PROVO — Amber Whiting didn't let her husband leave home without a reminder.
"You better beat those guys," she said as Trent headed out the door for the Marriott Center.
As a Ute-turned-Cougar, Whiting knew Monday's game against his former teammates was big — for more reasons than one.
"Without a doubt," he said after BYU's 69-61 victory over Utah. "I couldn't go home without a win tonight."
Inspired, perhaps, by potential homelessness, Whiting delivered. He accounted for BYU's first and final scores while racking up a game-high 21 points.
"When I came out to warm up I had a bunch of jitters," he acknowledged. "But, after the opening tip, they went away."
Utah, however, jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Whiting and the Cougars responded — on three free throws by Whiting — nearly three minutes into the contest. The shots ushered in an 18-6 run that put BYU in front by seven points. Though Utah eventually reclaimed an advantage, Whiting retaliated with a 3-pointer late in the first half to give the Cougars the lead for good at 28-26.
Twelve second-half points from the senior complemented a decisive 16-4 run that put the game out of reach.
"That's the Trent Whiting we played with at Utah," said ex-teammate Phil Cullen. "He hasn't changed at all. He's got a little more free will here; maybe that's what he wanted."
Cullen insists no hard feeling exist between Whiting and the Utes. When the final buzzer sounded, the BYU guard embraced several of his old teammates.
"He's a great friend of ours," said Cullen.
BYU fans, though, consider Whiting's transfer a one-sided affair. A sign in the Marriott Center drew additional attention to the situation, as well as that of injured Utah player Chris Burgess who spurned the Cougars for Duke in a heralded recruiting war in 1997.
It read: "Hey Utes, thanks for Whiting. You can keep Burgess."
Burgess, meanwhile, was in the Marriott Center for the first time since Roger Reid's infamous line that he "disappointed 9 million Mormons" by turning down BYU's recruiting advances.
The junior, who is sidelined until at least late February with an ankle fracture, drew a smattering of jeers while sitting on the Utah bench before the game. Decked in Ute colors — red pants and a white golf shirt — to go along with the black walking cast on his left foot — Burgess briefly visited with BYU's Mekeli Wesley and athletic director Val Hale before the game.
DOWN, BUT NOT OUT: Despite suffering their third consecutive Mountain West Conference loss, the Utes aren't ready to raise the white flag and surrender.
"This league is very competitive," Cullen explained. "We've got three losses, but don't count us out."
The junior added: "There's no place to go but up."
BIG 5 SUCCESS AND FAILURE: Monday's outcome gave BYU its second consecutive season with victories over in-state foes Utah, Utah State, Weber State and Southern Utah. The Cougars are 4-0 this season against their neighbors. The Utes, meanwhile, are winless — losing to all four rivals.
QUICK SHOTS: BYU is 11-0 in the Marriott Center this season. Overall, the Cougars have won 16 straight at home — good enough for the nation's 11th-longest active home streak . . . The outcome breaks a tie in the long-running series. BYU now holds a 115-114 advantage . . . Utah radio analyst Mark Rydalch missed the game for the birth of a baby. He was replaced by older brother, Craig, another former Ute . . . BYU's Wesley netted 16 points and spearheaded the game's decisive run in the second half. He's now just 22 points behind the late Kresimir Cosic (1,514 points) for eighth on the school's all-time scoring list . . . BYU has now defeated Utah in back-to-back games for the first time since 1993-94 . . . BYU's Travis Hansen, who is suffering from a stress fracture in his right foot, played 11 minutes. He recorded two points, two assists, two turnovers and a steal.
E-mail: dirk@desnews.com