GAME 4 - BYU Hosts Hartford Tuesday

BYU HOSTS HARTFORD TUESDAY AT 7:30 P.M. IN SECOND ROUND OF LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL

BYU (3-0) plays in the second round of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational when it hosts Hartford (1-3) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. BYU enters the game with the nation's second-longest active home victory streak at 33 games. The game will be televised nationally live on BYUTV and will also be broadcast live in Utah on KBYU, channel 11. The radio broadcast can be heard 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.

WOMEN UP FIRST

BYU and Hartford also face each other in women's basketball action Tuesday at the Marriott Center. The women's game starts at 4:30 p.m. and will also be televised live on BYUTV and KBYU, channel 11.

UP NEXT

BYU travels to Las Vegas for a third-round matchup of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational against No. 6 Louisville. The game is a 6 p.m. PT start Friday at Orleans Arena.

BYU GAME #4 FAST FACTS

BYU COUGARS (3-0)

vs.

HARTFORD HAWKS (1-3)

Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007

Marriott Center (22,700)

Provo, Utah

7:35 p.m. MT

Coaches:

BYU, Dave Rose (48-18 in third season; same overall)

Hartford, Dan Leibovitz (14-21 in second season; same overall)

Series:

First Meeting

TV:

BYUTV/KBYU (Chris Twitty, play-by-play; Andy Toolson, game analysis)

Radio:

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar?Sports Network (6:30 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/

COUGAR QUICK HITS

-- Two-time reigning MWC?Coach of the Year Dave Rose helped make BYU the second-most improved program in the nation in his first season with a 20-9 record and guided the Cougars to the outright MWC?title and a top-25 ranking in his second campaign in Provo as the Cougars went 25-9 last season.

-- BYU has been picked in the preseason poll to finish first in the MWC race this year by the league's media.

-- BYU currently owns the nation's second-longest active home win streak with 33 straight wins in the Marriott Center. The Cougars went 17-0 at home last year and are 2-0 at home this year.

-- This year's BYU squad returns two starters among seven lettermen from last year's outright league leaders (13-3 MWC record) as well as returned missionary Chris Miles, who made six starts as a freshman in 2004-05. Headlining BYU's top returners in 2007-08 are MWC Player of the Year candidate Trent Plaisted, a two-time All-MWC Second Team selection in his first two seasons; versatile junior guard Lee Cummard, who earned All-MWC Third Team honors one year ago; and sophomore sharpshooter Jonathan Tavernari, who followed Plaisted's lead the prior season by being named the MWC Freshman of the Year in his first campaign as a Cougar.

LOOKING AT HARTFORD

The Hartford Hawks are 1-3 so far this season with a win over Sacred Heart and losses at St. Francis, Quinnipiac (2OT) and Louisville. The 104-69 defeat at the hands of the Cardinals was the Hawks' first game of the 2007 Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational. Hartford returns three starters among nine letterwinners from last year's team that finished the season 13-18 under first-year head coach Dan Leibovitz. Sophomore guard Joe Zeglinski, the team's leading returning scorer with 12.7 points per game last season, has picked up where he left off with a team-best 14.5 scoring average through four games this year. Zeglinski also adds 3.5 assists per game to lead the Hawks while posting 4.8 rebounds per contest. Junior transfer Warren McLendon is second on the team averaging 14.0 ppg and is one of four Hawks posting at least 5.0 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-6 forward is also tallying 1.8 blocks per game. Junior guard/forward Michael Turner paces Hartford with 5.8 rpg while contributing across the board with 7.0 ppg, 2.8 apg and 2.3 spg. Turner is also shooting 46.7 percent from the field and has made three of six shots from three-point range. Senior guard Rich Baker (5.3 rpg) and junior guard Jaret Con Rosenberg (5.0 rpg) round out the Hawk quartet with at least 5.0 boards per contest. As a team, Hartford is averaging 69.2 ppg on .424 shooting from the field, including a .372 mark from three-point range. The Hawks are allowing opponents to score 76.5 ppg on .416 shooting from the floor with a .430 efficiency from long range. Hawk opponents outrebound Hartford 44.8-35.8.

HARTFORD'S PROBABLE STARTERS

Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG

F 2 Warren McLendon 6-6 250 Jr. 14.0 5.0

F 3 Michael Turner 6-5 215 Jr. 7.0 5.8

F 25 Anthony Minor 6-6 200 Fr. 3.3 2.3

G 22 Rich Baker 6-1 180 Sr. 8.3 5.3

G 24 Joe Zeglinski 6-0 185 So. 14.5 4.8

HARTFORD'S LAST?OUTING -- Hartford Shot Down at No. 6 Louisville

LOUISVILLE -- Sixth-ranked Louisville University made a school record 22 three-pointers and handed the University of Hartford men's basketball team a 104-69 loss on Saturday afternoon at Freedom Hall. Louisville (1-0 overall) shot 63 percent from long distance in the game and had seven players finish in double figures in scoring. Andre McGee finished with a game-high 18 points while Terrence Williams recorded the third triple-double in school history with 14 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 13 assists. Hartford (1-3 overall) shot 40 percent from the floor but just 31 percent from three-point range. Sophomore Joe Zeglinski led the Hawks with 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds to post his first career double-double. Freshman Morgan Sabia also recorded his first double-digit scoring game with 11 points while junior Warren McLendon finished with 10 points. Louisville attacked the Hartford zone right away by bombing away from the outside. The Cardinals connected on nine three-pointers in the first half and shot 60 percent from downtown in the stanza. McGee made five of his six attempts from long range to lead the assault. The Cardinals used a 20-4 run over a five minute stretch to open up a 21-point lead at 38-17 with 5:47 to play in the first half. The Hawks then scored 10 of the next 12 points to claw their way back into the contest, with senior Brian Glowiak and freshman Andres Torres sinking three-pointers in the run. Hartford trimmed the deficit to 12 on a pair of Glowiak free throws, but McGee answered with a trey on the ensuing play to give Louisville a 46-31 lead. The Cardinals took the 15-point advantage into the locker room at the half. Louisville stepped up its outside shooting in the second half, connecting on 13 three-pointers at a 65-percent clip. Edgar Sosa (15 points) and Jerry Smith (14 points) combined for six three-pointers and 21 points over the final 20 minutes to lead the Cardinals.

SERIES NOTES

This will be the first meeting in the series between Hartford and BYU.

BYU'S LAST OUTING - COUGARS OPEN LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL WITH HOME WIN OVER JACKSON STATE

PROVO -- In the first round of the Las Vegas Invitational, junior Trent Plaisted and the BYU Cougars won easily over the Jackson State Tigers, 100-61, as Plaisted contributed a game-high 21 points. The Cougars improved to 3-0 in this young season, and the Tigers fell to 0-3. Plaisted was not alone in BYU's offensive effort as a total of five Cougars scored in double digits. Two of those five came off the bench as Michael Loyd Jr. finished with 15, and Vuk Ivanovic tied his career high with 10. The game did not start the way the Cougars wanted, though, as Jackson State scored the first eight points. That 8-0 start by the Tigers was not only the first time all year that BYU has trailed its opponent, but it is also the largest run that the Cougars have allowed this season. At the 17:49 mark, Cougar Lee Cummard helped BYU break onto the scoreboard for the first time as he made a three-pointer. Cummard went on to finish the game with 14 points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists. Both teams started the game applying pressure defensively, leading to multiple fast break opportunities. The Cougars had eight fast break points in the first period while the Tigers converted four fast break points of their own. The first half also saw major contributions by three BYU freshmen. Chris Collinsworth played 11 minutes, and both Loyd and Jimmer Fredette saw six minutes of action. In the last minutes of the half, BYU slowly opened a 12-point lead, with the halftime score at 41-29. The Cougars shot 55 percent from the field and went 7-for-9 from the free-throw line in the first stanza. The second half saw a much different start than the first half did as BYU went on a 23-4 run in the first six minutes of the half. The Cougars never looked back as they cruised to win by 39 points. BYU senior guard Ben Murdock recorded a new personal best with eight total assists in the game. Collinsworth also had a notable performance with a game-high and career-high 10 rebounds in the Cougars' winning effort. Freshman guard Chris Hyche led Jackson State with 14 points. The Cougars' defense held the Tigers to 33 percent shooting on the game.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "For the most part, we did a good job competing on every play. Jackson State came out strong, and their quickness and ability to make plays surprised us. But we did a good job limiting their defensive boards."

-- "Trent [Plaisted] came in and controlled the lower post both offensively and defensively. It allowed us to start our break, and it helped our energy and confidence."

-- "Jackson State came out and was really good. They made a lot of plays and had a lot of energy, and it seemed they wore out as the night went on."

Jackson State Head Coach Tevester Anderson

-- "We were defeated tonight by a very fine team in BYU. They run the ball as well as anyone I've seen. They shoot well and rebound well too."

-- "We executed well and made shots early on. I was proud of the way our guys played the first 15 minutes of the game. I think we got fatigued, and the elevation is always an issue for teams from the South."

-- "Now we've got to go to Louisville on Sunday and play another team in the top five. They have a different style and do a lot of things well, but I'll think we'll have a little more gas in Kentucky."

BYU NOTES FROM LAST OUTING

-- BYU head coach Dave Rose has used the same starting lineup in BYU's first three games, calling on Ben Murdock, Sam Burgess, Lee Cummard, Jonathan Tavernari and Trent Plaisted to begin the game.

-- Individual Career Highs: Ben Murdock -- 8 assists; Vuk Ivanovic -- 10 points (tied); Chris Collinsworth -- 10 rebounds; Michael Loyd Jr. -- 4 rebounds

-- Loyd's 15 points were his first as a BYU Cougar.

-- The 100-61 Cougar victory extended BYU's home win streak to 33 games dating back to Nov. 18, 2005. The streak is the second-longest active home win streak in the nation.

-- Friday marks the first time BYU has reached the 100-point mark since Dec. 22, 2006 against Western Oregon, and the first time against a Division I opponent since Feb. 22, 2006 against SDSU.

-- With a 39-point win against Jackson State, BYU has posted a +33.3 average margin of victory in its first three games this season.

-- BYU is now 3-0 when scoring at least 70 points this season and 3-0 when holding opponents under the 70-point mark while averaging 88 points per game and allowing just 54.7 ppg.

-- In the win against Jackson State, five Cougars scored in double figures, marking the second time this has happened in as many games.

-- BYU trailed for the first time all season at the 19:24 mark in the first half after a field goal by Jackson State's Grant Maxey.

-- Jackson State went on an 8-0 run to begin the game, the longest run against the Cougars so far this season. Lee Cummard's three-pointer ended the run with 17:55 to play in the first half.

-- Plaisted's 21 points against Jackson State topped the 20-point mark for the first time this season. He has reached the mark 10 times in his career, including 6 times in the 2006-2007 season.

-- Plaisted was the first Cougar in double figures as he scored his 10th point of the game from the charity stripe with 3:57 left to play in the first half. Plaisted was the high scorer at the half on 5-for-7 shooting from the field, including a 3-for-4 mark from the free throw line. Tavernari joined him in double figures with a field goal to open the second half of play.

-- Plaisted gave the Cougars their first lead at 28-26 at the 7:09 mark just after subbing back in the game. His bucket was the beginning of an 11-2 Cougar run that gave BYU the momentum it would need to run away with the victory. During the key run, Plaisted scored eight of the 11 points and assisted the only other Cougar bucket, a three by Jonathan Tavernari.

-- With a 12-point advantage at the break against Jackson State (41-29), BYU has led by double digits at the half in all three of its games this season going 3-0. The Cougars held a double-digit lead at halftime in 14 games last year, going 13-1 in those games while going 22-4 in games BYU led at the half by any margin.

-- Between 10:06 and 8:29 in the second half, BYU's lineup consisted of four true-freshman (Fredette, Loyd, Chris Collinsworth and Nick Martineau) and one sophomore (Chris Miles). BYU went on a 9-2 run during this time.

BYU PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

TRENT PLAISTED (NOV. 19) -- Junior Trent Plaisted led BYU to two wins last week as the team's top scorer and rebounder. He averaged 19.0 points and 7.5 rebounds while adding 1.5 assists in home wins over Idaho State and Jackson State. Plaisted made 65 percent of his shots on 13-of-20 shooting from the floor and converted 85.7 percent of his free-throw attempts, going 12-for-14 at the line. Plaisted put up a game-high 21 points against Jackson State Friday night on 8-for-11 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 accuracy at the free-throw line. He provided the firepower for BYU to overtake Jackson State's early lead in the game. The Cougars trailed from the opening tip by as many as eight points until Plaisted gave the Cougars their first lead at 28-26 just after subbing back in at the 7:46 mark. His bucket was the beginning of an 11-2 Cougar run that gave BYU the momentum it would need to run away with the victory. During the key run, Plaisted scored eight of the 11 points and assisted the only other Cougar bucket, a three by Jonathan Tavernari. Plaisted added seven rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in his 19 minutes on the floor against the Tigers. Against Idaho State on Wednesday, Plaisted totaled 17 points and eight rebounds with one assist while going 5-for-9 from the floor and 7-of-8 at the line. Plaisted's 21 points against Jackson State marked the 10th time in his career he has topped 20 points in a game.

LEE CUMMARD (NOV. 12) -- Junior guard Lee Cummard led BYU to a runaway 74-34 win over reigning Big West Champion Long Beach State at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif. Cummard helped BYU take quick control of the game by hitting his first three shots and assisting another Cougar bucket during the team's first seven possessions. BYU scored the first 10 points of the game and never looked back. Cummard scored four of the Cougars' first five points and six of their first 12. He finished with a game-high 15 points and nearly achieved a double-double by adding nine boards to share team-high honors with sophomore Jonathan Tavernari. He also contributed two assists and a steal while shooting 6-of-12 from the floor and 2-for-3 at the free-throw line.

WORTHY OF MENTION

? Plaisted's 21 points against Jackson State marked the 10th time in his career he has topped 20 points in a game.

? Lee Cummard became the first Cougar to record a double-double this season with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Idaho State, the fourth double-double of his career.

? Senior point guard Ben Murdock has 18 assists and only two turnovers in his first three starting assignments at the Division I level, easily leading all MWC players in assist/turnover ratio (9.00) while ranking second in assists per game (6.0). Last week he dished out 13 assists in two games with only one turnover, including a career-high eight assists Friday night against Jackson State.

? BYU is averaging 88 points per game and allowing just 54.7 ppg. BYU leads all MWC teams in scoring, scoring margin (+33.3), assists (22.7), assist/turnover ratio (1.55), defensive rebounds (33.0) and field goal percentage defense (.311).

? BYU has led by double digits at the half in all three of its games this season. The Cougars held a double-digit lead at halftime in 14 games last year, going 13-1 in those games while going 22-4 in games BYU led at the half by any margin.

HOT START

With a 3-0 record to begin the 2007-08 season, the Cougars are off to their best start since 2002-03 when BYU won its first five games before falling on Dec. 7 at Creighton. The Cougars have won in dominant fashion this season, besting opponents by an average of 33.3 points per game while scoring 88.0 ppg and allowing only 54.7 points per contest. BYU is also outshooting opponents .505-.311.

FANTASTIC FRESHMEN

Four Cougar freshman made their collegiate debuts at Long Beach State with results that bode well for the future. Freshmen Jimmer Fredette and Chris Collinsworth led the newcomers in scoring with nine points each. Fredette went 3-for-6 from three-point range while adding three assists. Collinsworth shot 3-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line to go along with six rebounds, including three on the offensive glass. Collinsworth immediately made his presence felt after checking in at the 15:31 mark in the first half with two rebounds, including an offensive board leading to a bucket for Trent Plaisted. Fredette also made noise in the first half with two three-point makes during a 14-0 Cougar run. Michael Loyd, Jr. had three rebounds in 11 minutes while Nick Martineau made his only shot from the field while adding two rebounds in 11 minutes. Fredette tallied 10 points vs. Idaho State, and Loyd scored 15 points against Jackson State while Collinsworth pulled down 10 boards against the Tigers.

FOR STARTERS

Cougar head coach Dave Rose has used the same starting lineup in each of BYU's first three games, electing to use two seniors in Ben Murdock and Sam Burgess, returning All-Mountain West Conference selections Trent Plaisted and Lee Cummard, both juniors, and 2007 MWC Freshman of the Year Jonathan Tavernari to begin the game. Cummard started all 34 games last season, and Plaisted made 33 starts. Burgess made one start as a sophomore in 2004-05 while Murdock and Tavernari each earned their first career starts against Long Beach State. Rose used the same starting rotation in both of the Cougars' two exhibition games.

SIGNING DAY

Forward Noah Hartsock and guard/forward Charles Abouo (pronounced a-BOO-oh) have signed National Letters of Intent while guard Jackson Emery has signed a scholarship agreement to return to the Cougars. Hartsock, who previously signed with BYU out of high school, and Emery, who played for the Cougars as a freshman in 2005-06, are both currently serving as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"I feel really good about this group of players," Rose said. "Jackson was an important part of our success as a freshman and got a lot of good experience that he will build upon when he returns. Noah and Charles are both talented student-athletes who will add a lot to our program."

A native of Bartlesville, Okla., the 6-foot-8 Hartsock had the third-best scoring average in the state with 27.6 points per game as a senior at Bartlesville High School in 2005-06 while earning 6A Coaches Player of the Year and Tulsa World Player of the Year honors. Oklahoma's Jim Thorpe Award winner and a McDonald's High School All-America nominee, Hartsock added 8.0 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per contest as a senior.

An extremely athletic wing from Logan, Utah, Abouo is averaging double figures, including a team-high 17 points in his last outing, for Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) this year after helping Logan High School win Region 11 titles in each of his three varsity seasons. The 6-foot-4 swingman was named the 3A MVP by the Deseret Morning News last spring after averaging 21.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game as a senior at Logan High School.

Described as explosive and athletic, Abouo was a two-time first-team all-state selection at LHS who also earned All-Valley Player of the Year honors as a junior in 2005-06 when he averaged 15.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 1.1 bpg.

Known for his competitiveness and clutch play, Emery is a quick player and solid defender with outstanding leaping ability. The Alpine, Utah, native provided a consistent spark for BYU and was a top perimeter defender as a true freshman in 2005-06, playing in 28 of 29 games with six starts. He averaged 2.8 points and 1.5 rebounds while scoring in double figures twice and leading BYU in rebounds and assists once each.

A good shooter from long range, Emery also has the athleticism and creativity to convert inside when going to the basket. The 6-foot-3 guard out of Lone Peak High School was named the top player in Class 4A in 2005 and received the 2005 Mr. Basketball Award (Deseret Morning News), given to the athlete considered to be the top high school player in Utah.