PROVO -- A strong second half sealed the win for No. 13/11 BYU as it defeated San Diego State 82-68 on Wednesday night in the Marriott Center. With the win the Cougars set the program’s best record through 29 games by improving to 26-3 on the season and 11-2 in Mountain West Conference play.

“This is a great win for our players,” said BYU head coach Dave Rose. “San Diego State is a good team. They caused a lot of problems for us, especially in the first half. It wasn’t until we were able to get some missed shots and rebounds that we got it back to our pace.”

Junior Jimmer Fredette led all scorers with 26 points and added five boards and five assists. Also scoring in double-figures for BYU was Jackson Emery with 17 points, Jonathan Tavernari with 11 and Tyler Haws adding 10. Emery also recorded a game-high five steals and seven rebounds.

As a team, the Cougars made 21-of-28 free throw attempts, while the Aztecs were 7-of-12 from the line.

“I felt we were on attack the majority of the game and got [SDSU] on their heels,” said Rose.

Fredette drove to the basket late in the shot clock on BYU’s first play of the game, scoring the first two points for BYU. He connected on a three-pointer on the following possession, but SDSU took a 7-5 lead after making a trey of its own with 16:32 to play in the first half. A 2-for-2 trip to the free throw line for Haws sparked a 6-0 Cougar run.

The Aztecs regained the lead at 12-11 but it didn’t last long as the teams traded baskets for the next few minutes. Another perfect trip to the free throw line for Haws tied the score 18-18, while Fredette’s layup put the Cougars back in front.

Though SDSU held BYU scoreless for over three minutes, it was Fredette who ended the drought with a three-point make with 5:22 remaining in the first half. It was another Fredette trey that sparked an 11-0 Cougar run. He and Emery were responsible for every point scored during that run, making several trips to the charity stripe.

SDSU’s Chase Tapley hit a three-pointer with two seconds remaining in the half, bringing BYU’s halftime lead to 36-28.

The whistles blew often and early as both teams picked up two fouls while running just over one minute off the clock to start the second half. The Aztecs clawed at BYU’s lead and managed to tie the score 44-44.

Charles Abouo’s running layup pushed the Cougars’ advantage back up to 10 points with 11:52 remaining in the game. SDSU continued to produce points, but BYU always had an answer for them. Tavernari hit his second three-pointer of the night to extend the Cougar lead to 12. Emery soon followed that by making a layup with 5:50 on the clock.

BYU continued to push the tempo as it stretched the lead to a game-high 18 points, with back-to-back fast-break layups by Fredette and Haws. Both Fredette and Emery went 1-for-2 at the free throw line as time ran off the clock.

“We had a good defensive plan, with three or four different things we wanted to do," said Rose. “The most important thing we were able to do was rebound and limit those second shots. We do better in games when we can get rebounds and shoot the ball in transition.”

The Cougars return to action on Saturday as they host No. 10 New Mexico in the final home game of the 2010 season. The Lobos have won 12-straight MWC matchups. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT and will be broadcast live on VERSUS.

CLICK HERE for game notes and quotes.

Official Basketball Box Score
San Diego State vs BYU COUGARS
02/24/10 7:05 pm at Marriott Center, Provo, Utah
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VISITORS: San Diego State 20-8, 9-5 MWC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
04 THOMAS, Malcolm..... f  5-7    0-0    3-5    1  4  5   5  13  3  3  2  0  24
15 LEONARD, Kawhi...... f  1-5    0-1    1-1    0  5  5   2   3  1  2  1  0  24
32 WHITE, Billy........ f  5-10   0-1    1-2    3  3  6   0  11  4  3  2  0  32
22 TAPLEY, Chase....... g  4-11   3-8    2-2    1  5  6   3  13  0  2  0  1  31
23 GAY, D.J............ g  6-15   3-8    0-0    0  4  4   3  15  5  3  1  0  40
03 SHELLEY, Tyrone.....    1-4    0-1    0-2    1  5  6   2   2  0  0  0  1  15
05 CARLWELL, Brian.....    3-5    0-0    0-0    1  1  2   3   6  4  3  1  0  12
40 DAVIS, Kelvin.......    2-6    1-3    0-0    0  2  2   3   5  0  0  1  3  22
   TEAM................                         1     1
   Totals..............   27-63   7-22   7-12   8 29 37  21  68 17 16  8  5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 11-31 35.5%   2nd Half: 16-32 50.0%   Game: 42.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-12 25.0%   2nd Half:  4-10 40.0%   Game: 31.8%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-6  50.0%   2nd Half:  4-6  66.7%   Game: 58.3%    3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: BYU COUGARS 26-3, 11-2 MWC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
23 HAWS, Tyler......... f  1-7    0-0    8-8    2  3  5   2  10  4  1  0  2  26
34 HARTSOCK, Noah...... f  0-5    0-0    0-0    0  4  4   2   0  0  1  0  0  26
54 MILES, Chris........ c  2-4    0-0    2-2    1  0  1   1   6  0  1  1  0  14
04 EMERY, Jackson...... g  6-7    1-2    4-5    1  6  7   3  17  3  0  0  5  38
32 FREDETTE, Jimmer.... g  8-17   4-8    6-11   1  5  6   1  26  5  1  0  0  36
00 DAVIES, Brandon.....    3-5    0-0    0-1    0  3  3   2   6  0  1  0  0  12
01 ABOUO, Charles......    2-4    0-1    0-0    0  4  4   1   4  0  1  1  1  15
10 LOYD, JR., Michael..    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  1  0  0   4
12 MAGNUSSON, Logan....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
13 ZYLSTRA, Brock......    1-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   2  0  0  0  0   1
15 ANDERSON, James.....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0  0+
45 TAVERNARI, Jonathan.    4-11   2-4    1-1    0  3  3   1  11  0  1  0  2  27
   TEAM................                         3  2  5
   Totals..............   27-61   7-15  21-28   8 30 38  13  82 12  8  2 10 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-29 41.4%   2nd Half: 15-32 46.9%   Game: 44.3%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-9  33.3%   2nd Half:  4-6  66.7%   Game: 46.7%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  9-11 81.8%   2nd Half: 12-17 70.6%   Game: 75.0%    4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Bill Gracey, Mike Reed, Chris Rastatter
Technical fouls: San Diego State-None. BYU COUGARS-None.
Attendance: 20124
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
San Diego State...............   28   40  -   68
BYU COUGARS...................   36   46  -   82
Points in the paint-SDSU 38,BY 34. Points off turnovers-SDSU 9,BY 23.
2nd chance points-SDSU 10,BY 7. Fast break points-SDSU 4,BY 20.
Bench points-SDSU 13,BY 23. Score tied-8 times. Lead changed-11 times.
Last FG-SDSU 2nd-00:11, BY 2nd-00:28.
Largest lead-SDSU by 2 1st-19:31, BY by 18 2nd-03:51.

Cougars Host San Diego State on Wednesday

No. 13/11 BYU men’s basketball (25-3, 10-2 MWC) hosts San Diego State on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. MST, for its first of two home games this week. The game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 6 p.m. MST on 102.7 FM and 1160 AM or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on CBS C.

Up Next

The Cougars play their second of back-to-back home games when they host New Mexico on Saturday, Feb. 27, at 2 p.m. MST. Listen to the game live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 1 p.m. MST on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on Versus.

Cougar Quick Hits

— At 25-3 overall, BYU has equalled last season’s win total and has the best record in program history through 28 games. This also marks the fourth-straight season with 25-plus wins, a first in program history.

— Jimmer Fredette set BYU single-game records with 49 points and nine threes against Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Tucson, Ariz., at the McKale Center. BYU handed Arizona its worst loss at the McKale Center, 99-69.

— Fredette is 17th all-time in scoring at BYU with 1,340 career points. He leads the conference in scoring at 21.5 points per game. He is also 4th at BYU in career threes (157), 12th in assists (325) and 12th in steals (112).

— Junior guard Jackson Emery has 68 steals this season, a BYU record for steals in a season. The previous record was 66, set by Marty Haws in 1989-90.

— Two-time MWC Coach of the Year Dave Rose has guided BYU to three-straight MWC regular season titles and three-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. Under Rose, BYU also has five-straight 20-win seasons and four-straight postseason appearances. At 122-37 (.767) overall, he is BYU’s all-time leader in winning percentage.

— Senior forward Jonathan Tavernari became BYU’s all-time leader in three-pointers with two treys vs. San Francisco to give him 214. He is now at 251 after hitting three threes at Wyoming. He is also climbing the lists for points (12th with 1,451) and steals (3rd with 151).

— With the win at Wyoming, Jonathan Tavernari played in his 98th BYU victory to becoming the all-time winning player in Cougar history. Tavernari’s teams have won 102 games, the best four-year stretch in program history.

BYU Game #29 Fast Facts

No. 13/11 BYU (25-3, 10-2) vs. San Diego State (20-7, 9-4)

Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010

Marriott Center (22,700)

Provo, Utah

7 p.m. MST

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (122-37 in fifth season; same overall)

San Diego State, Steve Fisher (193-147 in 11th season; 377-22 in 19th season overall)

Series

BYU leads 45-22, including a 71-69 BYU win on Jan. 23, 2010

TV

Live on CBS C (Tom Hart, play-by-play; Steve Lappas, game analysis)

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM and online at KSL.com) and the Cougar Sports Network (6 p.m. MST pregame show — Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analysis)

Web

Live stats links are available on the basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

Looking at San Diego State

San Diego State is 20-7 overall and 9-4 in the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs have won four-straight and six of seven with the only loss during the stretch coming in overtime, 88-86 at New Mexico. San Diego State is 7-6 on the road, including 3-3 in road conference games. Freshman Kawhi Leonard leads the Aztecs in scoring (12.7 ppg) and rebounding (9.6 rpg) and is second in steals (34). Malcolm Thomas adds 10.8 ppg and 8.0 rpg while shooting .536 from the field. D.J. Gay and Billy White average 10.2 and 10.9 ppg, respectively with Gay leading the team in assists (3.1) and White leading the team in field goal percentage (.571). Four other players average at least 5.0 ppg, including: Chase Tapley (7.6), Kelvin Davis (6.7), Tyrone Shelley (6.9) and Brian Carlwell (5.1). As a team the Aztecs average 71.6 ppg and shoot .475 from the field, .313 from three and .605 from the free throw line. They out-rebound their opponents 38.2-30.7 and have attempted 158 more free throws than their opponents. Opponents average 62.0 points and shoot .402 from the field and .352 from three against San Diego State. Steve Fisher is in his 11th season as head coach at San Diego State where he is 193-147.

San Diego State’s Last Outing — Aztecs Sweep Season Series With Utes

SAN DIEGO (AP) -Malcom Thomas scored 19 of his career-high 28 points in the first half and San Diego State held on for a 68-61 win over Utah on Saturday night.

San Diego State (20-7, 9-4 Mountain West Conference), which set a school mark by reaching 20 wins for the fifth straight season, swept Utah for only the second time in the series.

Carlon Brown scored 13 points to lead Utah (12-14, 5-7), which has lost five of seven.

The Aztecs won despite hitting just 9 of 16 free throws in the final 2:22, including a stretch of six consecutive misses. Thomas, a 50 percent free throw shooter, hit only 3 of 8 in the stretch.

But Thomas was sensational in the first half when he hit 8 of 9 shots, including only his second 3-pointer of the season. Freshman Kawhi Leonard had his 13th double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

Series Notes

BYU leads the all-time series against San Diego State 45-22, including a 71-69 win in San Diego on Jan. 23, 2010. The Cougars have won four of five against the Aztecs and BYU coach Dave Rose is 7-4 all-time against the Aztecs.

New Record for Thievery

With a steal at Colorado State, Jackson Emery broke the BYU for steals in a single season. The record was previously held by Marty Haws, who had 66 steals in 1989-90. Emery now has 68 this season.

33-Point Games

Jimmer Fredette’s 36 points at Colorado State was his fifth game with 33-plus points this season. He is fifth all-time in BYU history for 33-point games and his five this season are the most by a BYU junior in a single season and the third-most in any BYU season. Devin Durrant had 11 33-point games as a senior in 1983-84 and Dick Nemelka had six as a senior in 1965-66.

Strong Finish

Dave Rose coached BYU teams have been known for their strong finishes. In his first four seasons at the helm, Rose’s teams have finished 9-1 in their final 10 regular season games to clinch a tie for second in the MWC in 2006, outright titles in 2007 and 2008 and a tie for the league title in 2009. The Cougars have a chance to match that record this season as they are 5-1 with four to play in the remaining 10 regular season games this season.

1,600 Wins

BYU’s 76-56 win over TCU was the 1,600th victory in program history. BYU is the 19th program in NCAA history to win 1,600 games. Oregon State, Washington, Louisville and Texas also reached the plateau this season. The Cougars are currently at 1,603 wins.

Best Record Through 28 Games

At 25-3 overall, BYU men’s basketball has the best record in program history through 28 games. The 1987-88 and 1979-80 teams held the previous best record in program history through 28 games at 24-4.

In the Rankings

BYU men’s basketball entered the top-25 rankings for the first time this season on Jan. 4 at No. 25 in the AP Poll and No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Cougars are currently ranked No. 13 in the AP Poll and No. 11 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. BYU has been ranked as high as No. 12 in the AP Poll and No. 10 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Rose has led his teams to the rankings in each of the last four seasons to become the first Cougar coach to lead BYU into the rankings in four-straight seasons. The Cougar basketball program has now been ranked in the AP Poll during 18 seasons since its first national ranking in 1950-51.

BYU as a Ranked Team

BYU owns a 148-60 record as a ranked team, including 11-2 this season. The Cougars are 85-12 at home, 41-30 on the road and 22-18 at neutral sites when nationally ranked. BYU is 20-8 as a ranked team under Dave Rose, including 11-2 this season.

1,000-Point Scorers

With 17 points at Wyoming, Jonathan Tavernari has 1,451 career points and is 12th all-time in scoring at BYU. He is 62 points from passing Kresimir Cosic for 11th all-time. After scoring 22 points at Wyoming, Jimmer Fredette has 1,340 career points — 17th all-time. He is 33 points from passing Trent Plaisted for 16th all-time.

Downtown Record Watch

Jonathan Tavernari hit two threes vs. San Francisco to become BYU’s all-time leader in career threes, passing Mark Bigelow who had 213 for his career. He is also the leader for career attempts. Tavernari owns the record for threes in a season with 88 in 2007-08. He now has 251 makes and 661 attempts. Jimmer Fredette is fourth with 157 makes and is third with 391 attempts.

Top-10 Pick Pockets

Senior forward Jonathan Tavernari had two steals at Wyoming to give him 151 for his career. He is third all-time in BYU history. Jackson Emery is eighth with 125 while Jimmer Fredette is 12th with 112.

When Jimmer Scores 20...

Jimmer Fredette had 22 points at Wyoming, his 17th 20-point game this season and 25th of his career. He has reached 33-plus points five times this season. BYU is 21-4 when Fredette scores 20 or more points.