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Larry, Boise State topple BYU

Dec 30, 2007 - 7:25 AM BOISE, Idaho (Ticker) -- Reggie Larry helped end Brigham Young's run over Boise State.

Larry scored 19 points, including a clutch follow shot with 32 seconds remaining, as the Broncos recorded a 73-70 victory over the No. 21 Cougars on Saturday.

Matt Nelson added 18 points and 11 rebounds as Boise State (9-3) snapped a four-game losing streak in the series.

Early on, the Broncos' struggles appeared as if they would continue with the Cougars holding a 38-27 lead at the half behind 13 points by Lee Cummard.

Larry opened the second half with two free throws and had a dunk during a 6-0 run for Boise State, which methodically chipped away at its deficit throughout the first part of the second half.

"We just weren't aggressive enough in the second half," Cummard said. "They just outplayed us. We just got beat tonight."

The Broncos took a lead at 55-53 on a 3-pointer by Paul Noonan with 8:45 remaining. The shot from the arc was part of a 12-1 run by Boise State that turned a five-point deficit into a 60-54 lead with 6:42 left.

The Broncos remained in the lead despite a couple of pushes by the Cougars, who closed within a point for a third time at 70-69 when Cummard converted two free throws with 62 seconds to go.

Yet, Larry came up huge on the other end, sweeping in to tip in a missed shot for a 72-69 edge.

"Our biggest challenge going into tonight was handling their two post players, and we didn't do a very good job of that," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "They (Larry and Nelson) both got a lot done out there."

After Trent Plaisted split two free throws for BYU, Tyler Tiedeman missed the front end of a 1-and-1 for Boise State. However, the Cougars opted not to call a timeout, racing down the court to set up a jump hook in the lane for Plaisted, who hit the front of the rim.

BYU had another chance at the end, but Cummard's running 3-pointer after he took an inbounds pass at halfcourt fell short of the rim.

"There's so many different things that happen in a game, but when it came down to making big plays, they did it and we struggled," Rose said. "We battled and competed but came up short."

Cummard finished with 26 points for the Cougars, who shot 40 percent (23-of-57).

Third-leading scorer Jonathan Tavernari was limited to just four points for BYU after crashing into the stands trying to save a loose ball.