BYU Cougars @ San Diego State Aztecs Basketball Recap

BYU 80, San Diego State 67

Coming into Saturday’s contest between fourth-ranked San Diego State and seventh-ranked Brigham Young, BYU guard Jimmer Fredette was a household name. After his team’s impressive performance, the sports world became more familiar with Fredette’s supporting cast and the overall talent of the Cougar squad as a whole. BYU won the biggest game in Mountain West Conference history, dispatching the Aztecs for the second time this season and bringing the Cougars to the upper echelon of college basketball.

In front of a raucous and sold out Viejas Arena, the two squads played a high energy contest. San Diego State, whose only loss of the season had come at the hands of the Cougars in January, was ready for a piece of payback. But thanks to a truly terrific shooting performance from the Cougars, the Aztecs were dealt their second straight loss to BYU.

Fredette, who had to deal with consistent double-teams and multiple defenders all afternoon, had a flair for the dramatic. Fredette and the Cougars quieted the crowd early with tremendous shooting.  In a little over seven minutes of game time in the first half, the Cougars had a three-point possession on eight successful trips. Fredette hit three 3-pointers during the stretch, each further from the rim than the other. Charles Abouo and Noah Hartsock also hit three-pointers while Jackson Emery buried three free throws during the stretch. It was simply a sign of things to come for the Cougars who hit an incredible 14 attempts beyond the arc. Fredette finished with 25 points and 9 assists.

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In a national showcase for the often under-watched leaders from the Mountain West Conference, San Diego State took a 2-0 lead but never gained the lead after that point. Kawhi Leonard finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds but the Aztecs simply couldn’t solve BYU’s zone defense in the second half. Head coach Steve Fisher’s club shot just 40 percent from the field and didn’t have quite the rebounding advantage one would expect from such a tremendous frontcourt.

Credit head coach Dave Rose’s club for stepping up to the challenge. With consistent energy being focused on Fredette all afternoon long, it was the ‘other’ BYU players who stepped into the limelight. Abouo had 18 points and 9 rebounds, consistently hitting shots beyond the arc at opportune times. The Ivory Coast native was 4-of-5 from the three-point line. Hartsock also had a tremendous game, scoring 15 points, pulling down 5 rebounds, blocking 4 shots, and dishing out 3 assists. If the Cougars can get this type of production from players not named Jimmer, the story of the 2011 Brigham Young basketball squad might just turn from feel-good story to legitimate title contender.

By: Zach Bloxham
DFN Sports Staff Writer