No. 23 BYU 89, UTEP 68

UTEP coach Tim Floyd got the name backwards Thursday night.

But either way, Jackson Emery did plenty of damage for No. 23 BYU.

The senior guard, who has been coming off the bench as a shin injury has kept him from practicing, hit a career-high six 3-pointers, had 23 points and six steals to help the Cougars rally past UTEP 89-68.

''I'm really happy for Jackson,'' BYU coach Dave Rose said. ''The guy loves to practice at the pace he played out there tonight. He really helped the team.''

BYU's other senior guard, Jimmer Fredette, had another strong game with 25 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

After the Cougars (12-1) fell behind 9-0 and 19-15, Fredette's authoritative dunk ignited the crowd of 13,403. He hit a 3-pointer for a 20-19 BYU lead and the Cougars never looked back.

''It was too much of Fredette, too much of Emery Jackson ...,'' Floyd said after watching BYU's senior backcourt hit 10 of 16 3-point attempts.

The Miners (9-3) saw their six-game winning streak end. The Cougars also halted UTEP's eight-game road win streak that dated to last season.

The Miners took a 9-0 lead 3 minutes into the game thanks to a four-point play by Randy Culpepper and a three-point play off a putback by senior forward Jeremy Williams.

The first six minutes were all UTEP as the Miners attempted twice as many shots as BYU (12-6).

But the Cougars, playing their first home game in a month, rallied with 3-pointers - five in a 3-minute span - and defense.

''This was a totally different game (than the loss to UCLA),'' Rose said. ''UCLA had big, physical guys, but there was no help. This game they were all helping. Guys were spotted up and Jimmer found them all. We hit some big shots.''

Offensively, UTEP spread the court, which gave BYU problems early.

Rose urged his players to remain aggressive yet stay patient.

''When a team spreads you out, and slows things down, you kind of relax,'' Rose said. ''Then when they attack you, they're big, strong, athletic guys going at a tough speed to defend . I thought our weak-side guys got a lot more active, we got a couple of charges, and offensively we got into a better flow.''

UTEP's physical style was evidenced by how many times Fredette found himself on the ground, often face down after getting block or fouled.

''They collapse a lot when you drive to the basket,'' Fredette said. ''It happens. Sometimes teams will do that. But you've got to play. You can't get frustrated. You've got to find other ways to make plays and score.''

He did, finding the open shooter, in many cases Emery.

Senior center Claude Britten and Christian Polk led UTEP with 15 points apiece, while Williams added 11.

After a slow start, BYU held a 42-33 rebound advantage.

Fredette admitted the Cougars might have been a little fatigued after so many road games including one Tuesday night.

''It was great to get in the home arena,'' said Fredette, who was 7 of 14 from the field. ''The familiar setting helped us out. We expect to shoot like that every night.''

BYU has won 26 of its last 27 home games.

''It's that Marriott Center magic,'' said Emery, who needs nine steals to pass Danny Ainge (195) to become BYU's all-time leader.