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BYU gets big plays late to beat No. 13 Air Force |
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JaredLloyd | Saturday, January 27, 2007, 10:51 pm
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Jared Lloyd
DAILY HERALD
The BYU basketball team might feel an obligation to the Marriott Center rims after Saturday afternoon’s home game against No. 13 Air Force. Maybe the Cougars will give them a fresh coat of paint or buff off any rough marks by way of thanks.
With the game tight in the second half, the Falcons had a pair of open 3-pointers that might have given the visitors the edge they needed rattle in and out.
At the other end, BYU sophomore center Trent Plaisted got a friendly roll on the front end of a one-and-one that made it a two possession game with only 34 seconds on the clock and the Cougars picked up the big upset, 61-52.
“That was a great college basketball game,” said BYU head coach Dave Rose. “Both teams fought hard and battled. It was a great crowd and great atmosphere, and while there were many plays that affected the outcome, I thought we made some big shots and some big free throws late.”
Perhaps none were bigger than Plaisted’s pair in the final minute. Air Force had cut the Cougar advantage to just 54-51 on a free throw by Falcon senior center Nick Welch.
The next trip down the floor, the visitors went after the BYU sophomore, knowing he was only hitting 49.1 percent of his foul shots on the year.
“If I was (Air Force head coach) Jeff Bzdelik, I probably would’ve done the same thing,” Plaisted said. “But you kind of take it personally.”
The Cougar big man, who had missed the front end of a one-and-one on his previous trip to the line, stepped up and put the foul shot up short. It bounced twice on the front of the rim before falling through, much to the delight of the most of the 22,700 fans in attendance.
“When the free throw climbed over the top and the crowd went crazy, it was a great situation,” Plaisted said. “I was just happy that I could help the team get the win.”
Plaisted also got the second shot to drop, giving BYU a five-point cushion. Air Force couldn’t get a trey to drop and the ball got knocked out to senior forward Keena Young, who drove in to seal the game with a layup, drawing a foul and hitting the free throw.
“Give credit to (BYU),” said Bzdelik. “They made some timely shots and we didn’t.”
The Cougar size and athleticism gave them a big advantage inside as Plaisted led BYU with 22 points while Young added 17. The home team also dominated the boards, outrebounding the Falcons 42-20.
“(Rebounding) was a big part of the game plan,” said Rose. “We felt that if we got our No. 3, 4 and 5 men to the basket, we could get hands on the basketball and tip it around. That’s a big factor for the success of this team.”
The visitors got off to a quick start, going in front 10-4 in the early going. But the Cougars came back with a 16-2 run over the next 8:26 to go in front 20-12 and the home team never trailed again.
BYU’s lead got as big as 13 at 37-24 just after halftime, but Air Force charged back by scoring 11 of the next 12 points to cut the deficit to just three.
“The coaches told us that they are a great team and that they were going to make a run,” Young said. “We just needed to withstand it and be strong.”
After the teams traded baskets, the visitors made another run to make the score 49-48 but the Cougars made a couple of big plays to extend the lead.
They got the ball inside to Plaisted for a layup, then the big man made a nice kickout to senior guard Austin Ainge in the corner for a 3-point bomb.
The victory moved BYU into at least a tie for second place with UNLV in the Mountain West Conference, while Air Force sits just a half-game in front.
“The league is deep and talented,” Plaisted said. “Every game is going to be a battle. We control our own fate now.”
The Cougars next head to Salt Lake City to play Utah on Wednesday, while Air Force hosts Wyoming on Feb. 3.
∫ Extra points: The win over No. 13 Air Force was the first time BYU defeated a ranked team since knocking off then-No.25 Oklahoma State at the Delta Center on Dec. 6, 2003 ... 61 points was the fewest points BYU has scored this year and the plus-22 rebounding advantage was the largest of the season ... the Cougars won for the first time in 2005-06 when they scored less than 70 points. BYU is 1-4 when it doesn’t make that mark and 13-0 when it does ... Plaisted opened the second half with back-to-back dunks and added another later in the frame. He has now 57 dunks on his career.
∫ Jared Lloyd can be reached at 344-2552 or
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