-69, BYU won 84-60 at home on Jan. 31

TV

The Mtn. (Mike Evans, play-by-play; Joe Cravens, 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/

Cougars at Wyoming on Wednesday

BYU men’s basketball (22-6, 10-4 MWC) will look to keep its MWC title hopes alive on Wednesday at Wyoming (18-10, 7-7 MWC) at 6 p.m. MT at the Arena-Auditorium in Laramie. The Cougars defeated first-place Utah 63-50 on Saturday, Feb. 28, to pull within one game of the Utes. On Jan. 31 the Cougars defeated Wyoming 84-60 in Provo to begin a stretch that has seen BYU win seven-of-eight games. The Cowboys have played well as of late, winning four-straight games to even their conference record. Wyoming is 12-1 at home this season. Wednesday’s game will be televised live 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

The Cougars will conclude the regular season on Saturday, March 7, at home against Air Force. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Marriott Center. BYU will honor its seniors, Lee Cummard, Archie Rose and Gavin MacGregor, Saturday night prior to the game. The Falcons are currently 9-18 overall and 0-14 in MWC play and riding a 15-game losing streak. BYU won the first meeting this season 71-50 in Colorado Springs. Follow the game on www.byucougars.com and listen 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. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

Cougar Quick Hits

— Lee Cummard is 11th all-time in scoring at BYU with 1,484 career points. Jonathan Tavernari is 34th all-time with 1,098 career points.

— Cummard and Tavernari continue to climb the BYU record books in made threes and steals. Cummard is sixth in steals (125) and fourth in threes (149) and Tavernari is second in threes (190) and 10th in steals (109).

— At 22-6 in 2008-09 two-time MWC Coach of the Year Dave Rose has guided BYU to four-straight 20-win seasons and three-straight postseason berths. In his first season the Cougars were 20-9 and went 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 120 games of any BYU basketball coach.

Looking at Wyoming

Wyoming is 18-10 overall and 7-7 in MWC play this season, having won four straight to even its record in conference action. The streak started with home wins over UNLV and TCU and continued with wins on the road against Colorado State and Air Force. The Cowboys are one of the best home teams in the conference with a record of 12-1. Their only home loss this season was against Utah, 91-67. Wyoming is the second-highest scoring team in the conference behind BYU at 76.4 points per contest. The Cowboys are last in scoring defense at 75.0 points per game but have shown improvement during their winning streak holding three of their four opponents to fewer than 70 points. Wyoming is the third-best free throw shooting team at 72.9 percent and has made 567 shots from the line, 74 better than second-place New Mexico. The Cowboys are also third in the league in field goal percentage (.470) and second in rebounding at 36.5 per game. They are last in turnover margin (-3.32) and second to last in assist/turnover ratio (0.91). Four players average double-digits for Coach Heath Schroyer led by senior Brandon Ewing’s 18.8 points per game (1st in the MWC). He is followed by Sean Ogirri (14.4, 8th), Afam Muojeke (14.3, 10th) and Tyson Johnson (13.9, 13th). Ewing also leads the team and league in assists per game at 5.18. He is also fifth in the league in free throw percenatage at .825 and has 198 makes on the season, 40 more than anyone on the list. Johnson is sixth in the conference in field goal percenage at .519 while Sean Ogirri is fourth in three-point field goal percentage and first in three-pointers per game (3.29). Ewing and Ogirri are first and second in the league in minutes played per game at 38.07 and 36.29, respectively. Schroyer is in his second season at Wyoming and has a record of 30-28.

Wyoming’s Last Outing — Cowboys Edge Falcons, 65-62

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) - Air Force senior Andrew Henke could not connect on a potential game-tying 3-pointer with four seconds remaining as Wyoming defeated the Falcons 65-62 Saturday at Clune Arena.

The Falcons had another chance to tie the game after Wyoming’s Afam Muojeke missed a pair of free throws with two seconds remaining, but the final buzzer sounded as senior Matt Holland lined up for a 3-point attempt in front of the Air Force bench.

Wyoming’s Sean Ogirri scored 20 of his game-high 23 points in the first half and Brandon Ewing added 23 of his own for the Cowboys (18-10, 7-7 Mountain West Conference). The loss was the 15th consecutive defeat for the Falcons (9-18, 0-14).

Henke led Air Force with 23 points, while Holland had 20.

Series Notes

BYU and Wyoming have met 169 times. BYU leads the series 100-69 after defeating the Cowboys 84-60 in Provo on Jan. 31. The Cougars have won eight-straight against the Cowboys. During the streak BYU has won four-straight at home, three-straight in Laramie and one in the MWC tournament. Wyoming has a 53-31 advantage in Laramie while BYU boasts a 64-14 record in Provo. BYU has a 5-2 edge on a neutral floor, including a 3-0 advantage in conference tournament play (MWC Tournament wins in 2001, 2004 and 2007). Since the formation of the Mountain West Conference, BYU has won 17 of the 22 meetings. After Utah and Utah State, BYU men’s basketball has faced Wyoming the third-most in its history.

By the Numbers

2 BYU’s NCAA Division I ranking in team field goal percentage (as of March 1). The Cougars are shooting 49.8 percent from the field as a team.

3 The number of BYU players ranked in the top six scorers (all games) in the MWC: Lee Cummard (3), Jonathan Tavernari (5) and Jimmer Fredette (6).

4 The number of times BYU head coach Dave Rose has guided the Cougars to 20-win seasons, including 2008-09, in four seasons as head coach. BYU reached the mark this season with a home win against New Mexico. Rose is the third BYU coach to win 20 games in each of his first four seasons.

5 BYU’s turnover total against Utah, a season low.

6 As of March 1, the number of categories in which BYU is ranked in the top-20 in the NCAA (scoring margin (8), field goal percentage (2), three-point field goal defense (9), assists per game (11) and assist/turnover ratio (4) and turnovers per game (16). The Cougars are 21st in scoring offense and three-point field goal percentage.

8 The number of statistical categories in which a BYU player ranks among the top three in the MWC (all games) out of 13 categories tracked by the league. Also the number of statistical categories out of 19 tracked by the league in which BYU is ranked No. 1 as a team in the MWC (Scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage defense, rebounds, assists, assist/turnover ratio, defensive rebounds).

11 The number of games in which Lee Cummard has hit 60.0 percent or better from the field this season. He has hit better than 70.0 percent in six games.

18 The number of free throws Jackson Emery has attempted without missing in the last 12 games. He has not missed a shot from the charity stripe since missing the first of two at New Mexico. He hit 2-of-2 vs. Utah to extend the streak.

19 The number of games BYU has won by double figures. The Cougars have won six games by 20-29 points and five games by 30-plus points

19.2 BYU’s average margin of victory in its 21 wins.

22 The number of consecutive games in which Jonathan Tavernari hit a three-pointer before going without a trey against Utah. He owns the single-season record with 21-straight games with a three and tied the all-time record held by Mark Bigelow (22) set over a span of two seasons.

24 The number of threes Jonathan Tavernari needs to pass Mark Bigelow for first all-time.

56.7 Jonathan Tavernari’s three-point shooting percentage over the last six games (17-of-30). Tavernari hit 5-of-5 vs. Colorado State, 2-of-5 at TCU, 3-of-5 vs. New Mexico, 5-of-9 at UNLV and 2-of-5 at SDSU. He went 0-for-1 vs. Utah.

72.4 BYU’s first half shooting percentage against Colorado State, a season best for the Cougars.

79.0 BYU head coach Dave Rose’s winning percentage in conference games, 49-13, — best in MWC history.

88.1 Lee Cummard’s free throw shooting percentage in league games (37-of-42), first in the MWC.

97 The number of conference wins for BYU since the formation of the MWC in 1999, first among all conference teams.

100 Percent of games BYU has won this year when holding opponents to 69 points or less this season. The Cougars are 20-0 when holding opponents below 70 points.

Best Starts Through 28 and 29 Games

Through 28 games this season BYU is 22-6, equal to last season’s pace. Three Cougar teams that played at least 28 games during a season earned a better record in the first 28 games while four others were also 22-6. A win Wednesday at Wyoming would tie the current squad for the third-best record throught 29 games with five other teams, including last season’s squad.