Game 4 - BYU Faces Lamar Wednesday at the Delta Center

Coming off back-to-back victories, BYU takes on the Lamar Cardinals (Beaumont, Texas) Wednesday at 7 p.m in the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The game was originally scheduled to be played in Provo on Dec. 20th, but the contest was rescheduled due to academic scheduling conflicts created for Lamar by the effects of Hurricane Rita. Wednesday's game will be broadcast live on KSL Newsradio, which can be heard on 102.7 FM or 1160 AM. Greg Wrubell and Mark Durrant will call the game, which is also available online at KSL.com.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets to the BYU-Lamar game at the Delta Center are $14 for lower bowl tickets and $5 for upper bowl tickets. Courtside VIP tickets, which include a pregame meal and halftime snacks, are $50. Students with a BYU All-Sport Pass can use their pass to receive two tickets to the game. All-Sport tickets can be redeemed at the Marriott Center Ticket Office. They can also be redeemed the day of the game at the Delta Center Ticket Office.

CHILDREN WITH CANCER DONATIONS

For the seventh year, the BYU men's basketball team will join the Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation in an effort to raise money for families who have children with cancer. Thousands of BYU Cougar fans can unite with the team and the Foundation by donating money at the BYU-Lamar game that will directly benefit the Christmas experience these families and their children will have this holiday season. At all entrances to the Delta Center, there will be volunteers for the Foundation that will collect money for those who wish to donate. At the end of the game, there will be volunteers set up at all exit locations to gather any last donations. The Foundation is also collecting any unwrapped toys that can be dropped off at the nearest Far West Bank or Harmon's Down Town Auto Center located in Provo. One hundred percent of the money donated to the Foundation will go directly towards the Christmas party for more than 90 families who have children with cancer living primarily in Utah County. "This has always been a cause I feel strongly about," said Dave Rose. "It has been such a positive experience for the coaches, players and families and is a tremendous opportunity for community members to be involved in brightening the holiday season for these children."

GAME #4 FAST FACTS

BYU COUGARS (2-1, 0-0 MWC) vs. LAMAR CARDINALS (1-3, 0-0 Southland Conference)

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005

Delta Center

Salt Lake City, Utah

7:05 p.m. MST

Coaches:

BYU, Dave Rose (2-1 in first year; same overall)

LU, Billy Tubbs (105-78 in his seventh season; 625-329 in 31st year overall)

Series: First meeting

TV: None

Radio:

KSL Newsradio, BYU Sports Network (Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analysis)

Web:

Live audio and live stats broadcasts are available at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

UP NEXT

BYU travels to Los Angeles to face the Tim Floyd-coached USC Trojans on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. PST (8:30 p.m. MST) in the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

LOOKING AT LAMAR

Lamar is 1-3 on the season after losing at No. 9 Memphis on Monday night. In Lamar's prior game, the Cardinals posted a 92-82 win over Montana State in the seventh place game at the BP Top of the World Classic hosted by Alaska-Fairbanks. The Cardinals lost to Southern Miss (79-76) and Kennesaw State (79-60) at the Top of the World Classic to open the season. Lamar is led by senior Alan Daniels, who set a new career high with 41 points at Memphis Monday night. He has tallied back-to-back 30-plus point performances after tying his then career-high 34 points in the Cardinals' win over Montana State. He leads the team in scoring at 24.3 points per game and is shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 76.9 percent from the free throw line. Senior Josh Goodwin leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.8. Senior Thomas Fairley recorded his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds against Montana State. As a team, Lamar is averaging 77.8 ppg and is shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three-point range and 61.9 percent from the free throw line.

LAMAR FALLS AT NO. 9 MEMPHIS ON MONDAY DESPITE DANIELS' 41 POINTS

Prior to facing BYU Wednesday in the Delta Center, Lamar continued its five-game road trip to start the 2005-06 season with a game at No. 9-ranked Memphis Monday night. Coming off a 70-67 loss to No. 1-ranked Duke in the championship game of the NIT Season Tip-Off, Memphis (4-1) defeated Lamar 108-83 Monday. Memphis defeating No. 16-ranked UCLA (88-80) in the semifinals at Madison Square Garden to advance to meet Duke. Lamar got a career performance out of senior Alan Daniels, who scored 41 points on 13-of-27 shooting, including 6-of-14 treys, and 9-for-11 success at the line. He added eight rebounds and six assists against the No. 9-ranked team in the country. The Cardinals shot 46 percent as a team, including 35 percent on threes while allowing Memphis 50.6 percent shooting and 35 percent from long range. Lamar's Matthew Barrow added 15 points in a losing effort while making his second start of the season.

PRIOR OUTING - Lamar Downs Montana State at Top of the World Classic

FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- Senior Alan Daniels scored a game-high 34 points, leading Lamar to its first win of the season with a 92-82 win over Montana State in Sunday's seventh place game at the BP Top of the World Classic hosted by the University of Alaska-Fairbanks at the Carlson Center. Lamar improved its record to 1-2 on the season and also gave the Cardinals their 800th win in school history since becoming a four-year institution in 1951-52. Lamar is off until after the Thanksgiving holiday when they play Nov. 28 at No. 11-ranked Memphis. The game featured five ties and 13 lead changes before the Cardinals finally took control in the final six minutes of the game. Trailing 69-70 following a Marvin Moss layup at 6:30, Lamar went on a 9-0 run to take a 78-70 lead and the Cardinals never looked back. Daniels started the run with a three-pointer and he added a pair of layups. Matthew Barrow also had a layup during the run. Lamar sealed the win by making 10-of-12 free throws over the final three minutes. Lamar took a brief lead in the first half, 15-14, on a Thomas Fairley jumper. MSU responded with a 10-1 run to take an eight-point lead, 24-16. Lamar trailed by nine, 31-40, following a dunk by Al Beye with 4:58 left in the opening stanza. The Cardinals closed the first half on a 9-3 run to trim the deficit to 40-43 at halftime. Daniels was 13-of-23 from the field, including 3-of-8 from three-point range, and 5-of-6 from the free throw line in equaling his career-high of 34 points. He also had four rebounds and two steals. Barrow scored a career-high 19 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Fairley recorded his first double-double of the season with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and grabbed 11 rebounds. He also dished out a career-high five assists. Josh Goodwin added 11 points and seven rebounds. Lamar shot 45.2 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. The Cardinals forced 22 turnovers which led to 27 points. Nick Dissly led MSU with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Beye also recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Ja'Ron Jefferson added 13 points, Moss and Brandan Miller chipped in 12 and Casey Durham had 11 points. Moss handed out a game-high seven assists. For the game, MSU shot 48.5 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from 3-point range and 61.5 percent from the free throw line.

LAMAR'S PROJECTED STARTERS

No Name Pos Ht Wt Cl Hometown/Previous School PPG RPG

33 Alan Daniels F 6-6 175 SR Tulsa, Okla./Arkansas-Fort Smith 24.3 4.0

44 Josh Goodwin F 6-9 191 SR Lake Charles, La./Southwestern Christian College 9.5 7.8

42 Thomas Fairley F/C 6-9 216 SR Long Beach, Miss./Redlands CC 8.0 4.0

23 Matthew Barrow G 6-4 185 SO Baton Rouge, La./Southern Lab HS 9.5 1.8

1 Brandon Chappell G 6-0 172 JR Beaumont, Texas/Ozen 6.5 1.3

SERIES INFORMATION

Wednesday's meeting in the Delta Center will be the first between BYU and Lamar. The two teams will play in Beaumont, Texas, next season.

BYU's LAST OUTING -- Hot Shooting Propels BYU over Southern Utah

PROVO -- BYU extended its winning streak against in-state opponent SUU to 9-0 Saturday night with an 86-61 victory. The Cougars achieved their highest-scoring game on the season while improving to 2-1 overall. "The guys shared the ball well tonight," said BYU coach Dave Rose. "A lot of times we gave up a good shot for a better shot." Thirty-three of the Cougar's points came from behind the three-point line, with a team three-point percentage of .647, the fifth-highest three-point percentage in BYU history with a minimum of 10 attempts. BYU made a season-high 58.5 percent overall as the Cougars have now topped 50 percent shooting from the floor and from behind the arc in the past two games. The Cougars took a 37-25 lead at the half -- the Cougars' highest scoring first half of the season. The Cougars started the second half with back-to-back-to-back threes, one by Broadus and two in a row by Reichner, to push the lead to 21 points. The Thunderbirds scored their first point of the half on a free throw to stop a 9-0 BYU run almost four minutes into the period, but the Cougars held them to without a field goal the first six minutes of the second half. Freshman Jackson Emery entered the game late in the half and immediately contributed to the Cougars' lead, scoring off a fast break assist by junior Austin Ainge to push the Cougar lead to 55-32. Emery also made two threes and two free throws and finished with a career-high 10 points, while Ainge totaled a career-tying eight assists on the night. The Cougars carried their momentum to the final buzzer and sent the Thunderbirds home with a 25-point defeat. The Cougars dominated the Thunderbirds across the court, finishing with 31 points in the paint compared to SUU's four. BYU added another nine off of fast breaks while SUU failed to convert in transition. "Coach Rose loves to play fast and he did," said SUU coach Bill Evans. "I think BYU shot the ball extremely well offensively. We were on the other end of the spectrum tonight." BYU had four players score in double digits, with freshman Trent Plaisted leading the pack at 13 points. Broadus added a career-high 11, while Reichner contributed another 11 and Emery tallied his career-high 10. Junior Keena Young led the Cougars on the boards bringing down five rebounds, while Ainge led the team in assists with eight. SUU was led by senior Nate Janes with 11 points and junior Henry Uhegwu with 10 points. The Thunderbirds fall to 0-5 on the year, having played all five contests on the road.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose:

- "Defensively we played well tonight, but we fouled too much. Offensively we played a lot better in the second half. It took the post guys a while to get going, but once they did they played really well."

- "I was really happy with how Derek Dawes came in and played some quality minutes after not having played much. Malaman can play the three and four spot so he plays a lot of minutes. I think he is the king of minutes for us."

- "The guys shared the ball well tonight. A lot of times we gave up a good shot for a better shot."

Southern Utah Head Coach Bill Evans:

- "Coach Rose loves to play fast and he did. I think BYU shot the ball extremely well and played well offensively. We were on the other end of the spectrum tonight."

BYU NOTES FROM LAST OUTING

- BYU's 86-61 victory gives the Cougars a 9-0 advantage in the series against Southern Utah.

- Eighty-six points is the highest point total for BYU this season and marks the most points the Cougars have scored in a game since Jan. 11, 2005 when they scored 110 against Montana State-Billings

- Junior center Derek Dawes saw his first action of the year against Southern Utah after sitting out the first two games of the season due to a shoulder injury. Dawes appeared in 29 games and started 13 games in 2004-05. Dawes also scored his first point of the season on a free throw with :57 remaining in the first half. He finished with five points.

- Redshirt freshman Jermaine Odjegba stepped onto the floor for the first time, playing for four minutes.

- BYU scored 37 points in the first half, making it the highest scoring first half of the season for the Cougars. BYU is now 2-0 when leading at halftime.

- The Cougars went on a 9-0 run in the first 3:26 to start the second half behind two three-pointers from Brock Reichner and one from Rashaun Broadus. The run was stopped by a Thunderbird free throw. Southern Utah did not score a field goal until 14:09 remaining in the second half.

- Rashaun Broadus scored a career-high 11 points, topping the nine points he scored in the season-opener against Loyola Marymount. Broadus went three-for-three from behind the arc.

- Freshman Jackson Emery netted a career-high 10 points on three-for-four shooting from the field and two-for-three shooting from three-point range.

- Rashaun Broadus, Jackson Emery, Brock Reichner and Trent Plaisted all scored in double figures. In last season's contest with SUU, five Cougars scored in double figures.

- Against Southern Utah, the Cougars continued their trend of getting stronger as the game goes on. Including exhibition games, BYU has yet to score 40 points in any first half, but has scored more than 40 points in every second half of play.

- As a team the Cougars shot .647 from three-point range. This is the fifth highest three-point percentage in BYU history with a minimum of 10 attempt. The Cougars made 11 three-pointers, which is the most the Cougars have made since Dec. 8, 2004 against Boise State. BYU has shot over 41 percent from behind the arc in each of its three games this season. BYU has shot 50 percent or better in the last two games.

- BYU's 58.5 percent shooting overall set a new season high, topping the 55 percent the Cougars made against Washington State on Tuesday.

- Junior Austin Ainge finished with eight assists and no turnovers to tie his career high. It marks the fourth time Ainge has totaled eight assists in a game.

SCORING FOR THE COUGARS

BYU is averaging 77.7 points, led by redshirt freshman Trent Plaisted's 13.3 points per game. The 6-foot-11 forward/center has reached double figures in each game. Junior Jimmy Balderson adds 11.0 points per game as the second Cougar to average double figures. A different Cougar has led the team in scoring in BYU's first three games (Balderson, 18, vs. Loyola Marymount; senior Brock Reichner, 18, at Washington State; Plaisted, 13, vs. Southern Utah).

FINDING THE MARK

BYU is shooting better than 50 percent from the field and from the three-point line. The Cougars have shot 55 percent or better from the floor in the last two games, while making 50 percent (9-for-18) and 64.7 percent (11-for-17) from long range in the last two outings. Individually, eight Cougars are shooting 50 percent or better from the field and five are making 60 percent or more of their three-point attempts.

POINT PLAY ASSISTING IN VICTORY

BYU's point guards have played well in the Cougars' two victories. After combining for six assists and five turnovers in the season-opening loss to LMU, BYU point guards Rashaun Broadus and Austin Ainge showed marked improvement in the Cougars' win at Washington State, where the two combined to dish out 10 assists while committing only two turnovers, as each posted a line of a game-high 5 assists with only one turnover. In BYU's victory over Southern Utah on Saturday, they combined for 13 assists with only one turnover. Ainge tied a career high with 8 assists without a turnover while adding 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals off the bench. Broadus, meanwhile, had 3 assists and one turnover while scoring a season-best 11 points, including 3-for-3 three-point shooting, while adding 3 rebounds and 1 steal.

WINNING SIDE OF THE LEDGER

With BYU's victory over Southern Utah, the Cougars own a winning record for the first time since the 2003-04 season. Last year BYU never got on the winning side of the ledger during a 9-21 campaign.

FRESHMEN SHOW PROMISE IN EXHIBITION WINS

Both of the Cougars' exhibition games showcased rising stars as two freshmen led the team in scoring. Trent Plaisted led BYU against Seattle Pacific with 27 points while Lee Cummard paced the Cougars with 23 points against Victoria.

REDSHIRTING -- SAM BURGESS, VUK IVANOVIC

Junior guard Sam Burgess will redshirt the upcoming season. The 6-foot-3 guard from Alpine, Utah, is one of nine juniors on the roster this year. Junior Vuk Ivanovic will also redshirt while he sits out the season due to NCAA transfer rules. Burgess scored a game-high 21 points at Cougar Tipoff, the team's annual blue-white scrimmage. He went 7-for-12 from the floor, including 4-for-6 on threes, and was 3-of-4 from the line while adding five rebounds, one assist and one steal in 33 minutes on the floor.