Game 25 - Cougars at Air Force on Wednesday

Cougars to Play at Air Force

No. 7/8 BYU basketball will hit the road and play at Air Force on Wednesday, Feb. 9, in Clune Arena at 8 p.m. MT. The Cougars are 22-2 overall and 8-1 in MWC action and are coming off a 78-64 win vs. UNLV. Jimmer Fredette scored 29 points and Jackson Emery added 15 points, four assists and four steals in the victory. Fredette leads the nation in scoring at 27.6 points per game and is shooting .413 from three. Jackson Emery adds 12.4 points per game and Brandon Davies is third on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game. Air Force is 13-9 overall and 4-5 in the MWC. The Falcons are coming off a 54-49 win at Utah and have won two of three, including an overtime win at TCU. Air Force has also defeated Utah and Wyoming at home for its other MWC victories. Michael Lyons leads the Falcons in scoring at 12.7 points per game while Tom Fow adds 12.5 points per game and shoots .495 from three. Evan Washington contributes 7.8 points, 4.6 boards and 4.0 assists per game. Wednesday’s game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 7 p.m. MT on 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

No. 7/8 BYU will host Utah on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 4 p.m. MT in the Marriott Center. Live stats and audio links will be available on www.byucougars.com and fans can listen live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 3 p.m. MT on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City. The game will be televised live on The Mtn.

Cougar Quick Hits

— No. 7/8 BYU head coach Dave Rose is 149-42 in his six seasons at BYU and is the program’s all-time leader in winning percentage at .780. He is third in wins and three from tying Roger Reid for second all-time.

— In MWC action, Jimmer Fredette is averaging 33.4 points, 4.0 threes and 4.1 assists while shooting .469 from the field, .468 from three and .904 from the free throw line.

— Jimmer Fredette was named to eight preseason All-America teams and is a Cousy Award finalist, a Wooden Award midseason candidate and a preseason candidate for the Naismith Trophy. Fredette leads the nation in scoring at 27.6 points per game and adds 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

— Senior guard Jackson Emery is second on the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game and adds 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a team-best 2.8 steals per game. He has posted four-plus steals eight times this season and is the program’s all-time leader in career steals. Brandon Davies is third on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game on .536 shooting. He has scored in double figures 17 times this season, including 14 of the last 16 games.

— At 22-2, BYU has tied the best 23-game record in program history with last season’s squad and the 1987-88 team.

BYU GAME #25 FAST FACTS

No. 7/8 BYU (22-2, 8-1) at Air Force (13-9, 4-5)

Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011

Clune Arena

USAFA, Colo.

8 p.m. MT

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (149-42 in sixth season at BYU; same overall)

Air Force, Jeff Reynolds (49-65 in fourth season at Air Force; 131-99 in eighth season overall)

Series

BYU leads 53-12, including 11-consecutive Cougar wins in the series

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (Greg Wrubell, play-by-play)

TV

The Mtn. (James Bates, play-by-play; Joe Cravens, game analysis)

Web

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

Looking at Air Force

2010-11 Record: 13-9, 4-5

Conference: Mountain West

2009-10 Record: 10-21, 1-15 (9th)

2010 Postseason: None

Highlights:

- Air Force is 13-9 overall and 4-5 in Mountain West Conference play. The Falcons are 9-3 at home, 3-6 on the road and 1-0 in neutral games. Air Force was 3-4 in the first half of MWC play and opened the second half with a 54-49 win at Utah. The Falcons also own wins over Utah and Wyoming at home and at TCU.

- Michael Lyons leads Air Force in scoring at 12.7 points per game while Tom Fow adds 12.5 points per game and shoots .495 from three. Evan Washington contributes 7.8 points, 4.6 boards and 4.0 assists per game.

- Air Force averages 66.0 points and shoots .483 from the field and .395 from three. Falcon opponents average 63.5 points and shoot .403 from the field against Air Force.

Air Force’s Last Outing — Air Force wins at Utah

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds often tells his team it will win if it can hold opponents below 40-percent shooting.

His strategy worked Saturday night. The Falcons held Utah to 39.5-percent shooting and held on for a 54-49 victory.

The Falcons needed their superb defensive effort. Air Force shot 38.5 percent from the field, going stone-cold in the second half.

“I think this shows our maturity,” said senior Air Force forward Tom Fow. “We were doing the little things and that makes up for poor shooting.”

Zach Bohannon scored a career-high 12 points for Air Force. He also had eight rebounds and five assists, both career bests, for the Falcons (13-9, 4-5 Mountain West), who have won consecutive road games for the first time since winning at COlorado State and Wyoming on Jan. 3 and 13, 2007.

Shawn Glover scored a career-high 15 points to lead the Utes (10-13, 3-6), who have lost three in a row and were held under 50 points for the first time this season.

Both teams struggled from the line. Air Force shot 7-of-15, and Utah shot 7-of-17.

With Utah trailing by seven late, Will Clyburn scored five straight points to make it 48-46 with 1:22 to play, but Air Force answered with its own 5-0 run to secure its first win in Salt Lake City since 2006.

After Clyburn’s basket, Air Force’s Evan Washington grabbed a miss by Todd Fletcher and scored on a putback to push the Falcons lead to 50-46.

Center Taylor Broekhuis followed Washington’s basket with a block on a point-blank shot by Josh Watkins, and Utah never again threatened.

At first, the Falcons offense was crisp. Air Force scored the game’s first basket when Washington found Broekhuis wide open in the lane. The Falcons moved to the 16-4 lead, which silenced the Huntsman Center crowd. But then the Falcons shooting touch vanished, forcing the Falcons to win this game with defense.

Series Notes

BYU leads the all-time series against Air Force 53-12. The Cougars are 11-1 against the Falcons under Dave Rose, including a 76-66 win in Provo on Jan. 8, 2011.