PROVO — While the pace was frenetic and bumpy at times, BYU's Tyler Haws was calm amid the storm.
Facing a Wyoming team enamored with trapping and creating havoc in the backcourt, the true freshman guard poured in a career-high 24 points to lead the No. 14 Cougars to a 81-66 victory Wednesday night at the Marriott Center.
BYU has now won 14 consecutive games and improved its overall record to 19-1, matching the best start in school history through 20 games — originally set during the 1987-88 season.
"It's something incredible," forward Noah Hartsock said of the winning streak. "Going into the season we expected big things because we had almost everyone coming back. We're just playing well right now. Some games are better than others. We've found a way to keep going on, to keep pushing. We see that in practice every day. We're still competing, we're still going hard. Everyone still wants to win."
Unlike BYU's 44-point rout of Colorado State last Saturday, Wyoming put up more of a fight against the Cougars. Employing a fast-paced, pressure-style defense, the Cowboys were able to keep BYU off-balanced for stretches in the first half.
"Wyoming did a good job taking us out of the things we like to do," said Cougar coach Dave Rose. "At times in the first half I thought they played on attack maybe better than us. It got us a little bit timid, but we were able to regroup. We did a good job handling their pressure. I give Wyoming a lot of credit for the way they were able to disrupt us. But we were able to win the game in the second half."
The Cougars led by eight at halftime, 41-33, but thanks to a 12-0 run early in the second half, they wrested control of the contest, going up 54-37.
"They're a pressuring team," Haws said of Wyoming. "In the first half, we were kind of tentative. You really have to play on attack and be the aggressors. We were able to do that more in the second half."
During that 12-0 spurt, Haws scored seven of those points — on a 3-pointer, a jumper and a putback. Playing a game-high 35 minutes, Haws shot 8-for-12 from the field, including 4-for-5 from 3-point territory. He also made all four of his free throw attempts and pulled down six rebounds.
"I wanted to come in and try and find my rhythm," said Haws. "I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates. They found me open and were able to drive and draw guys to them. I was open and able to knock some shots down."
The trapping Cowboys forced the freshman to make quick decisions, and Haws responded like a seasoned veteran.
"I thought Tyler was terrific tonight," said Rose. "We knew Tyler would get the ball a lot because of Wyoming's pressure. He shot shots at his pace, made good plays around the basket and finished at the rim. I was happy with the way he handled the situation."
Haws, who has started 18 games, continues to impress in his first year of Division I basketball.
"I didn't know what to expect (going into the season), but I know every game I feel a little bit more comfortable," he said. "I'm feeling good about the season so far, but we still have a lot of games left to play. I can't be satisfied yet."
The complexion of the game changed somewhat midway through the first half when Wyoming forward Afam Muojeke — the Mountain West Conference's second-leading scorer — went down with a knee injury after a collision with Haws. Muojeke did not return to the game and his status for the remainder of the season has not been determined officially.
"He's such a talented player," said Rose. "I feel for Afam and (Wyoming's coaching staff)."
For BYU, Jackson Emery scored 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting and Jimmer Fredette chipped in 11 on 3-of-11 shooting.
The Cougars, who are sitting all alone in first place in MWC play with a 4-0 mark, hit the road Saturday (7 p.m., The mtn) to face San Diego State. The Aztecs (14-5, 3-2) are fresh off a 70-68 victory at Utah on Tuesday night...
NOTES: Announced attendance was 10,931 ... BYU outrebounded Wyoming, 40-33 ... The Cougars have won by at least 10 points in 15 of their 19 wins ... BYU has now beaten the Cowboys 10 straight ... With three points against Wyoming, Jonathan Tavernari has 1,355 career points, and is 18 points away from passing Trent Plaisted for 15th all-time at BYU.
e-mail: jeffc@desnews.com