Ricky Bower (14) started in place of Jared Jensen Monday to help combat St. Bonaventure's pressing defense.

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (Nov. 25, 2002) -- The second half kids have done it again. BYU's patience against St. Bonaventure's pressure defense and aggressive second half game plan helped the Cougars claim a 66-57 victory Monday and the 2002 University of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam title.

St. Bonaventure's frenetic up-and-down, pressing style producing 91 and 89 points in its first two victories at the Paradise Jam, but BYU maintained its composure despite trailing 34-28 at the half thanks to a Marques Green three for the Bonnies at the first half buzzer.

The Cougars used tough second half defense to shut the Bonnies down, holding St. Bonaventure to 25.8 percent shooting and 28.1 percent for the game. BYU set a new Paradise Jam record for fewest average points allowed at 59. BYU used key rebounds and free throws down the stretch to hold off the Bonnies in the final round of the tourney at St. Thomas.

"We took the fight to them in the second half," said BYU coach Cleveland. "We competed on every possession and the guys played like warriors at the end of the game."

Jared Jensen led BYU in scoring with 15 points and grabbed six rebounds. Travis Hansen turned in a double-double performance with 12 points and 12 boards. Mark Bigelow added 11 points while Rafael Araujo chipped in seven points and had 10 rebounds. The double-digit rebounds from two Cougars was a first since Jan. 23, 1999 against Fresno State.

The Cougars took an eight-point lead on a Hansen follow jam off a miss, as part of a 7-0 run, with just under eight minutes to go.

Following a timeout, Green scored 10 straight points in the middle of a 10-2 Bonnies' run to tie the game at 57 with 2:35 remaining.

With less than two minutes to go, BYU missed seven consecutive shots but controlled the glass. Jensen and Hansen grabbed the boards and each hit free throws in the final minute to seal it for BYU.

BYU connected on 22 of 27 free throws in the game after shooting just two from the line in the first half. The Bonnies led 34-28 at the half by taking 11 more shots from the field and 12 more free throws than the Cougars in the first 20 minutes.

BYU began the second half on 9-2 run and took a three-point lead on a three-point-play by Araujo. The Cougars maintained a slim lead throughout most of the half until Green took control for the Bonnies, tying the game with 2:30 to play.

The Bonnies' Green led all scorers with 19 points. Forward Mike Gansey added 10 points along with six rebounds.

Hansen and Bigelow were named to the all-tournament team.

The 3-0 start for the Cougars is their best start since the 1991-92 season, and the best start of the Steve Cleveland era. The Cougars will bring their show back home and play host to the Rice Owls on Saturday night at 7 pm.

Official Basketball Box Score -- GAME TOTALS -- FINAL STATISTICS
St. Bonaventure vs BYU
11/25/02 8:15 p.m.AST at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
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VISITORS: St. Bonaventure 2-1
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
03 GANSEY, Mike........ f  3-8    1-3    3-3    2  4  6   1  10  3  1  0  1  29
10 CHEEKS, Robert...... f  1-3    0-0    2-2    2  4  6   2   4  0  3  0  0  24
30 TERRELL, Jamil...... c  0-3    0-0    2-2    3  3  6   3   2  0  0  2  1  26
04 GREEN, Marques...... g  5-15   2-6    7-9    0  1  1   3  19  2  3  0  1  31
20 PRATO, Patrico...... g  2-8    1-2    0-0    1  1  2   5   5  0  1  0  2  14
01 SMITH, Ahmad........    1-7    0-2    0-0    2  2  4   0   2  1  2  0  0  19
05 SHEPHERD, Joe.......    3-8    2-4    1-3    1  1  2   2   9  1  0  0  1  22
11 DUMBLIAUSKAS,Saulius    2-5    0-0    0-0    1  1  2   2   4  0  0  0  0  14
24 METHOT-LOTTIN, Pat..    0-5    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   2   0  0  0  0  2   9
55 BROWN, Calvin.......    1-2    0-0    0-3    2  2  4   4   2  0  0  0  0  12
   TEAM................                         1  1  2             1
   Totals..............   18-64   6-17  15-22  16 20 36  24  57  7 11  2  8 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-33 30.3%   2nd Half:  8-31 25.8%   Game: 28.1%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-8  50.0%   2nd Half:  2-9  22.2%   Game: 35.3%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 10-14 71.4%   2nd Half:  5-8  62.5%   Game: 68.2%    2
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HOME TEAM: BYU 3-0
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
02 HANSEN, Travis...... f  2-7    0-2    8-10   6  6 12   1  12  1  8  1  1  35
14 BOWER, Ricky........ f  1-2    1-1    1-2    0  5  5   2   4  1  1  0  0  31
24 WOODBERRY, Kevin.... f  3-13   1-7    1-2    0  1  1   2   8  2  3  1  2  29
55 ARAUJO, Rafael...... c  3-5    0-0    1-1    3  7 10   4   7  1  0  2  0  18
03 BIGELOW, Mark....... g  4-7    1-3    2-2    0  2  2   4  11  2  1  1  1  24
04 LEMES, Luiz.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  1  0  0   2
05 SHOFF, Jake.........    1-2    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   0   2  0  0  0  0   2
10 NASHIF, Terry.......    1-4    0-1    0-0    0  1  1   4   2  2  1  0  2  23
15 ALLEN, John.........    1-3    1-1    2-2    1  3  4   2   5  0  0  0  0  14
40 HOWARD, Dan.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  1  0  0   1
52 JENSEN, Jared.......    4-7    0-0    7-8    1  5  6   2  15  0  2  0  0  21
   TEAM................                         1  3  4
   Totals..............   20-50   4-15  22-27  13 33 46  23  66  9 18  5  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-24 45.8%   2nd Half:  9-26 34.6%   Game: 40.0%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-9  44.4%   2nd Half:  0-6   0.0%   Game: 26.7%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  2-2  100 %   2nd Half: 20-25 80.0%   Game: 81.5%   2,2
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Officials: (R) Karl Hess, (U) Tony Greene, Pat Adams
Technical fouls: St. Bonaventure-None. BYU-None.
Attendance: 2473
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
St. Bonaventure...............   34   23  -   57
BYU...........................   28   38  -   66
Championship game of the 2002 Paradise Jam Tournament.