The Tulsa coach also liked how Miles defended the Hurricane's big men and gave the Cougars a strong presence in the paint. Both of Miles' baskets and five trips to the free-throw line against Tulsa came at critical times. Wojcik also joined the other coaches in recognizing how Emery provides the energy that the other Cougars seem to feed off. Tulsa's momentum really began to turn BYU's way Tuesday when Emery ended the Hurricane's 12-1 run late in the first half with a tough 3-pointer from the right corner.

"That was a big shot for them," he said.

A ROSIER START THAN HIS PREDECESSORS: Coach Dave Rose, seeking his third straight MWC Coach of the Year award, is now 83-27 in 110 games as BYU's head coach — a winning percentage of around .760. When the Cougars defeated Pepperdine in Game 2 this season, it gave Rose the best record ever through 100 games of any coach in BYU history.

PLAYING CATCH UP: When the Cougars trailed Tulsa 35-31 Tuesday at halftime, it was only the third time this season that they've been behind at the break. They came back to beat Long Beach State in the season-opener after trailing by seven at the half. In the Cougars' only loss, they did erase a five-point halftime deficit against Arizona State, only to lose in the final seconds.

STAYING WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE: One reason for BYU's success this season is the Cougars' ability to keep opponents from having big runs. In fact, when Tulsa had a 32-24 lead over BYU late in the first half Tuesday, it was the biggest lead that any opponent has had on the Cougars this season.

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E-mail: jimr@desnews.com