Cougars bounce back after taking bad beating

On the heels of Brigham Young's worst-ever loss to UNLV last week, Cougars coach Dave Rose decided to let his players off the hook and focus solely on their next game at in-state rival Utah.

The decision paid off as the Cougars (13-5, 2-1 Mountain West Conference) responded with an inspired effort in Saturday's 55-52 win over the Utes at the Huntsman Center.

"As many things as we wanted to break down and go over from the UNLV game, we came to the conclusion it would be better to just throw it out," Rose said during Monday's MWC teleconference. "We started the next day to get ourselves ready to compete the next time out, and the players responded really well.

"I believe, in the 18 games we've played this year, that was the most consistent, competitive effort we've had from start to finish, even though we weren't as effective shooting as we usually are."

BYU shot a season-low 33 percent from the field against Utah and 17.6 percent (3-for-17) from 3-point range after making a season-low 14.3 percent (3-for-21) from beyond the arc in a 70-41 loss at UNLV.

The Cougars still were able to pull out the victory over the Utes (10-6, 1-2) thanks in large part to Lee Cummard, who scored a game-high 19 points and sank two free throws in the final seconds.

Cummard, who also had a team-high nine rebounds and two steals, went 7-for-7 from the line. He has made 21 straight free throws and 44 of 48 this season (91.7 percent).

• FOUR FACETS OF SHOOTING -- When the Cougars are struggling with their shot, Rose said they concentrate on four areas -- mechanics, repetition, focus and confidence.

"The first thing we break down is mechanics," said Rose, whose staff looks at video to determine if a player is rushing his shot or leaning off balance. "If the mechanics are solid, we work on repetition, and through that guys can get confidence."

Rose said a player's focus at the line is affected by what is going through his mind as he shoots.

"Part of focus is where they are at mentally," he said. "We need to get them at the right pace, and they need to focus on that opportunity and forget about the last opportunity. If they execute their mechanics, repetition and focus, they need to make a few to get confidence."

• AZTECS ON TAP -- The Cougars will put their 40-game home winning streak -- the nation's second longest behind No. 1 Memphis, which owns a 42-game run -- on the line at 5 p.m. today at the Marriott Center against first-place San Diego State (14-4, 4-0).

"They're one of the most talented teams, as far as depth is concerned," Rose said. "They're really competitive and should be a big, big challenge for us. It's a tough matchup to play any team that's so active."

BYU will host New Mexico (15-4, 2-2) at 3 p.m. Saturday.