BYU Cougars - The Salt Lake Tribune

BYU basketball: Cougars discover their shooting touch, roll past Pepperdine

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:34:52 MDT

BYU basketball: Cougars discover their shooting touch, roll past Pepperdine

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 11, 2012 11:34PM MDT

Provo • The Cougars and their fans can calm down, loosen up and chill out a little bit, BYU basketball coach Dave Rose said. The team that couldn’t shoot straight from 3-point range finally did on Saturday afternoon, at least in the first half, and that was more than enough marksmanship needed to rout overmatched Pepperdine 86-48 in a West Coast Conference game in front of 19,008 relaxed onlookers at the Marriott Center. For link to the box score, go here: http://bit.ly/wEycts “I think ...

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BYU basketball: Seniors contribute in different ways in easy win

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:15:01 MDT

BYU basketball: Seniors contribute in different ways in easy win

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 11, 2012 09:15PM MDT

Provo • Senior forward Noah Hartsock didn’t have to carry the Cougars on Saturday, like he has done most of the season, because Pepperdine was terribly overmatched and the perimeter players discovered their 3-point shooting touch. Hartsock scored just nine points in 23 minutes in BYU’s 86-48 win over the Waves, only the second time this season he hasn’t reached double figures. But he was still a force on the other end of the floor, recording three blocked shots to move into third place on the sc...

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Women’s basketball: BYU whips No. 19 Gonzaga, 70-40

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:15:01 MDT

Women’s basketball: BYU whips No. 19 Gonzaga, 70-40

By Martin Renzhofer The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 11, 2012 09:15PM MDT

Provo • Jeff Judkins didn’t sugarcoat the consequences of Thursday’s league fracas against visiting Gonzaga. “I wanted them to know it was an important game,” the BYU women’s coach said. So, prepped and ready, the confident Cougars waited for the West Coast Conference-leading Bulldogs. BYU is still waiting. The team wearing the Gonzaga blue resembled nothing like a 19th-ranked team. The Cougars blew the Bulldogs right out of the Marriott Center, 70-40. Gonzaga’s usually dominant big players were...

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BYU basketball: Cougars still searching for outside shooting touch

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:26:47 MDT

BYU basketball: Cougars still searching for outside shooting touch

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 10, 2012 11:26PM MDT

Provo • Coach Dave Rose said after BYU’s 79-60 win over Portland on Saturday that the Cougars would use the bulk of their practice time this week — they don’t play again until Saturday, against Pepperdine at the Marriott Center — to work on their own improvement and build confidence. Job One: Rediscover their outside shooting touch. Remarkably, the Cougars (20-6) have scratched out a 4-2 record in the last six games while making just 17 of their 101 3-point attempts in that stretch. But their ac...

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BYU basketball: Cougars scratch their way past Portland

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:30:14 MDT

BYU basketball: Cougars scratch their way past Portland

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 9, 2012 11:30PM MDT

Portland, Ore. •Brigham Young still can’t shoot with any kind of accuracy from 3-point range, but fortunately for the Cougars, few teams in the West Coast Conference have shown the ability to capitalize on that glaring deficiency. What the Cougars can do is score inside and make free throws, and they did that well enough on Saturday to earn a tougher-than-it-looks 79-60 win over Portland on Saturday night in front of a pro-BYU crowd of 4,159 at Chiles Center. “ “I think it was a real physical ga...

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BYU basketball: Will Cougars find 3-point shooting touch in Portland?

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:04:01 MDT

BYU basketball: Will Cougars find 3-point shooting touch in Portland?

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 8, 2012 10:04PM MDT

Portland, Ore. • The BYU Cougars regained their confidence, mixed in a little extra effort, and rediscovered their moxie Thursday night in a convincing home basketball win over No. 24 Gonzaga. Now they head to the Great Northwest, hoping to find that missing ingredient that could put them back into the good graces of the NCAA Basketball Tournament Selection Committee: their 3-point shooting touch. BYU takes on the Portland Pilots — suddenly a threat after giving Gonzaga a nice tussle and winning...

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BYU basketball: Even on road, Cougars often feel at home

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:04:01 MDT

BYU basketball: Even on road, Cougars often feel at home

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 8, 2012 10:04PM MDT

Portland, Ore. • Technically, it was a road game for the BYU Cougars on Saturday night as they took on Portland in a West Coast Conference game at 4,852-seat Chiles Center. In reality, the Pilots played on their home court, but the crowd was mixed in their allegiance, with probably more than half of the onlookers cheering for BYU. “That’s the cool thing about being in this league,” BYU guard Brock Zylstra said last week. “It seems like no matter where we are, there are a lot of BYU fans there ch...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BYU tennis team to play at No. 9 Stanford

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:50:03 MDT

BYU tennis team to play at No. 9 Stanford

The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 8, 2012 03:50PM MDT

The 52nd-ranked men’s tennis team travels to No. 9 Stanford for a 12:30 p.m. meet at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium. “Stanford is a storied tennis program,” said BYU coach Brad Pearce. “I think we can compete against them. We’re excited to compete there. Our goal every match is to win.” The Cougars are 3-4 on the season after back-to-back wins against Idaho State and Montana State. The Cardinal, 5-2, is coming off a 6-1 victory over Hawaii Tuesday. Stanford fell to then No. 9 UCLA 6-1 last wee...

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University Beat: BYU’s Miles Batty has record in mind for Wanamaker Mile

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:51:33 MDT

University Beat: BYU’s Miles Batty has record in mind for Wanamaker Mile

By Martin Renzhofer The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 8, 2012 02:51PM MDT

If everything falls into place, including a favorable pace, Miles Batty can see himself creating track history Saturday in New York City when he takes the starting line for the 105th annual 2012 Millrose Games and the prestigious Wanamaker Mile. Batty, a distance champion many times over for Brigham Young, has set his sights on capturing the indoor collegiate record in the men’s mile at The Armory. He’s ready for resulting prestige as well as the pre-race pressure. “Absolutely,” Batty said. “Gu...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BYU women’s basketball: Riley earns multiple honors

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:36:33 MDT

BYU women’s basketball: Riley earns multiple honors

The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 7, 2012 11:36PM MDT

BYU forward Kristen Riley averaged 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds last week, good enough to earn College Basketball Mid-Major Player of the Week from netscoutsbasketball.com and the Madness High-Major Conference Player of the Week from collegesportsmadness.com. Riley contributed back-to-back double-doubles, then added a third-straight double-double against Pepperdine on Thursday. The 6-foot-3 starter averages 11.3 points per game and 7.4 rebounds. Riley and the No. 22 Cougars take on Saint Mary’s...

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BYU basketball notes: Trip to Provo a homecoming of sorts for Gonzaga assistants

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:46:04 MDT

BYU basketball notes: Trip to Provo a homecoming of sorts for Gonzaga assistants

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 4, 2012 11:46PM MDT

Provo • Thursday may have been Groundhog Day for Punxsutawney Phil and his fellow groundhogs back in Pennsylvania, but it didn’t just seem like old times again for former University of Utah basketball coach Ray Giacoletti. Now an assistant on Mark Few’s staff at Gonzaga, Giacoletti returned to the Marriott Center on Thursday night — sans the bright red sport coat — for the first time since he was fired as Utah’s coach a week before the 2006-07 season ended. His Utah teams were 1-2 against BYU in...

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BYU Football: Cougars’ smallest class still packs some punch

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:07:46 MDT

BYU Football: Cougars’ smallest class still packs some punch

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 4, 2012 12:07AM MDT

Live signing day updates on the BYU Cougars from Jay Drew on Twitter (twitter.com/drewjay): <freeform> <iframe src=”http://local.sltrib.com/twitter/widgets/jaydrew.html” width=”470” height=”260” frameborder=”0” scrolling=”no”> </iframe> </freeform> Provo • BYU’s 2012 football signing class might be one of its smallest ever, with just 17 prospects, but it is the “most qualified class yet” to fulfill Bronco Mendenhall’s expectations for the program, the Cougars’ coach s...

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BYU basketball: Cougars hold off Gonzaga 83-73

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:54:19 MDT

BYU basketball: Cougars hold off Gonzaga 83-73

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 3, 2012 09:54AM MDT

Provo • The magic returned to the Marriott Center on Thursday night, even if another sellout crowd and BYU’s shooting touch from 3-point range did not. Pounding the ball inside instead of settling for long-range shots, the Cougars held off also-cold No. 24 Gonzaga 83-73 to snap their home-game losing skid at two in front of 19,257 fans. “It was a great team win,” said BYU coach Dave Rose. “Every player that went into the game tonight played with real urgency. ... It was a big win.” And a big sig...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BYU women’s basketball putting together a special season

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:03:11 MDT

BYU women’s basketball putting together a special season

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 1, 2012 09:03AM MDT

Provo • There have been other outstanding BYU women’s basketball teams in Jeff Judkins’ 11-year tenure, but none has been as deep, experienced and talented as this current one, according to the man who recently became the winningest women’s basketball coach in school history. “We’ve got it rolling,” Judkins acknowledged the day his team earned its first national ranking in five years, landing at No. 23 in The Associated Press Top 25. “This is probably the deepest team I’ve had, in every position...

BYU basketball: Thursday’s 9 p.m. tipoff time won’t bother Cougars

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:12:01 MDT

BYU basketball: Thursday’s 9 p.m. tipoff time won’t bother Cougars

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jan 31, 2012 11:12PM MDT

Provo • As if having to worry about snapping their two-game home losing streak against No. 24 Gonzaga on Thursday isn’t enough, the BYU Cougars have to be concerned a little bit about the odd starting time, 9 p.m., at the Marriott Center. Well, actually, they don’t. “It is fine,” guard Matt Carlino said after practice Tuesday, after noting that he has a “fun class” early Friday morning that he won’t miss. “It will be good. If we can’t get up for the game, then we have some problems.” The game wi...

BYU football: California defensive end Theodore King commits to Cougars

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:03:52 MDT

BYU football: California defensive end Theodore King commits to Cougars

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jan 31, 2012 11:03AM MDT

Provo • It appears that BYU’s last football scholarship for the 2012 signing class will go to Theodore King, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end from Valley Christian High School in San Jose, Calif. King, who BYU coaches believe generally flew under the recruiting radar this season, told The Salt Lake Tribune on Monday night that he actually committed almost a week ago to BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall. “I’m very excited about it,” he said. “When they first talked to me, I didn’t know a thing about...

BYU basketball: Saint Mary’s blasts ice-cold Cougars 80-66

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:35:15 MDT

BYU basketball: Saint Mary’s blasts ice-cold Cougars 80-66

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jan 30, 2012 11:35PM MDT

Provo • BYU’s hopes of contending for the West Coast Conference basketball championship in its inaugural season in the league are gone, buried under an avalanche of missed shots and defensive lapses and deep-sixed by the razor-sharp Saint Mary’s Gaels. Facing a massive, sellout crowd of 22,700 on Saturday night that howled at every call that didn’t go its way, the No. 21-ranked Gaels proved worthy of their national acclaim, ripping the Cougars 80-66 to tighten their grip on the WCC lead and comp...

BYU college basketball: Gaels make believers out of Cougars

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:35:15 MDT

BYU college basketball: Gaels make believers out of Cougars

By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jan 30, 2012 11:35PM MDT

Provo • In front of the biggest crowd to ever watch a West Coast Conference basketball game, the No. 21-ranked Saint Mary’s Gaels made believers out of the BYU Cougars on Saturday night. The Gaels dominated from start to finish, save a rally by BYU in the closing minutes, and walked out of the Marriott Center with an 80-66 win and plenty of respect from the home team in front of 22,700 fans. “They are a really good team, and they work really well together as a team,” said BYU’s Noah Hartsock. “T...

BYU’s Kristen Riley earns WCC weekly honors

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:45:24 MDT

BYU’s Kristen Riley earns WCC weekly honors

The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jan 30, 2012 06:45PM MDT

BYU’s Kristen Riley has been named the West Coast Conference women’s basketball player of the week, the school announced Monday afternoon. The 6-foot-3 senior center, who leads the Cougars in scoring and rebounds, helped lead the team to victories against Seattle and Santa Clara. She averaged 16.5 points and 10 rebounds in the pair of wins, and shot 72 percent from the field. Riley also had five assists, a block and two steals in the games.