POSTGAME NOTES
No. 21 BYU vs. Southern Utah
Dec. 21, 2007
- Ben Murdock, Sam Burgess, Lee Cummard and Trent Plaisted have each started all 12 games for BYU this season. Jonathan Tavernari started the first nine games while Chris Collinsworth has received the starting nod in the last three contests.
- Individual Career Highs: Sam Burgess: 5 rebounds (tied); Archie Rose - 3 points.
- Team Season Highs: 9 blocks (tied).
- With the win, BYU improved its Marriott Center win streak to 38 games, the longest active home court victory streak in the nation.
- With the win, BYU is now 136-56 all-time as a ranked team, including an 8-4 mark under head coach Dave Rose.
- With the 15-point win, BYU is now outscoring its opponents by 17.0 points on the year. That margin jumps to 22.1 points in the Cougars' 10 wins.
- With the 70-55 win, BYU is now 10-0 when scoring at least 70 points in a game and 8-1 when holding opponents under the 70-point mark.
- The Cougars have posted a double-digit lead in 11 of 12 games, including a game-high lead of 17 points against the Thunderbirds. The lone exception came against No. 1 North Carolina when the game-high BYU lead was two points.
- With a 55.3 percent (26-for-47) shooting performance against the Thunderbirds, BYU has now shot at least 50 percent from the floor in six games.
- With 11 points against SUU, Plaisted remains the only Cougar to score in double figures in every game this season. Tavernari and Cummard have posted double-digit points in 10 of 12 games.
- Tavernari scored a game-high 19 points against SUU on 9-for-15 (.600) shooting from the field, marking the second-time this year he has led BYU in scoring. Tavernari paced the Cougars with a career-high 29 points in BYU's upset of No. 6 Louisville.
- Prior to a miss at the 3:27 mark in the second half, Cummard had made 19 straight free throws.
- Plaisted fouled out for the first time this season against Southern Utah, picking up his fifth with 1:04 left in the game.
- With a 31-21 halftime lead against Southern Utah, the Cougars have now led at halftime in 11 of 12 games this year, including nine double-digit leads. BYU has gone 10-1 when holding a halftime advantage while outscoring opponents by an average of 12.5 points in the first half.
- The 21 first-half points given up by the Cougars against Southern Utah tied for the second-lowest first-half point total by a BYU opponent this year (lowest - 12 by Long Beach State). BYU has held all 12 of its opponents this year under 40 points in the first half. BYU has scored at least 30 first-half points in every game this season.
- After starting the game 1-for-8 (.250) from the field, BYU finished the first half shooting 11-for-14 (.786) to record an overall shooting mark of 54.5 percent (12-for-22) in the first period. On the year, the Cougars have shot at least 50 percent in the first half of six games.
- Archie Rose's buzzer-beater three-pointer to end the first half marked his first trey of the year and set a new career high in points for the junior transfer.
POSTGAME QUOTES
BYU Head Coach Dave Rose
"We made enough plays to win the game even though we weren't shooting as well as we're capable of. A lot of that had to do with Southern Utah. They played well."
"People are starting to do a lot of different things defensively, and we're not doing a very good job adjusting to that. We need to do a better job as coaches to prepare our team, and our players need to recognize what's happening out there."
"We played Lee (Cummard) a lot tonight because there were a lot of things that were being changed up and one of Lee's strengths is that he can recognize what's happening and be a stabilizing factor. He had a really good line."
"Jonathan (Tavernari) was terrific. He really gave us an offensive lift. He was the one player that was playing with a lot of confidence, especially in the second half. The other guys were pressing a little too hard, but Jonathan was playing with a lot of confidence.
"I had a chance to talk with Coach Reid this afternoon. I have tremendous respect for him as a coach, a person and a competitor. I wish him the best this year. He has a challenge, but I have no doubt SUU will be contending for a Summit League title."
"This coming week is a good time for us. We take a little break here for Christmas and then we can come back and practice a couple days before Boise State. It's important for our team to concentrate on getting better."
SUU Head Coach Roger Reid
"They're an excellent basketball team, and they played well, especially defensively. A couple of our players that we count on couldn't get going because of their defensive pressure."
"Their size inside really hurt, and that was a big difference. They pose a great threat because they have great shooters and they have a great inside presence and great depth."
"I'm proud of our effort and proud of our team. We were only down 10 points with five minutes to go, and things can happen. But we missed some shots and turned the ball over because of their defense and size inside."
"In a game like this, you have to hit baskets. You can't make mistakes against top teams. You have to be pretty much flawless, and we didn't do that."
"Austin's (Ainge) doing a tremendous job for us. He has great respect and love for his teammates here, and he loved coming back and seeing those guys. I have a great staff, and Austin's doing a great job for us."
"It was like I never left here. I spent most of my life here, and it was really like I never left. I have great memories of the young men I've coached here. I'm proud of what we accomplished here, and I have no regrets. I'm blessed to be coaching at Southern Utah and rebuilding that program. Good things are going to happen down there."