BYU grinds out victory over Rams PDF Print E-mail
JaredLloyd  |  Friday, February 23, 2007, 5:35 pm
Jason Franchuk
DAILY HERALD

BYU and Colorado State each were above average on style points, getting several baskets Wednesday off flashy play.

What separated the Cougars from the Rams, however, was substance — the kind displayed by Keena Young and his teammates for most of Mountain West Conference play, which also produced a 76-67 win at the Marriott Center. "We came out with more energy, we were more aggressive and we made it clear we would have to get stops to play how we wanted to play," Young said of the win, which avenged their last loss, Jan. 20, in Fort Collins, Colo.

The Rams had moments, but not nearly enough to stay in the game beyond a first half that slowly crept away in the closing minutes. Young's 24 points, 16 in the second half, wore down the Rams.

Lee Cummard tied his career high with 20, including a late steal that sealed the win.

BYU improved to 21-6 overall and kept a 1 1/2-game edge in the league race ahead of Air Force at 11-2.

The sacrificial Rams, who became victim No. 30 in a row on the Cougars' home court, played the part to perfection.

Getting a free swing against a nationally ranked opponent, on the road no less, CSU (15-11, 5-9) played freely. Maybe a little too much so. There were 13 first-half turnovers which marred a steady early effort, despite having only three scorers in the opening 20 minutes.

Standout center Jason Smith had a couple of admirable alley-oop dunks, and fellow 7-footer Stuart Creason served as a willing and able second option that BYU struggled to defend. He had 11 of his 17 points before halftime.

BYU's most steady player, Young, didn't really get get going until the final minute of the first half. But when he did, watch out.

CSU helped to make him look like the league's MVP. Young, at 6-6, took it to anyone who stood in his way in a nine-minute span in which he scored 11 consecutive points and 13 of the Cougars' 15 as they extended the lead to 48-36 at the 14-minute mark.

Early, BYU looked like two different teams — the one which deserved every bit of its first national ranking in nearly 14 years (No. 21 Associated Press; 22nd by the coaches), and also one that looked a little tight as it tried to justify that status and keep its spot atop the league race.

The Cougars made just 2-of-17 3-pointers.

"Tonight was kind of a grind-it-out kind of game," said BYU head coach Dave Rose said. "We've shot the ball really well for a two-week period and we've kind of relied on it. We had to get other things, and that was good to see."

Slow to show, the crowd of 18,767 got into it early thanks to Austin Ainge. The senior point guard had a seven-point spurt midway through the first half in which he had two of his fancier scores this year. After a 3-point basket, he followed it with a lullaby move on the baseline. The defender went to sleep on a fake pullout and Ainge streaked by on the baseline for a right-handed reverse layup.

The next possession, Ainge (13 points, eight assists) drove to the hoop with the ball plastered to his stomach. On the foul, he somehow managed to bank the shot in.

But Ainge missed the accompany free throw, symbolizing the night. BYU was better, but it let the Rams hang around.

The lead stretched to 15 at 8:37, before the crowd could put another home win in the books.

Trailing 62-55, CSU had the ball. But Cummard had a steal and dunk to give the Cougars a chance to exhale. Jimmy Balderson provided strong defense the next time, drawing a charge that Rose had sought all night.

The Cougars were called for three player-control fouls in the first half, two of which had Rose visibly steamed.

That, and perhaps a little frustration that mistakes slowed down BYU's hope to shut down a team that has lost 7-of-8 since beating the Cougars on Jan. 20.

BYU has won eight in a row since then, and has now defeated each MWC team at least once this year.

CSU kept close through most of the first half, getting a strong performance from Creason. He had 11 first-half points as BYU focused on Jason Smith and keeping the Rams' outside shooters under wraps.

Smith (team-high 20 points) had a couple of alley-oop dunks in the opening 20 minutes, one off an inbounds pass and the other as the Cougars suffered from a defensive lapse.

At home, Moby Arena, that may have charged up CSU. But a fairly unimpressed Provo crowd watched, after Smith's second synchronized slam cut his team's deficit to 33-28, as the Cougars scored the final four points of the first half.

Young tallied a tip-in and a short jumper in the final minute for a nine-point halftime lead.

"A lot's happened since the last time we played," Rose said of the week off that came with a national ranking Monday. "To fight through this, play a really competitive game, that's good for your team."
 
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