BYU at Air Force
Feb. 21, 2005
Post Game Notes
Sam Burgess hit three three-pointers to score a career-high nine points. His previous high was eight against Chaminade earlier this season.
Walk-on transfer Brock Reichner started for the first time in his career, playing 32 minutes.
Austin Ainge scored BYU's first points on a three-pointer with 9:18 to go in the first half. Air Force scored the first 19 points before Ainge's three. The Cougars missed their first nine shots.
Air Force led 37-13 over BYU at halftime. It was the first time the Cougars scored less than 20 points in a half since the North Carolina game, Nov. 22, 2004 to start the season. The 13 first-half points were a shot-clock era low for BYU.
BYU hit just 4-of-21 shots (19 percent) in the first half.
The 39 points was the lowest output by a BYU team coached by Steve Cleveland. It was also the least points scored by the Cougars in a Mountain West Conference game and their worst conference loss.
BYU had no players score in double figures.
The Falcons outscored the Cougars 38-10 in the paint.
Coaches Quotes
BYU Coach Steve Cleveland
"There were too many no-shows in tonight's game. It's impossible to compete with teams in this conference if we can't have two or three players producing every night."
"I knew they would be very difficult places to win (Air Force and New Mexico), we were certainly undermanned. This was one of the most embarrassing efforts I've been a part of. It starts with me and the coaches. I thought we had a good plan but it didn't work."
"I can live with an occasional night when things just don't go right. But I felt tonight we didn't have a collective competitive effort. That's the thing that is most disappointing to me. It's something that hasn't been present all year."
"The timing of not having Keena (Young) or Garner (Meads) didn't help but I'm really challenged to find out what it will take to get these young men to play their best basketball."
"It's been a dissapointing year but that being said, you can still have a game plan and execute and play hard."
"We're not going to go home and give up. It comes down to if these young men want to fight and scratch and claw to finish this season on a positive note."