BYU -- 89
Denver -- 71PROVO -- It took a while, but BYU finally regained some of the spark it showed in last Saturday's overtime loss to nationally ranked Arizona.
BYU's Todd Christensen and Denver's Wahhab Carter jostle each other while pursuing a loose ball in Tuesday's game at the Marriott Center.Laura Seitz, Deseret News
Silester Rivers scored 26 points, while Mark Bigelow and Todd Christensen each added 15 as the Cougars defeated Denver 89-71 in the Marriott Center Tuesday. The outcome left both squads with 2-3 records and snapped a three-game losing skid for BYU.
"Even though we preached as a coaching staff that we had to be as emotionally up for this game as we were against Arizona, they wouldn't believe us," BYU coach Steve Cleveland said. "I think at halftime they realized we were in a game."
The Cougars led 37-34 at the intermission after trailing by as many as seven points midway through the opening half. The reason? These guys couldn't hit water from a boat, or so it seemed. BYU missed three layups and four other shots near the basket before halftime. The inaccuracy extended to free throws (7 of 14) and three-pointers (2 of 12) as well.
Cleveland called the perfor- mance dismal. He was pleased, however, with the energy he saw in the second half.
BYU took the lead for good with a 12-2 run over the first and second halves to break a 34-34 tie. Denver eventually pulled as close as two points but was never able to reclaim its earlier advantage.
"We didn't shoot the ball well in the second half. You have to give (BYU) credit for playing good defense," Denver coach Marty Fletcher said. "BYU is a fine basketball team and I'm sure they'll be a contender in the WAC."
In scanning the postgame stat sheet, Cleveland said one number made him extremely happy. BYU's 14 assists marked a season-high.
The passes paid off as the Cougars shot a blistering 63.6 percent in the second half to wind up making 26 of 52 attempts for the game. In addition to improved shot selection, BYU's lead swelled to as high as 19 points thanks to Jacob Hawkins' defense on Denver's Eric Dow and Bigelow's team-high 14 rebounds. And it didn't hurt that the Cougs, who finished with 12 steals, were 21 of 26 from the foul line and perfect in three shots beyond the three-point arc down the stretch. A game-ending 21-9 run sealed the outcome and produced the highest scoring output for BYU since Cleveland took over as coach last season.
Nathan Cooper added 13 points to the mix, while Michael Vranes scored nine. Arthur Ireland topped Denver, which is playing at the Division I level for the first time in 20 years and is set to join the Sun Belt Conference next season, with a game-high 27 points. Dow had 14 to go along with a game-high 16 rebounds. Former Olympus High all-stater Ty Church is the Pioneers' starting point guard. He played 33 minutes -- scoring three points and dishing out an equal number of assists.
GAME NOTES: The attendance was a season-low 5,239 . . . The Cougars return to action Saturday at Oregon and Tuesday at Washington State. Following the Northwest excursion, BYU hosts its annual Cougar Classic, Dec. 11-12 . . . Former NBA all-star Walter Davis attended the game. He provides commentary for Denver's radio broadcasts . . . Church isn't the only Utahn on the Pioneers' roster. Mountain Crest grad Brandt Wilcox also saw action. He was scoreless with three rebounds in 19 minutes . . . Sinbad, the comedian, is a former Denver basketball player. He lettered in 1975.