• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

BYU begins quest for first Mountain West title in six years

Mar 8, 2007 - 4:24 PM TCU (13-16) vs. No. 23 BYU (23-7) 3:00 pm EST

LAS VEGAS (Ticker) -- After ending one lengthy drought this season, BYU will try to stop another.

The 23rd-ranked Cougars begin the quest for their first Mountain West Conference Tournament title in six years Thursday, when they meet TCU in the quarterfinals.

Thanks to a 17-0 home record, which raised its home-court winning streak to 31, BYU captured the tournament's No. 1 seed with a 13-3 mark in conference play. It was the Cougars' first outright league title since 1987-1988.

BYU won 10 of its last 11 games and led the conference in scoring (77.8), rebounding average (37.0) and assists (16.2) this season.

The Cougars concluded the regular season with Saturday's 85-62 triumph over Utah. Keena Young and Sam Burgess scored 15 points apiece for BYU, which shot 69 percent (18-of-26) in the second half.

Despite being seeded eighth, the Horned Frogs have shown some life in recent games. They have won three of their last four games after losing 11 in a row from January 10-February 17.

TCU opened the tournament with Tuesday's 62-54 victory over New Mexico. Brent Hackett scored 24 points and Kevin Langford grabbed 13 rebounds for the Horned Frogs, who limited the Lobos to 24 percent (6-of-25) shooting in the second half.

BYU has won the last five meetings against TCU, including an 85-72 victory in their most recent showdown on February 10. Young scored 25 points for the Cougars while Langford led the Horned Frogs with 22.

The winner faces either Wyoming or Air Force.