Feb. 15, 2001

Box Score

By TIM KORTE
AP Sports Writer

PROVO, Utah - Terrell Lyday scored 25 points and Trent Whiting had 14 as BYU beat Wyoming 79-63 on Thursday night, creating a three-way logjam at the top of the Mountain West standings.

The Cougars (18-7, 7-3 MWC) pulled into a share of the lead after the Cowboys (16-6, 7-3) had a second-half emotional meltdown to fall into a tie with BYU and Utah (15-9, 7-3).

BYU showed why it's the nation's third best team at the free throw line, hitting 21-of-22 in the second half. The Cougars scored 15 of their last 17 points from the stripe to extend their homecourt winning streak to 19 games.

Ronell Mingo led Wyoming with a career-high 18 points and Paris Corner scored 14 but Marcus Bailey, the Mountain West's leading scorer with a 17.8 average, was held to nine points. Josh Davis scored 10 for the Cowboys.

Nate Cooper had a career-high 11 points for BYU.

The Cougars, fueled by a boisterous crowd of 16,488, extended a 60-56 lead with a free-throw binge that started when Chris McMillian got a technical after fouling Lyday, who hit both technicals and the ensuing free throws.

The Cowboys missed their next two shots, allowing BYU to extend the lead to 68-45 when Cooper barely beat the shot clock on a short jumper. After Davis missed inside, Wyoming coach Steve McClain went ballistic.

He raced onto the floor to argue with the officials, who immediately whistled the technical foul. Whiting hit both of those free throws, and Cooper added another set as BYU went ahead 72-56.

McClain got another technical with 36.7 seconds remaining and was ejected.

Bailey hit a 3-pointer with 6:40, trimming the margin to 60-56. But that's when the Cougars got focused and Wyoming unraveled with McMillian's technical foul.