Jackson Emery's slump doesn't affect all of his game

PROVO — Unofficially, BYU's Jackson Emery is still in a shooting slump.

But there's nothing wrong with the rest of his game.

The junior guard knocked down only 3 of 10 shots from the floor in the Cougars' 82-69 victory over Utah Saturday night at the Marriott Center. As for the rest of his stat line, it was impressive — seven rebounds, six steals, four assists and zero turnovers. Emery did end up with eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers early in the game that propelled BYU to an early double-digit advantage against the Utes.

"Obviously, I haven't been shooting the ball the way I've liked to lately," said Emery, who entered Saturday's contest having hit only 8-for-30 from the field and 2-of-19 from 3-point territory in his previous three outings. "I came into the game wanting to create energy."

That, he did.

The Lone Peak High connection of Emery and freshman Tyler Haws scored the Cougars' first 16 points of the contest. Haws, who was playing in his first rivalry game, had the first six points, then Emery followed with eight straight points on a couple of 3-pointers and a steal that led to a layup. Emery, who leads the Mountain West Conference in steals, recorded five steals in the first half alone as BYU jumped out to a 25-10 lead midway through the first half.

Cougar coach Dave Rose appreciates all the ways Emery helps his team win.

"Jax made so many plays, especially in the first half — he hit big 3s; he made steals," said Rose. "Defensively, we wore him out. He played a lot of different guys, which is what he likes to do."

With 34 seconds left in the game, Emery absorbed a blow to the face from Utah freshman Marshall Henderson, resulting in Emery falling to the floor. Henderson was ejected from the game.

Emery downplayed the incident, saying it happened "in the heat of the moment" and that he has no ill feelings toward Henderson.

All in all, it was a memorable weekend for Emery, who had his number retired Friday night at Lone Peak High.

"It was a fun event," said Emery. "I have a lot of memories (at Lone Peak). It's where my career started. I'm just trying to carry on what I started there."

As he fielded questions from reporters in the interview room, a pair of pink shoes sat next to him. The Cougars wore pink shoes, along with pink trim on their uniforms, as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Awareness Week. "It will be nice to have these shoes to remember tonight," said Emery.