GAME NOTES: Continuing a four-game homestand, the BYU Cougars will play host to the Massachusetts Minutemen in a non-conference bout at the Marriott Center on Tuesday.

Dave Rose's Cougars got their homestand off on the right foot on Saturday with a hard-fought 79-77 win over Stanford. The victory over the Cardinal was the second straight for BYU and fifth in the last six games, moving the team to an impressive 9-3 on the year.

Derek Kellogg's Minutemen started the year off strong with five wins in the first six games. The team has hit a wall of late however, with losses in four of its last five games. UMass enters this contest off Saturday's 85-65 rout at the hands of Providence, falling to 6-5 on the season.

This is just the second time these two teams are meeting on the hardwood. UMass won the only other matchup, a 105-96 shootout in Springfield, MA a year ago.

The Minutemen trailed by 13 at the half against Providence and although the team shot the ball at a .522 clip in the second half, the deficit was simply too much to overcome in a 20-point loss. Maxie Esho led the way in defeat with 17 points. Donte Clark and Zach Coleman added 14 and 10 points, respectively, coming off the bench. Senior big man Cady Lalanne was neutralized in the middle though, as the 6-foot-10 veteran finished with just four points and four rebounds.

It is the frontcourt combination of Esho and Lalanne that has fueled UMass' success this season. The 6-8 Esho tops the team in scoring at 14.0 ppg and is shooting .538 from the field overall. At .505 efficiency, Lalanne is a close second in the scoring column at 13.5 ppg, while averaging a near double-double with 9.2 rebounds per game. Derrick Gordon is also in double figures with 11.9 ppg. Trey Davis (9.6 ppg) and Clark (9.1 ppg) are just under that mark.

The Cougars held off a strong Stanford run down the stretch to earn the two- point win over the Cardinal this past weekend. All-America candidate Tyler Haws was once again extremely productive, as he was 8-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line, finishing with a game-high tying 24 points. Chase Fischer poured in 16 points, while Kyle Collinsworth had a huge game as well, recording a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He also dished out seven assists and had two steals in the game. Anson Winder contributed as well, tacking on 13 points off the bench.

With a player like Haws leading the way, BYU will always be a dangerous offensive squad. The Cougars come into this game among the nation's best in terms of scoring at a hefty 88.9 ppg. The team is shooting .478 from the floor overall and .404 from behind the arc, while averaging just under 20 made free- throws per game (19.1). Haws is one of the nation's most electrifying scorers and is at it again this season, averaging 23.8 ppg. Fischer (14.1 ppg) can fill up the basket as well, as the two have combined for 65 3-pointers thus far. Winder has been a spark off the bench with his 13.3 ppg and Collinsworth rounds things out with 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Traveling across the country to take on an offensive juggernaut is not usually a recipe for success. The suddenly struggling Minutemen could be in for a long day against the explosive Cougars.