BYU Cougars @ Utah Utes Basketball Recap

BYU 104 Utah 79

How do you outdo a performance in which you scored 39 points and help your squad beat rival UNLV on the road in Vegas for the first time in six years?  BYU guard Jimmer Fredette one-upped himself, scoring a mesmerizing 32 first-half points to lead tenth-ranked Brigham Young to a blowout road victory of its archrival Utah Tuesday at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Fredette, who finished the contest with a season-high 47 points, was spectacular hitting on 16-of-28 shot attempts, including 6-of-9 beyond the arc and all nine of his free-throw attempts. 

To their credit, the Utes fought extremely hard and remained within striking distance for more than two-thirds of the game.  Despite the Fredette fireworks, which came to a head with a mind-boggling half-court make at the halftime buzzer, the Utes trailed by only 11 points at the break.  Head coach Jim Boylen took a page out of the UCLA playbook in hopes of pulling the upset. The Bruins are only team to beat BYU this season and did so by imposing a physical, rebounding centric formula.  When all was said and done, the Utes would out-rebound and win the free-throw battle over head coach Dave Rose's Cougars.  It simply wasn't enough.

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Fredette, who also had 6 assists on the night, was truly in an offensive groove.  There wasn't an offensive move which he didn't employ.  Pirouetting layups, fall-away jumpers, long-distance three-pointers, and of course, a half-court shot were on the menu for Mr. Fredette during his performance on Tuesday Night.  He did not accomplish the task alone.  With the Cougars leading 66-57 midway through the second half, Fredette's backcourt mate Jackson Emery began to heat up.  Emery hit 3 three-pointers, BYU went on a 24-4 run to put the game away.  Emery finished with 20 points, hitting on 5-of-7 from the three-point line.

The Utes were led by Will Clyburn who scored 23 points. Josh Watkins added 19 points.   J.J. O'Brien, Shawn Glover, and David Foster all pulled down double-digit rebounds. Utah simply couldn't hang on to the basketball and defend the three-point line well enough to pull off the shocker.

The night belonged to the All-American Fredette, who brought the thousands of BYU fans who made the trip to Salt Lake from neighboring Provo, to their feet with a performance for the ages.  With a top-ten ranking and a 17-1 record on the season, those same fans and the thousands more around the State of Utah are hoping that Jimmer isn't finished producing jaw-dropping performances.

By: Zach Bloxham
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer