After dropping two conference road games, BYU returns home to host rival Utah in the Cougars' second ESPN Big Monday game of the season. The Cougars (13-6, 2-2 MWC) and Utes (11-8, 3-2 MWC) meet Monday at 10 p.m. in the Marriott Center. In addition to the ESPN telecast, the game can be heard on KSL Newsradio 1160 with Greg Wrubell and Mark Durrant calling the action on the Cougar Sports Network.
Up Next
The Cougars will play three games in the Marriott Center this week. After playing Utah Monday, BYU will host Air Force Thursday at 7 p.m. and New Mexico Saturday in a 4 p.m. start.
Game 20 Fast Facts (MWC Game 5)
Teams:
Brigham Young University Cougars (13-6, 2-2 MWC)
University of Utah Utes (11-8, 3-2 MWC)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 29, 2001
Site: Provo, Utah
Arena:Marriott Center (22,700)
Time: 10 p.m. MST
Series:
Series tied, 114-114
Last Meeting: BYU defeated Utah 58-54 in Las Vegas at MWC Tournament (March 10, 2000)
Last Year: Utah won two of three, sweeping the regular season series.
Coaches:
BYU, Steve Cleveland (56-54 in fourth year; same overall)
Utah, Dick Hunsaker (10-8 in first year; 158-69 in eighth year overall)
TV:
ESPN
Play-by-Play - Bob Carpenter
Game Analyst - Jimmy Dykes
Radio:
KSL Newsradio 1160 AM (Cougar Sports Network)
Pregame Air Time - 9:30 p.m. MST
Play-by-Play - Greg Wrubell
Game Analyst - Mark Durrant
BYU's Probable Starters:
Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG
F 2 Travis Hansen 6-6 210 So. 6.5 3.3
F 25 Eric Nielsen 6-9 215 Jr. 6.9 4.3
F 15 Mekeli Wesley 6-9 240 Sr. 16.1 5.7
G 24 Terrell Lyday 6-3 195 Sr. 15.5 2.7
G 21 Trent Whiting 6-1 185 Sr. 15.2 2.6
Utah's Probable Starters:
Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG
F 31 Britton Johnsen 6-9 205 So. 8.6 4.8
F 40 Phil Cullen 6-9 215 Jr. 9.7 4.9
C 52 Nate Althoff 6-11 265 Sr. 9.1 3.0
G 11 Travis Spivey 6-1 205 Jr. 4.3 2.7
G 15 Nick Jacobson 6-4 200 Fr. 7.3 0.9
Scouting Utah
Utah (11-8, 3-2) returns four lettermen and one starter from last year's 23-9 team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after tying for the Mountain West regular season title with UNLV. The Utes, like BYU, are coming off losses at Wyoming (78-77 in OT) and Colorado State (73-65). Utah's three conference road victories were all at home over Wyoming (83-71), UNLV (79-70) and San Diego State (58-39). The Utes and Cougars have played four common non-conference opponents. Both BYU and Utah lost to USC on a neutral court, and the Utes dropped games to instate rivals Utah State (58-57 in Logan), Weber State (79-77) and Southern Utah (77-70). BYU won its three preseason instate games this year. The Utes had won four straight prior to last weekend's road losses. The Utes are being coached by assistant coach Dick Hunsaker with head coach Rick Majerus missing the season due to his and his mother's health concerns. One Ute averages double figures in junior transfer guard Kevin Bradley at 10.5 points per game. Bradley has been coming off the bench recently while junior forward Phil Cullen adds 9.7 points followed by senior center Nate Althoff at 9.1 and brothers Jeff (junior forward) and Britton Johnsen (sophomore forward) at 8.6 points apiece. Althoff pulls down 4.9 rebounds and Britton Johnsen 4.8. Chris Burgess, who was averaging 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds over 17 games, is out with fractured left ankle. Utah shoots 46.3 percent, including 37.8 percent on treys, while holding opponents to 40 percent from the field and 34 percent on threes. Utah makes 71 percent of its free throw attempts and is pulling down 37.6 rebounds.
Series History
This will be the 229th meeting between the two rivals with the series tied at 114-114. Last year Utah swept the regular season series to take its first lead in overall series since it began in 1909. BYU won the last meeting in last year's MWC tournament semifinals in Las Vegas to even the series. That win ended a string of 12 straight Utah victories, the Utes' longest winning streak in the series. Utah is the opponent BYU has played the most in its history (228 games) and is the second longest running series dating back to 1909 (Utah State and BYU began their series in 1905 and have played 217 games). BYU won the inaugural game, 32-9 in Provo, on Jan. 23, 1909, and won again on March 5 of that year, 40-27, in SLC. BYU's last victory at home in the series was a 64-57 win on Jan. 3, 1995. That win was also the last win prior to Utah's 12 straight wins in the series. Utah has won five straight times in the Marriott Center. BYU is 3-7 at home vs. Utah over the last 10 years with wins in 1992, 1994 and 1995. Steve Cleveland is 1-7 vs. Utah. BYU is 62-44 at home all time vs. Utah, 46-67 in Salt Lake City and 6-3 at a neutral site.
Utah Quick Facts:
General Info
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Founded: 1850
Enrollment: 25,803
Nickname: Utes
Colors: Crimson and White
Home Arena: Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,000)
Conference: Mountain West
Athletic Director: Dr. Chris Hill
Basketball Info
Head Coach: Dick Hunsaker
Overall Record (Years): 158-69 (8th year)
Record at School (Years): 10-8 (1st year)
Assistant Coaches: Jeff Strohm, Jason Shelton
1999-2000
Overall Record: 23-9
Conf. Record/Finish: 10-4/Tie 1st
Final Ranking/Post Season Finish: T33rd AP, T38th USA Today/ESPN, second round NCAA loss to Michigan State.
2000-2001
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 4/6
Starters Returning/Lost: 1/4
Returning Starters (last year's stats)
Nate Althoff, C, 6-11, 265, Sr. (9.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
Media Relations
Basketball Contact: Mike Lageschulte
Office: 801-581-3510
Fax: 801-581-43-58
Email: mlageschulte@huntsman.utah.edu
Website: www.UtahUtes.com
BYU TEAM NOTES
Wesley Strong but Wyoming Pulls Out Comeback Win
LARAMIE -- Suffering its second straight road loss, BYU led for nearly the entire game but could not hold off a late Wyoming rally as the Cowboys came from behind to defeat the Cougars 85-78 Monday at Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, Wyo. Thanks to the outstanding play of forward Mekeli Wesley, the Cougars took control of the game and built a lead that reached as many as 18 points in the first half. The Cowboys tried to guard Wesley without double-teaming and paid the price. Wesley had his best scoring half of the season, pouring in 19 points to help the Cougars enter the break with a 48-34 advantage. BYU maintained a double-digit lead for most of the first 10 minutes of the second half and had an eight-point edge with 7:58 remaining at 67-59. But Wyoming out scored BYU 15-6 over the next four minutes to take its first lead since early in the first half at 74-73. The Cougars trailed by four at 79-75 with less than a minute remaining but could get no closer as Wyoming made the big shots to earn the come-from-behind win. Wesley scored 10 second half points despite the Cowboys changing its defensive strategy to double and triple team him inside. Wesley finished the night with a season-high 29 points and 11 rebounds to lead BYU while Eric Nielsen added 12 and Terrell Lyday 11. Trent Whiting failed to score in double figures for the first time this year, totaling seven points, all in the first half. Whiting did equal his career best of 3 steals for the third consecutive game. Four Cowboys scored in double figures, led by center Uche Nsonwu-Amadi with 21. BYU held Marcus Bailey, the top scorer in the Mountain West Conference, to nine points. Wyoming shot 50.9 percent from the floor compared to the Cougars 42.9 percent. BYU falls to 13-6 overall and 2-1 in the Mountain West Conference while Wyoming improves to 12-4 and 3-1.
BYU Falls 60-55 at CSU Saturday
FORT COLLINS -- A cold shooting night from three-point range helped doom BYU Saturday as they fell to the Colorado State Rams 60-55 at Moby Arena in Fort Collins. BYU shot a season-low 6.3 percent on three-point attempts, going 1-16 from behind the arc. After missing their first 13 treys, Trent Whiting finally connected for the Cougars at the 4:50 mark of the second half to pull BYU even at 47-47. BYU, who had trailed the entire game, would never get over the hump in the final minutes, as the Rams were able to make the key shots to maintain their advantage. Following Whiting's trey, CSU's John Sivesind turned the momentum back to the Rams with his own three-pointer and then cut backdoor on the next possession after a Nate Knight miss to put the Rams up by five at 52-47. Mekeli Wesley, out with four fouls, was put back in the game and quickly brought BYU to within one with back-to-back buckets. The Cougars would get within one point two more times during the final moments, including a 56-55 deficit with only 34 seconds remaining. After two Sivesind free throws put the Rams up three with 11 seconds, Wesley was unable to connect on a heavily contested shot from behind the arc and CSU's Ron Grady added two more charity tosses to give the Rams the final 60-55 margin. BYU had four players reach double figures led by Whiting with 13 points. Wesley added 12, followed by Terrell Lyday with 11 and Travis Hansen with 10. Whiting added a career-high seven rebounds to share team-high honors with Wesley. BYU totaled only five assists on the night with no Cougar dishing out more than one pass that directly contributed to a basket. BYU trailed 35-29 at the half as CSU controlled the boards with 24 rebounds to BYU's 11. The Cougars changed their rebounding woes in the second half with 22 boards to CSU's 17 but the Rams were able to make the critical plays down the stretch. BYU finished the night shooting 37.7 percent from the floor and held CSU to nearly nine percentage points below its season average at 41.7 percent. CSU made 5-15 threes. The Rams had trouble pulling away from BYU in part because of a 55.6 percent shooting night at the line. Sivesind led CSU with 18 points while Grady added 13 and David Fisher 10. Brian Greene pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.
BYU .500 or Better Against All MWC Teams
With last Monday's win over UNLV, BYU evened its series with the Rebels at 5-5. BYU now has a .500 winning percentage or better against all seven Mountain West Conference opponents. BYU has a winning record against five teams an even slate against two. In addition to UNLV, the MWC member BYU has played the least (10 games), BYU also has a .500 record against Utah, the team it has played the most (228 games).
BYU Ranks Third Nationally in Free Throw Shooting
BYU is ranked third in the nation in free throw percentage in the latest NCAA statistics released Tuesday. The Cougars are shooting 77.1 percent as a team. Eight players are shooting 70 percent or better, with five shooting better than 80 percent (Wesley, Lyday, Bobik, Knight, Howard).
Scoring Points
Nine BYU players have had double figures scoring games this season. The five starters are the only players to reach double figures in BYU's four conference games. Mekeli Wesley scored the individual season high thus far with his 29 points at Wyoming. Wesley, Terrell Lyday and Trent Whiting are the only three players to earn team-high game scoring honors this year. Wesley carries more of the scoring load on the road, scoring 19.3 ppg while Lyday adds 14.8 and Whiting 13.0. At home, Whiting and Wesley tend to reverse roles with Whiting scoring 17.5 points with Lyday adding 16.1 and Wesley 13.1.
Offense
BYU has topped 50 percent five times this year, all wins, including the last two home wins over San Diego State and UNLV. Four of the five games over 50 percent were in the Marriott Center. The one road game BYU shot over 50 percent was vs. Boise State (53.3 percent) during the Yahoo! Sports Invitational in Hawaii. BYU had scored 40 or more points in the first half (except CSU) in five of the last six games while holding their opponents to less than 30 points in four of six games (except CSU, Wyoming). BYU has outscored the opponents at half by and average of 42.5 - 27.2 in those games (trailed at CSU 35-29).
Defense
BYU holds opponents to 63.1 points and a 40.1 field goal percentage, including 29 percent on threes. BYU has held its last five opponents at home to under 40 percent shooting and has held nine of 19 opponents overall under 40 percent shooting. BYU has not allowed an opponent to shoot 40 percent on threes in the last nine straight games and 16 of 19 overall this year. BYU held the MWC's top shooting team, CSU, to 41.7 percent in Moby Arena, nearly nine percentage points below their season average, before allowing Wyoming a 50.9 percentage in Laramie. BYU has also had success shutting down the opponent's top player. BYU held the MWC's leading scorer, Marcus Bailey, to nine points, more than 10 points under his average, at Wyoming. BYU held UNLV center Kaspars Kambala, averaging 18.3 points and 10.3 rebounds entering the game, to two points and three rebounds. Against SDSU, Aztec star forward Randy Holcomb was the only player to reach double figures, but BYU held the two-time MWC Player of the Week winner to 13 points, almost five points below his team-leading season scoring average.
70-Point Mark
Colorado State became the first BYU opponent to score less than 70 points and still win. BYU is 12-1 when holding opponents to less than 70 points. BYU is 1-5 when opponents have scored 70 or more points. Wyoming scored 85 points, the most points given up by the Cougars this season.
On the Boards
BYU equaled Wyoming in rebounds, 35-35, in the last game and have out rebounded its opponents in five of the previous six games. CSU out rebounded BYU, 41-33. BYU had 37 rebounds vs. UNLV and grabbed 40 or more rebounds in the four prior games. BYU has totaled 40 or more boards six times this year. The Cougars are averaging 34.4 rebounds per game while out boarding their opponents by 1.0 rebounds per game. Mekeli Wesley pulls down a team-best 5.7 boards per game.
Whiting Adds Third Threat to Cougar Attack
In addition to last year's one-two scoring punch of Mekeli Wesley and Terrell Lyday, BYU has another potent scorer in transfer Trent Whiting. He scored a team-leading 13 at CSU and had a career-high 26 points while going 10-15 from the field and 3-6 on treys vs. UNLV. He had 17 points vs. SDSU. He had his string of consecutive double-digit points games stop at 11 when he scored a season-low 7 points at Wyoming Monday. A transfer from Utah, he reached double figures in his first 11 games as a Cougar since becoming eligible to play on Dec. 16 vs. Utah State. He is third in scoring at 15.2 ppg.
Whiting, Knight Made Strong BYU Debuts
Transfer players Trent Whiting (Utah) and Nate Knight (Kentucky) made their Cougar debuts Dec. 16 vs. Utah State after sitting out the first seven games of the year because of transfer rules. Whiting scored a game-high 22 points on 7-11 shooting, including 4-7 threes, in a team-high 39 minutes in his debut while Knight made a solid contribution with five points and six rebounds in 18 minutes. Neither player had played in a game for more than a year since transferring last fall.
Cleveland's Record
Steve Cleveland is now 56-54 overall in his fourth year, having improved the Cougars in each year since taking over a 1-25 program. With BYU's win over Idaho on Jan. 2 Cleveland went above a .500 winning percentage for the first time since going 1-0 with a win in his first game at San Diego State in 1997. He had evened his winning percentage at .500 twice this year. He went to 50-50 with a win over Boise State in Hawaii before the Cougars suffered back-to-back close defeats to ranked teams. Wins at Weber State and vs. South Alabama brought his record to 52-52 , the last time he was at .500.
Cleveland vs. Utah
Cleveland has a 1-7 record vs. Utah in his three prior seasons. The Utes and Cougars have met six times over the past two years. Last year BYU defeated Utah in the MWC Tournament to halt a 12-game Utah winning streak in the series. Cleveland has a winning record against every other instate school.
Wesley Moving Up Career Charts
Mekeli Wesley has 1,476 career points, ninth on the all-time BYU list. He needs 38 points to pass Kresimir Cosic into eighth place. He has previously passed Andy Toolson vs. South Alabama into 10th place and moved ahead of Jay Cheesman vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi into ninth. Wesley is sixth all-time at BYU in free throw attempts with 546 and seventh in free throws made with 423. He needs to make nine more to move past Mike Smith (431) into sixth place and is 57 attempts from passing Fred Roberts into fifth place.
Trey Lyday
In the last five games Lyday is 12-22 (.545) from three-point range. He was 8-9 at home in BYU's two MWC wins but went 1-7 last week in two road losses. He went 0-5 at CSU and 1-2 at Wyoming. Lyday's 0-5 night on threes at CSU was only the second game this year in which he has not made a tre but he didn't make his three at Wyoming until the final buzzer. At home he makes 52.2 percent of his threes and on the road he connects on 27.1 percent of his attempts (16 percent in true away games). On the year he is shooting 39.4 percent on threes overall, making a team-leading 37 triples.
Streaks
BYU has droppped its last two games. The Cougars have lost consecutive games three times this year and had back-to-back losses on three occasions last season. BYU has not lost more than two consecutive games since losing three straight in February of the 1998-99 season. BYU had its six-game winning streak halted with its loss at CSU last week. The six-game streak was BYU's longest since a seven-game victory string during the 1994-95 season. BYU has reached five straight wins four times under coach Cleveland. Two times last year and twice this season.
Home Court Streak
The Cougars have a 15-game home winning streak dating back to last year when BYU won its final five contests in the Marriott Center. The home court streak is currently the 11th-longest home success run in the nation. BYU is 10-0 at home this season. BYU's last home loss was to New Mexico (78-74) on Feb. 17, 2000.
BYU at Home
BYU is 10-0 at home this year after going 14-2 at home last year. The Cougars have a 15-game home winning streak. BYU is shooting 49.9 percent from the floor and 44 percent on threes in the Marriott Center this year. The Cougars are out rebounding their opponents at home 36.8-32.1. BYU is scoring 76.5 points at home while giving up 55.5 points. BYU has won its 10 home games by an average of 21 points. BYU has a high of 100 points (vs. Elon College) and a low of 58 points (vs. Southern Utah).
BYU on the Road
BYU is 3-6 in away and neutral games this year, including a 2-2 neutral court record and a 1-4 away mark. The Cougars away win was at Weber State. BYU is shooting 42.2 percent from the floor, 26.8 percent on threes and 80 percent on free throws away from the Marriott Center. The Cougars are being out rebounded 34.8-31.8. BYU has a 2.7-point scoring deficit on the road while averaging 68.8 points. BYU has a high of 84 points (at Weber State) on the road and a low of 52 points (at ASU). In BYU's five true away games, the Cougars are only shooting 38.5 percent from the floor, including 19.7 percent (13-66) from three-point range.
BYU Owns Nation's Top One-Game Shooting Percentage
BYU's 70.8 percent shooting vs. Elon College is the top single-game shooting percentage in the nation this year. The effort was the best by a BYU team since the 1983 squad set the school record making 73.6 percent vs. St. Mary's.
BYU Starting Lineup Record
Whiting, Lyday, Hansen, Nielsen, Wesley 7-2
Montague, Lyday, Cooper, Nielsen, Wesley 5-1
Whiting, Lyday, Cooper, Wesley, Knight 0-2
Whiting, Lyday, Cooper, Nielsen, Wesley 1-0
Montague, Lyday, Cooper, Wesley, Dawes 0-1
BYU's record when . . .
BYU leads at half 11-3
Opponent leads at half 2-3
Score tied at half 0-0
BYU leads with 5 minutes left 12-2
Opponent leads with 5 min. left 1-4
BYU leads with 1 minute left 12-0
Opponent leads with 1 min. left 1-6
Score tied with 1 minute left 0-0
Game goes into overtime 0-0
BYU out rebounds opponent 8-0
Opponent out rebounds BYU 4-5
BYU and opponent tie in rebounds 1-1
BYU shoots 50 % or better 5-0
Opponent shoots 50 % or better 0-4
BYU out shoots opponent 13-1
Opponent out shoots BYU 0-5
BYU scores 70 or more 8-3
BYU scores less than 70 5-3
Opponent scores 70 or more 1-5
Opponent scores less than 70 12-1
Trey Barometer
BYU is shooting 43.5 percent on threes in its 13 victories this season but is only 19-89 (21.3 percent) from behind the arc in its five losses. BYU shot 51.4 percent on threes in its two home MWC wins and 16.7 percent in its two road MWC losses. The following breakdown reflects total individual player three-point field goal percentages during BYU wins and losses:
Player Wins Losses
Terrell Lyday 29-61 (.475) 8-33 (.242)
Trent Whiting 21-45 (.467) 3-22 (.136)
Mekeli Wesley 7-17 (.412) 3-12 (.250)
Nathan Cooper 8-14 (.571) 0-3 (.000)
Daniel Bobik 7-27 (.259) 1-5 (.200)
Travis Hansen 3-8 (.375) 2-7 (.286)
Matt Montague 4-9 (.444) 2-5 (.400)
BYU In the polls (jan. 22)
BYU received seven votes (32nd) in the latest ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll.
Sagarin ratings (Jan. 22)
BYU had the top MWC rating according to the Jan. 22 Sagarin Ratings. The records below reflect Division I games.
Rk Team Rating Record
61 BYU 80.98 13-5
67 Utah 80.42 8-7
68 Wyo 80.38 11-4
76 UNM 79.69 11-3
107 CSU 75.99 8-5
108 UNLV 75.97 8-7
131 SDSU 74.36 10-6
233 AFA 63.64 5-11
College RPI ratings (Jan. 22)
BYU has the third-highest RPI rating among MWC teams according to the Jan. 22 CollegeRPI.com ratings computed by Jerry Palm and the Collegiate Basketball News. The Mountain West Conference is rated 10th among the 32 conferences (and five independents) in the country.
Team CBN/CollegeRPI.com
Utah 49/46
UNM 50/48
BYU 67/67
Wyo 78/71
CSU 115/113
UNLV 117/116
SDSU 142/143
AFA 225/223
BYU In the conference Games (jan. 22)
2nd -- Scoring Offense 75.8
1st -- Scoring Margin +11.2
1st -- Field Goal Percentage .471
2nd -- 3-Field Goal Percentage .377
1st -- Free Throw Percentage .767
3rd -- Rebounding 36.5
2nd -- Rebounding Margin + 2.2
4th -- Scoring Defense 64.5
2nd -- FG Percentage Defense .407
1st -- 3-FG Percentage Defense .273
4th -- Blocked Shots 3.00
6th -- Assists 12.50
1st -- Steals 8.75
BYU players In the conference games (jan. 22)
Scoring Lyday 3rd; Wesley 4th; Whiting, T5th
Nielsen, 29th
FG% Nielsen, 1st; Wesley, 10th
3-FG% Lyday, T-3rd; Whiting, 11th
3-FG Made Whiting, Lyday, T-2nd
FT % Hansen, T-8th; Lyday, 11th;
Wesley, 12th; Whiting, 13th
Rebounds Wesley, T-8th
Assists Whiting, T-10th
Wesley, Hansen T-13th
Steals Whiting, 3rd; Bobik T-8th
Lyday, Hansen, T-11th
Blocks Lyday, T-8th
Nielsen, Whiting, Wesley, T-14th
BYU In the National Stats (jan. 22)
3rd -- Free Throw Percentage 77.1
11th -- Home Winning Streak 15 games
Training Room News
Hansen Suffers Stress Fracture
Travis Hansen is questionable for Monday's game with a stress fracture in his right foot pending further evaluations. The fracture was discovered Wednesday by a bone scan. He will be evaluated Friday and possibly again game day to determine his status. Feeling some discomfort in his foot, he likely played both games last week with the injury. He averaged 9 points and 5.5 rebounds in BYU's two road losses at CSU and Wyoming.
Mekeli Wesley (16.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg overall -- 16.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg MWC)
Last Game: Season-high 29 points, team-high 11 rebounds with 2 assists, 1 block in 36 minutes at Wyoming.
• Wesley attempted a career-high 21 field goals while making a season-high 10 baskets at Wyoming. He also had his second-best rebounding effort of the year with 11 boards.
• His double-double at Wyoming was his first this year and the fifth of his career.
• He leads the team with a 16.1 points per game average. Wesley carries more of the scoring load on the road, averaging 19.3 points compared to his 13.1 average at home.
• Wesley is fourth in scoring among MWC players in league games at 16.2 ppg. He is tied for eight at 6.5 rebounds per game and tied for 13th with 2.0 assists per game. He is 10th in field goal percentage in league games at 52.1 percent.
• Wesley has scored in double figures in 16 of BYU's 19 games, including the last four. He has been the Cougars' top scorer or shared the honor in 11 games. Last year he had double figures in 30 of 33 games and led the Cougar in scoring in 17 games.
• He leads the team with 5.7 rebounds per game. He has led the team in rebounds in nine games and has a team-best 32 offensive boards and 77 defensive rebounds.
• He became this year's first repeat winner of the MWC Player of the Week award (Jan. 3) after leading BYU over the holiday two-week, five-game stretch with team bests of 19.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor, 60 percent from behind the three-point arc, and 88.6 percent from the free throw line. He also handed out 1.2 assists per game during the stretch. He earned his first MWC Player of the Week honor this year on Dec. 11.
• He was named to the Yahoo! Sports Invitational All-Tournament Team Dec. 23 while averaging 21.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in three games. He was 22-33 (.667) from the floor and 19-23 (.826) from the line. He also made his only three-point attempt. He had games of 19, 26 and 19 points.
• After starting the year shooting 34.9 percent in the first four games, he shot 60.8 percent over the next seven games and is now shooting 49.3 percent for the year.
• Mekeli Wesley has 1,476 career points, ninth on the all-time BYU list. He needs 38 points to pass Kresimir Cosic into eighth place. Wesley is sixth all-time at BYU in free throw attempts with 546 and seventh in free throws made with 423. He needs to make nine more to move past Mike Smith (431) into sixth place and is 57 attempts from passing Fred Roberts into fifth place. This year Wesley has team highs of 93 FT makes and 116 attempts and is shooting 80.2 percent from the line.
WESLEY CAPSULE: A preseason All-Mountain West Conference selection, Wesley is the only player on the BYU roster to have played in each of head coach Steve Cleveland's three previous seasons ... a four-year starter, he has developed into one of the top players in the Mountain West Conference with good scoring ability from both the post and the perimeter ... he earned second-team All-MWC honors as a junior and was on the WAC Newcomer Team as a freshman ... he bulked up between his junior and senior seasons and is in the best shape of his career ... he missed part of his sophomore season while attending Salt Lake Community College for a semester and struggled to regain his freshman form ... a team captain, he returned to lead BYU in rebounding and was nine points shy of Lyday in scoring last year.
2000-01 BIO: Wesley had a season-high 29 points, team-high 11 rebounds with 2 assists, 1 block in 36 minutes at Wyoming ... 12 points, shared team-high 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal in 31 minutes at CSU ... 14 points, 4 rebounds in 30 minutes vs. UNLV ... 10 points, 4 rebounds, season-high 5 assists, 1 steal in 20 minutes vs. SDSU ... 9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists, 2 steals in 27 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks in 25 minutes vs. Idaho ... team-high 17 points with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block in 22 minutes vs. USA ... team-high 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal in 32 minutes vs. Weber State. ... 19 points, team-best 6 rebounds, 2 assists in 25 minutes vs. USC ... season-high 26 points with 4 rebounds in 33 minutes vs. Iowa State ... 19 points, game-high 7 rebounds in 23 minutes vs. Boise State ... came out on fire making 7-8 first half shots, including 2-3 treys, for 16 points in 20 minutes on his way to a game-high 22 points with 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 30 minutes vs. USU ... season-low 5 points, team-best 9 rebounds and two timely blocks in the closing moments in 31 total minutes vs. SUU ... named MWC Player of the Week Dec. 11 ... season-high 21 points with 4 rebounds, 2 blocks in 34 minutes vs. Rice ... 16 points, 4 rebounds, season-high 3 assists in 31 minutes vs. FIU ... team-high 11 points, 7 rebounds in 30 minutes at ASU ... a season-high 20 points and 5 rebounds, 2 assists in 32 minutes vs. USF ... recorded career highs of 12 rebounds and five blocks against UCSB while recording his fifth career double double (first of season) with 11 points ... had a team-high 19 points, 3 rebounds in 21 minutes vs. Elon College, making all five of his field goals.
Terrell Lyday (15.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.5 apg overall -- 17.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.5 apg MWC)
Last Game: 11 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block in 30 minutes at Wyoming.
• Lyday is second on the team in scoring at 15.5 ppg. He is third among MWC players in scoring in conference games at 17.2 ppg.
• He was named the MWC Player of the Week Jan. 15 after scoring 24 points in 22 minutes vs. SDSU.
• Lyday and Mekeli Wesley have five 20-plus point games this year, including the last two games in the Marriott Center.
• Lyday averages 31.8 minutes on the year, second only to Trent Whiting's 33.8 minutes. They are the only two players to average more than 30 minutes per game.
• Lyday has reached double figures in 16 of 19 games this year. He has reach double figures in 46 of 52 games in his two years at BYU.
• In the last home game vs. UNLV, he was 3-3 on threes, 6-13 overall, and 8-10 from the line while scoring 23 oints with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
• Terrell has made 24-46 (.522) threes in 10 home games but is 4-25 (.160) in five true away games. He is 9-23 (.391) in four neutral court contests. Overall he shoots 39.4 on threes.
• Including his 3-3 night vs. UNLV in BYU's last home game, Lyday has made multiple threes in 10 games this year. He is 12-22 (.545) in his last five games on treys. Last year he made a two or more treys in 20 of 33 games.
• He has made a trey in 17 of 19 games this season. At CSU (0-5) he ended a string of five straight games with a three. He had not made a three in his last two road games before making a trey (1-2) at the buzzer at Wyoming. At Weber State he ended a string of 15 straight games with a three dating back to last year. The 15-game streak is third on the BYU all-time list. He set the BYU record with a trey in the first 21 games of last year. He made a three in each of BYU's first 11 games this year.
LYDAY CAPSULE: Lyday had a strong first season last year upon transferring from Fresno City College ... a preseason All-Mountain West Conference selection, he is a MWC Player of the Year candidate and considered the top guard in the league by the preseason poll ... he was named MWC Newcomer of the Year last year ... athletic with a smooth jumper, he is a scorer who can finish inside or consistently knock down shots from the outside ... quick with good hands, he is an outstanding defender who led the MWC in steals last year ... he is a go-to player for the Cougars.
2000-01 BIO: Lyday had 11 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block in 30 minutes at Wyoming ... 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals in 37 minutes at CSU ... 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals in 33 minutes vs. UNLV ... a team-high 24 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, career-best 2 blocks, 1 steal in 22 minutes vs. SDSU, going 5-6 on threes on way to a career-best 69.2 percent (9-13) ... team-high 19 points with 1 rebound, 1 assist in 19 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals in 26 minutes vs. Idaho ... 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals in team-high 32 minutes vs. USA ... 14 points, season-high 7 rebounds, 1 steal in 40 minutes at Weber State ... 17 points, 2 rebounds, season-high 4 assists in 34 minutes vs. USC ... 18 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals in 32 minutes vs. ISU ... season-highs of 25 points and four steals with 4 rebounds, 2 steals in 36 minutes vs. Boise State despite a sore ankle ... had a career-low 5 points, with 2 rebounds, 2 assists in injury -shortened (sprained right ankle) 26 minutes vs. USU ... game-high 24 points, season-high 4 rebounds, career-high 2 blocks in 39 minutes vs. SUU ... 10 points, 3 rebounds in 37 minutes vs. Rice at the Compaq Center ... 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 31 minutes vs. FIU ... 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 38 minutes at ASU ... 16 points, no rebounds, 1 assist in 39 minutes at USF ... team-high 21 points, no rebounds, 1 assist in 30 minutes vs. UCSB ... 9 points, 3 rebounds in 23 minutes vs. Elon College ... sat out the last exhibition with a muscle strain in his lower leg and played just over half vs. Elon.
Trent Whiting (15.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.1 apg -- 15.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.2 apg MWC)
Last Game: Season-low 7 points with 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and tied career-best of 3 steals in 37 minutes at Wyoming.
• He is third on the team in scoring at 15.2 ppg. He is tied for fifth in scoring among MWC players in conference only games at 15.8 ppg.
• He did not start at Wyoming while blisters on his toe was being attended to but he checked in at the 19:50 mark for Matt Montague, missing only 10 seconds of early action. He tied a career best of 3 steals for the third straight game.
• He failed to reach double figures for the first time this season, ending a string of 11 straight double-digit games. He was 3-8 from the floor and 0-3 on threes for 7 points. He had a team-high 13 points at CSU but was 4-13 from the field, including 1-6 on threes.
• He scored a career-high 26 point vs. UNLV in BYU's last home game. He was 10-15 from the floor, including 3-6 on threes, vs. UNLV. He has led the Cougars in scoring in three games.
• He plays a team-high 33.8 minutes per game. He is shooting 46.4 percent, 35.8 percent on threes, and 76.3 percent from the line.
• Starting in his BYU debut, Whiting hit his first three shots and made four of five threes to score 14 first half points. He made several big plays in the game. He nailed a buzzer-beating three from 30-plus range to put BYU up 41-40 to end the half. He later made a critical steal and layup to tie the game with 2:40 remaining and made two free throws in the last minute to tie the score again at 67. He was 7-11 from the floor on the night. With Lyday playing only 26 minutes because of an ankle sprain, Whiting played both guard positions, coming out for only one minute.
WHITING CAPSULE: Whiting is in his first year at BYU after transferring from Utah last year ... he was not eligible to compete until Dec. 16th against Utah State because of transfer rules ... he only played five games at Utah last year because of injury ... a NJCAA All-American at Snow College, he can play either guard position ... he is a gifted outside shooter with excellent range and a conditioned athlete with a strong vertical leap.
2000-01 BIO: Whiting had a season-low 7 points with 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and tied career-best of 3 steals in 37 minutes at Wyoming ... team-high 13 points, shared team-best with career-high 7 rebounds, 1 assist while tying a career-high with game-high 3 steals in 39 minutes at CSU ... career-high 26 points with 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 block, 3 steals in 34 minutes vs. UNLV ... 17 points, 3 rebounds, equaled season-high 4 assists, in 26 minutes vs. SDSU ... 15 points, season-high 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks in 33 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block in 29 minutes vs. Idaho ... 13 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3 steals in season-low 29 minutes vs. USA ... 15 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, season-high 4 assists in 33 minutes at Weber State ... 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist in 34 minutes vs. USC ... 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal in 38 minutes vs. Iowa State ... 19 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal in 35 minutes vs. Boise State ... 22 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in team-high 39 minutes vs. USU in his BYU debut.
Nathan Cooper (4.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg overall -- 4.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg MWC)
Last Game: 4 points, 1 rebound in 9 minutes at Wyoming.
• Cooper did not take a shot but made 4-5 free throws at Wyoming. He has taken only three shots in the last three games. He went 0-1 at CSU and 1-2 vs. UNLV.
• He is shooting 51.0 percent overall this year and is 8-17 on threes (.471). After being last year's top Cougar (.778) from the free throw line, he is shooting 67.5 percent (27-40) from the line this year. He has never averaged less than 74 percent (as a freshman) from the line over the course of a season.
• He is third on the team in rebounding (3.6) and sixth in scoring (4.6).
• He has come off the bench in the last seven games. He has 10 starts, including the first seven games.
COOPER CAPSULE: Cooper is one of the team captains ... he is a versatile player who has a solid outside shot with a tough, scrappy nature and competitive desire ... he was the team's top free throw shooter last year... he has been a solid contributor in each of his first three seasons, both as a starter and off the bench.
2000-01 BIO: Cooper had 4 points, 1 rebound in 9 minutes at Wyoming ... did not score with 1 rebound in 12 minutes at CSU ... 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in a season-low 8 minutes vs. UNLV ... 9 points(2-3 on threes), 5 rebounds, 3 assists in 15 minutes vs. SDSU ... 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 14 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 21 minutes vs. Idaho ... did not score with 4 rebounds in 16 minutes vs. USA ... had 1 point in 9 minutes after starting at Weber State ... did not score with 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 25 minutes vs. USC ... did not score, 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 19 minutes vs. Iowa State ... 6 points, 5 rebounds in 22 minutes vs. Boise State ... 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 14 minutes vs. USU ... did not score, taking only one shot, with 1 rebound, 1 steal in 18 minutes vs. SUU ... 10 points, 4 rebounds, season-high 4 assists in 29 minutes vs. Rice ... had 7 points, 7 rebounds in 21 minutes vs. FIU ... had 5 points, 5 re bounds in 19 minutes at ASU ... had 4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists in 31 minutes at USF ... had 6 points, 6 rebounds vs. UCSB in 28 minutes ... had 10 points, 7 rebounds in 20 minutes vs. Elon College, going 3-3 from the floor, including 1-1 on threes, and 3-4 free throws.
Eric Nielsen (6.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg overall -- 7.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg MWC)
Last Game: 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 17 minutes at Wyoming.
• Nielsen is fourth on the team in scoring (6.9) and second in rebounding (4.3). He is averaging 9.3 points over the last three games.
• He leads all MWC players with a 65 percent field goal percentage in conference games.
• He had his sixth double-digit scoring game of the year at Wyoming.
• After not scoring for the first time this year vs. Iowa State, he reached double figures in three straight games for the first time in his career.
• He returned to the starting lineup in the last eight games. He has 16 starts overall.
• Nielsen had his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds vs. South Alabama.
• After shooting a season-best 75 percent (6-8) at Wyoming, Nielsen is shooting a team-best 59.5 percent from the floor. Last year he had the eighth best season field goal percentage in BYU history with a 57.8 percentage. His current 55.9 career percentage ranks third all-time at BYU among starters having made 205-367 field goals.
NIELSEN CAPSULE: Nielsen came on strong at the end of last season helping BYU advance in the MWC and NIT tournaments ... a three-year starter, he played on the 1-25 1996-97 team and, after returning from an LDS Church mission, on last year's 22-11 NIT quarterfinalist squad prior to this season ... an intelligent player with a good mid-range jumper, he is physically much stronger than last season.
2000-01 BIO: Nielsen had 12 points (season-high 75 percent FGs, 6-8), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 17 minutes at Wyoming ... 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block in 28 minutes at CSU ... 12 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 steals in 20 minutes vs. UNLV ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal in 15 minutes vs. SDSU ... 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals in 16 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal in 16 minutes vs. Idaho ... first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, along with 2 assists in 27 minutes vs. USA ... 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist in 34 minutes at Weber State ... 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 20 minutes vs. USC ... no points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 23 minutes vs. ISU ... 2 points, no rebounds, 1 block in 15 minutes vs. BSU ... 6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists in 21 minutes vs. USU ... season-high 15 points with 4 rebounds in 35 minutes vs. SUU ... 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 19 minutes vs. Rice ... 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists in season-high 32 minutes vs. FIU ... 9 points, 9 rebounds in 31 minutes at ASU ... 4 points, 2 rebounds in 8 minutes at USF, fouling out ... 3 points, 2 rebounds in 12 foul-trouble limited minutes vs. UCSB ... 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists (matched season high from last year) in 25 minutes vs. Elon College.
Travis Hansen (6.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg overall -- 8.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg MWC)
Last Game: 8 points, tied career-high 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals in season-high 27 minutes at Wyoming.
• He is questionable for Monday's game with a stress fracture in his right foot. The fracture was discovered Wednesday by a bone scan. He will be evaluated Friday and possibly again game day to determine his status. Feeling some discomfort in his foot, he likely played both games last week with the injury. He averaged 9 points and 5.5 rebounds in BYU's two road losses at CSU and Wyoming.
• He has started the last seven games and has nine total starts. The Cougars are 7-2 (CSU, Wyoming) when Hansen starts and 6-4 in games he came off the bench. He came off the bench in the first seven games of the season before getting his first start.
• Overall, he is fifth on the team in scoring (6.5) and fourth in rebounding (3.3).
• He averaged 8.2 points and 3.7 rebounds during BYU's six-game winning streak.
HANSEN CAPSULE: Hansen is in his first season at BYU ... he enrolled this fall as a transfer from Utah Valley State College after sitting out a redshirt season last year upon returning from his LDS Church mission ... he played at UVSC as a freshman ... he is one of the most athletic players on the team ... he has nice range from outside and can slash to the basket effectively.
2000-01 BIO: Hansen had 8 points, tied career-high 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals in season-high 27 minutes at Wyoming ... 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal in 15 minutes at CSU ... 8 points, 5 rebounds, career-high 5 assists, 1 steal in 24 minutes vs. UNLV ... 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 20 minutes vs. SDSU ... 6 points, career-high 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 17 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 18 minutes vs. Idaho ... 5 points, no rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 14 minutes vs. USA ... career highs of 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists in 21 minutes at Weber State ... 5 points in 16 minutes off the bench vs. USC ... career-high 9 points with 3 rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench vs. ISU ... started but did not score with 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 12 minutes vs. BSU ... started for the first time and had 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal in 25 minutes vs. USU ... had identical 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 22 minutes lines vs. SUU and Rice ... 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 18 minutes vs. FIU ... had 8 points, 2 rebounds in 17 minutes at ASU .... he did not score and had 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 11 minutes at USF ... had 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 18 minutes vs. UCSB ... 4 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists in 11 minutes vs. Elon College playing with a groin injury.
Nate Knight (3.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg overall -- 1.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg MWC)
Last Game: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal in 19 minutes at Wyoming.
• He is 11-25 (.440) on the year and has made 17-19 (.895) free throws.
• He averages 12.9 minutes as one of the first substitutes off the bench. He has two starts.
• In BYU's last home game vs. UNLV he did not take a shot but played a key role helping guard UNLV center Kaspars Kambala. The UNLV star came in averaging a double-double but was held without a field goal while scoring 2 points and grabbing only 3 rebounds.
KNIGHT CAPSULE: Knight transferred to BYU from Kentucky ... he became eligible to play on Dec. 16 vs. Utah State because of transfer rules ... he previously played at Utah Valley State College and Oregon State ... he is a hard-nosed player who can create problems for opponents with his ability to run the floor ... he is primarily a power forward but could also play at center ... he provides experience and depth to Cougar front line ... his brother Shane played for BYU and brother Travis currently plays in the NBA after a college career at Connecticut.
2000-01 BIO: Knight had 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal in 19 minutes at Wyoming ... 2 rebounds, 1 block in 12 minutes at CSU ... 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 13 minutes vs. UNLV ... did not score for the first time and had 2 rebounds in 9 minutes vs. SDSU ... tied a season-high 6 points with 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 12 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block in 8 minutes vs. Idaho ... 3 points, 2 rebound, 1 assist in 10 minutes vs. USA ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block in 6 minutes at Weber State ... started and had 2 points (2-2 FTs), 2 rebounds in 15 minutes vs. USC ... got first start, equaled season-best 6 points with 5 rebounds, 1 block in 21 minutes ... season-high 6 points with 4 rebounds in 12 minutes vs. BSU ... 5 points, 6 rebounds in 18 minutes vs. USU in his BYU debut.
Matt Montague (2.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.8 apg overall -- 1.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 1.2 apg MWC)
Last Game: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 11 minutes at Wyoming.
• Montague started at Wyoming when Trent Whiting was delayed while having blisters on his foot attended to. Whiting came in after only 10 seconds ran off the clock.
• He did not have an assist for the first time this year at CSU.
• He has a team-best 72 assists (Wesley is next with 29).
• He was 0-1 at Wyoming and 1-2 at CSU. He has taken five shots in the last four games.
• He had no rebounds or points for the second time this year in 15 minutes vs. SDSU. He has not scored in 10 games overall.
• He started the first seven games but has come off the bench (except Wyoming) since Trent Whiting made his BYU debut vs. Utah State. He is still fourth in minutes played per game at 23.4 (behind Whiting, Lyday and Wesley).
• He started the year making his first eight shots, including 5-5 on threes, but is 2-19 from the floor in the last 13 games. Overall, he is shooting 42.9percent from the floor and from three-point range. He has doubled the number of treys (6-14) he made all of last year (3-12).
MONTAGUE CAPSULE: Montague is the top assist maker on the Cougar roster ... he led the team in assists last year while starting 19 of 33 games ... prior to serving his LDS Church mission, he led the 1996-97 Cougars in assists while starting every game ... a hard-nosed competitor, he sees the floor well and is a great transition passer ... he was slowed some by an Achilles injury last year and during preseason conditioning this year but is not being troubled currently by the injury.
2000-01 BIO: Montague had 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 11 minutes at Wyoming ... 2 points, 1 rebound in 17 minutes at CSU ... 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 17 minutes vs. UNLV ... 3 assists, 1 steal in 15 minutes vs. SDSU ... 2 points, season-highs of 6 rebounds and 9 assists with 2 steals in 25 minutes vs. TAMCC ... did not score, 1 rebound, game-high 3 assists, 1 steal in 17 minutes vs Idaho ... did not score, 2 rebounds, game-high 7 assists, 2 steals in 30 minutes vs USA ... 7 points, 2 rebounds, game-high 5 assists, 1 steal in 18 minutes at Weber State ... his lone steal vs. WSU was taken from WSU star Jermaine Boyette and set up a Travis Hansen hammer dunk to finally pull BYU even at 46-46. BYU did not trail the rest of the way ... did not score and only took two shots (both threes) in three games at the Yahoo! Sports Invitational ... played 11 minutes with 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal vs. USC, 12 minutes with 2 assists, 2 rebounds vs. ISU, and 30 minutes with 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and his first-ever block vs. BSU ... did not score (0-1) with 1 assist, 1 steal in season-low 10 minutes vs. USU ... was 0-3 from the floor with 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, career-high 5 steals in 34 minutes vs. SUU ... shot 0-4 and did not score with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals in 40 minutes vs. Rice ... 8 points, 3 rebounds, season-low 2 assists vs. FIU ... did not score and had 3 rebounds, 3 assists in 28 minutes at ASU ... made his first eight shots of the year over three games, including 5-5 on threes ... had a season-high 12 points with 2 rebounds, 6 assists in 34 minutes at USF ... 9 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists in 33 minutes vs. UCSB ... 6 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists (no turnovers), 3 steals in team-high 30 minutes vs. Elon College, going 2-2 from the floor, both three pointers, marking the first time he has made two treys in a game during his career.
Daniel Bobik (3.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg overall -- 0.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg MWC)
Last Game: 1 assist, 2 steals in 6 minutes at Wyoming.
• He had two steals in only 6 minutes at Wyoming. He has only played limited minutes since playing 15 minutes vs. SDSU. Against SDSU, he went 0-6, including 0-5 on treys. He has not made a field goal since scoring 11 points in 12 minutes vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
• He has played double-digit minutes in seven games this year and is averaging 6.7 points in those games. He has played less than 10 minutes in nine games and averaged 1.7 points in those games. He has not played in three games.
BOBIK CAPSULE: Bobik has enrolled at BYU for his freshman season after returning from an LDS Church mission to the Dominican Republic ... coming out of high school he was one of the first recruits to sign with BYU under Steve Cleveland ... he is an excellent shooter and good passer with good court awareness.
2000-01 BIO: Bobik had 1 assist, 2 steals in 6 minutes at Wyoming ... did not play at CSU ... 1 point, 1 assist in 3 minutes vs. UNLV ... did not score with 4 rebounds, 2 assists in 15 minutes vs. SDSU ... 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals in 12 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal in 17 minutes vs. Idaho ... 5 points, 1 steal in 7 minutes vs. USA ... did not play vs. Weber State or USC ... played only 1 minute vs. ISU ... 4 points (4-4 FTs), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal in 8 minutes vs. BSU ... played 3 minutes vs. USU ... was 0-1 (a trey attempt) with 1 rebound, 1 assists, 1 steal in 9 minutes vs. SUU ... 0-1 (trey attempt) with 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal in 5 minutes v. Rice ... 9 points, 3 rebounds, season-high 3 assists in 20 minutes vs. FIU ... 3 points, 3 rebounds in 16 minutes at ASU ... 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 12 minutes at USF ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist in 9 minutes vs. UCSB ... 16 points, 1 rebound, 1 assists in 19 minutes in his college debut vs. Elon College and was 5-10 from the floor and 4-4 from the line. He had three more field goal attempts than the next closest Cougar (Terrell Lyday with 7) ... started against EA Sports (Exhibition) in place of injured Terrell Lyday and had 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists ... had 17 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists off the bench vs. Team Reebok.
Jacob Chrisman (3.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg overall -- 1.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg MWC)
Last Game: 1 rebound, 1 assist in 2 minutes at Wyoming.
• He did not score for the third time this year while playing only 2 minutes at Wyoming. He has scored in 15 of the 18 games he has played (except SUU, UNLV, Wyoming). He has had a rebound in 16 of 18 games played (except Rice and SUU).
• Prior to his limited play at Wyoming, he had pulled down 19 boards in the previous four games (4.8 rpg) after totalling only 17 rebounds in the prior 10 games (1.7 rpg) in which he played. He had back-to-back career highs of 6 and 8 rebounds vs. TAMCC and SDSU.
• He did not play for the only time this year vs. ISU.
• He is 23-41 (.561) from the field this year.
CHRISMAN CAPSULE: Chrisman is extremely mobile and has the potential to be a strong rebounder ... he is an athletic low-post player who can score in multiple ways ... he has developed a nice perimeter game ... a hard worker, he has a knack for the game and finds a way to make plays both on offense and defense ... a slasher-type player who has a nice shooting touch ... he will play the three and the four.
2000-01 BIO: Chrisman had 1 rebound, 1 assist in 2 minutes at Wyoming ... 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 9 minutes at CSU ... 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal in 9 minutes vs. UNLV ... 4 points, career-high 8 rebounds with 1 assist, in 20 minutes vs. SDSU ... 4 points, 6 rebounds with 1 assist, 1 block in 20 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 2 points, 3 rebounds in 11 minutes vs. Idaho ... 2 points, 2 rebounds in 8 minutes vs. USA ... 4 points, 1 rebound in 7 minutes at Weber State ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist in 11 minutes vs. USC ... did not play for the first time vs. ISU ... 2 points (2-2 FTs), 2 rebounds in 7 minutes vs. BSU ... 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist in 10 minutes vs USU ... did not score or grab a rebound in season-low 5 minutes vs. SUU ... had 2 points and no rebounds in 8 minutes vs. Rice ... 7 points, 4 rebounds in 11 minutes vs. FIU ... 5 points, 3 rebounds in 12 minutes at ASU ... 7 points, 4 rebounds in 15 minutes at USF ... 4 points, 1 block, 1 steal in 23 minutes vs. UCSB ... 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal, 1 assist in 20 minutes in his college debut vs. Elon College.
Derek Dawes (1.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg overall -- 0.7 ppg, 0.7 rpg MWC)
Last Game: 1 rebound in 6 minutes at Wyoming.
• He played during the critical final minutes of the Wyoming game with Eric Nielsen and Nate Knight having fouled out. He was 0-1 at Wyoming. He has taken nine shots in the last 13 games in which he has played (appeared in 15 of 19 games). He is 7-16 (.438) on the year from the field.
• He averages 2.3 rebounds in 5.6 minutes per game.
DAWES CAPSULE: Dawes enters his first year of college basketball as one of the most sought-after high school centers in the West ... he has played a limited role as a freshman but is an active player who runs the floor well and is a good free throw shooter ... he has outstanding shot blocking ability and timing and good athleticism and size ... he anticipates going on an LDS Church mission after the season.
2000-01 BIO: Dawes had 1 rebound in 6 minutes at Wyoming. ... 2 points in 2 minutes vs. UNLV ... 1 rebound, 1 steal in 6 minutes vs. SDSU ... 2 points, 2 rebounds in 3 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 3 points, 3 rebounds in 6 minutes vs. Idaho ... 2 points, 2 rebounds in 2 minutes vs. USA ... did not play at Weber State ... did not score with 3 rebounds, 1 block in 8 minutes vs. USC ... 2 rebounds in 3 minutes vs. ISU ... did not play vs. BSU ... 1 rebound in 4 minutes vs. USU ... 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block in 7 minutes vs. SUU ... he gave a nice contribution vs. Rice despite playing only six minutes. After making a block he came down the court and knocked down a long jumper on his only attempt. He also grabbed three boards (2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block in 6 minutes vs. Rice in Houston) ... did not play vs. FIU ... started at ASU and did not score with 2 blocks, 1 rebound in 6 minutes ... 1 point, 1 rebound in 6 minutes at USF ... 3 points, 4 rebounds in 7 minutes vs. UCSB ... 6 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block in 12 minutes vs. Elon College in his college debut.
Dan Howard (1.3 ppg, 0.8 rpg overall -- 1.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg MWC)
Last Game: Did not play.
• He has played in nine game overall but has appeared in four of the last seven games.
• He is 5-8 from both the floor and 2-2 from the line this year. Last year he was 3-3 from the floor before being forced to redshirt with a knee injury.
HOWARD CAPSULE: Howard played four games last year but redshirted after having knee surgery ... he had not had any significant game experience since last playing for his high school team in 1996 ... a hard worker, he has a knack for the ball and play a factor with his size inside.
2000-01 BIO: Howard played three minutes, going 0-1, vs. UNLV ... 2 points, season-high 3 rebounds in 10 minutes vs. SDSU ... did not play vs. TAMCC ... had 2 points, 1 rebound in 2 minutes vs. Idaho ... 1 block in 1 minute vs. USA ... did not play at Weber State ... played only 1 minute vs. USC, committing a foul ... did not play in the previous five games ... sat out Rice game with knee injury ... 2 points in 4 minutes vs. FIU ... had 2 rebounds in 2 minutes at ASU ... fouled out with 4 points, no rebounds, 1 block after playing a season-high 12 minutes at USF with Eric Nielsen in foul trouble and USF putting a 7-footer on the court ... did not play vs. UCSB ... had 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block in 5 minutes vs. Elon College.
Ty Shippen (0.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.5 apg overall -- 1.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.0 apg MWC)
Last Game: (did not go on the trip).
• He hit the three vs. SDSU that tied the BYU team record for 13 treys in a game.
• He has played 22 minutes in eight games. After averaging 5 minutes in BYU's first two home wins, he has played 12 total minutes since.
SHIPPEN CAPSULE: Shippen joins the Cougars as a walk-on after transferring from Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho ... he is a gifted shooter and can play either guard position ... he is married to the former Kaly Gillette, who plays on the BYU women's basketball team ... he is the younger brother of BYU women's basketball coach Trent Shippen ... he served an LDS Church mission to North Carolina.
2000-01 BIO: Shippen had 1 steal in 3 minutes vs. UNLV ... 3 points, 3 rebounds in 4 minutes vs. SDSU ... played 1 minute vs. TAMCC and vs. USA .. had 1 assist in 1 minute at ASU ... played only two minutes with one turnover vs. UCSB ... had 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists in 8 minutes vs. Elon College.
Jordan Archibald (0.2 ppg, 0.2 apg overall -- 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg MWC)
Last Game: (did not go on the trip).
• He played one minute vs. UNLV and missed his only shot in limited play vs. SDSU. He has played 14 minutes this year, six in the season opener vs. Elon College.
ARCHIBALD CAPSULE: Archibald redshirted last year and returns for his freshman season ... he has good size and is a good shooter ... he suffered a broken hand during the off-season and his preseason skill development and conditioning opportunities were further limited due to a fall groin pull.
2000-01 BIO: Archibald played 1 minute vs. UNLV, 3 minutes vs. SDSU, 1 minute vs. TAMCC, Idaho and USA ... had 1 point, 1 assist in 6 minutes vs. Elon College.