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BUFFALO -- Jimmer Fredette exploded for 28 second-half points en route to a season-high 34 to lead the No. 16 BYU (13-1) men’s basketball team in ending Buffalo’s (7-4) 10-game home court win streak Thursday with a 90-82 victory in Buffalo, N.Y.

After going 1-for-9 from the field in the first half, Fredette went 10-for-15 in the second half to post his third 30-point game of the season, adding six assists, two rebounds and a steal on the night.

“It’s really difficult to come in here and get a win," Rose said. "It felt like a league game and I'm really proud of our guys.”

Adding to Fredette’s efforts, two other Cougars scored in double figures, with junior Noah Hartsock posting 19 with six rebounds and three blocks, and sophomore Brandon Davies tacking on 18 to go along with six rebounds and one steal.

With four steals on the night, senior Jackson Emery improved his career total to 191 and moved within four of Danny Ainge and the BYU all-time lead.

Hartsock guided the Cougars on an early 13-2 run to take a 16-5 lead with 13:50 remaining in the first half. He posted 13 in the first eight minutes of the game, setting a new career high by going 3-for-3 from three-point range.

Buffalo answered with an 8-2 run of their own to pull within five at 18-13 with 10 minutes left in the half.

A timely block by sophomore Brandon Davies aided a 7-0 run by the Cougars after a Stephen Rogers three pointer put BYU up 25-15. Buffalo came back to tie the score at 25 apiece with 5 minutes remaining in the first half.

BYU held off a late first-half Buffalo run to take a 39-37 lead into halftime. Davies added seven points in the first half to go along with three rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Senior Jimmer Fredette (24.9 ppg) recovered from an unusually slow first half to score six quick points as second-half play began to equal his first half total and extend BYU’s lead to 49-41.

“We knew that they were going to give a great effort," Fredette said. "They were up for it and their coach did a great job of getting them ready. I was just proud of our team and that we were able to stop their runs and sustain the lead.”

The Cougars were not able to widen the margin, with the Bulls charging back to bring the score to 54-53 with 11:48 remaining in the game before Fredette’s second three of the game a steal by Noah Hartsock was converted to give the Cougars a 59-53 advantage.

Despite a back-and-forth finish, with Buffalo coming within six, the Cougars continued the offensive attack to capture their 13th victory of the season.

It will be a quick turnaround for the Cougars, who return to Provo Saturday to face Fresno Pacific at the Marriott Center with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. MDT.

Official Basketball Box Score
BYU vs Buffalo
12/30/10 7:00 pm at Alumni Arena (Buffalo, NY)
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VISITORS: BYU 13-1
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
00 DAVIES, Brandon..... f  7-14   0-0    4-6    3  3  6   3  18  1  2  2  1  31
34 HARTSOCK, Noah...... f  8-13   3-3    0-0    3  3  6   1  19  0  0  3  2  33
01 ABOUO, Charles...... g  0-0    0-0    4-4    1  4  5   3   4  2  3  0  2  20
31 COLLINSWORTH, Kyle.. g  1-2    0-1    1-1    0  3  3   4   3  0  1  0  0  14
32 FREDETTE, Jimmer.... g 11-24   4-12   8-10   0  2  2   1  34  6  3  0  1  37
04 EMERY, Jackson......    1-4    0-3    3-4    1  3  4   4   5  5  0  0  4  36
12 MAGNUSSON, Logan....    0-1    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   5
13 ZYLSTRA, Brock......    0-0    0-0    0-0    1  0  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
14 MARTINEAU, Nick.....    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   3
21 ROGERS, Stephen.....    2-3    1-1    2-4    1  1  2   1   7  0  1  0  0   9
41 COLLINSWORTH, Chris.    0-1    0-0    0-0    1  3  4   1   0  3  2  0  0  11
   TEAM................                         2     2             1
   Totals..............   30-62   8-20  22-29  13 22 35  18  90 17 13  5 10 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 13-34 38.2%   2nd Half: 17-28 60.7%   Game: 48.4%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  5-13 38.5%   2nd Half:  3-7  42.9%   Game: 40.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  8-12 66.7%   2nd Half: 14-17 82.4%   Game: 75.9%    3
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HOME TEAM: Buffalo 7-4
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
21 WATT, Mitchell...... f  8-10   0-0    1-2    1  5  6   2  17  2  2  3  1  30
30 ROBINSON, Titus..... f  1-2    0-0    1-3    0  2  2   4   3  0  2  0  0  14
02 MULKEY, Byron....... g  7-13   1-3    1-1    0  3  3   4  16  8  3  0  2  40-
05 FILZEN, Zach........ g  4-10   4-7    0-0    0  1  1   2  12  2  4  0  0  38
24 BARNETT, Dave....... g  4-8    2-3    1-2    0  6  6   0  11  2  2  0  1  30
03 OLDHAM, Jarod.......    1-3    0-1    2-2    3  2  5   2   4  0  2  0  0  14
12 MCCREA, Javon.......    6-8    0-0    3-4    2  2  4   2  15  3  2  1  2  23
32 ALSTON, Jawaan......    2-5    0-0    0-0    2  1  3   5   4  0  3  0  0  11
   TEAM................                         1  1  2
   Totals..............   33-59   7-14   9-14   9 23 32  21  82 17 20  4  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 16-30 53.3%   2nd Half: 17-29 58.6%   Game: 55.9%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  2-6  33.3%   2nd Half:  5-8  62.5%   Game: 50.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  3-5  60.0%   2nd Half:  6-9  66.7%   Game: 64.3%    0
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Officials: Larry Spaulding, Duane Allen, Martin Cota
Technical fouls: BYU-None. Buffalo-None.
Attendance: 5803
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
BYU...........................   39   51  -   90
Buffalo.......................   37   45  -   82
Points in the paint-BY 32,UB 46. Points off turnovers-BY 25,UB 14.
2nd chance points-BY 9,UB 9. Fast break points-BY 8,UB 4.
Bench points-BY 12,UB 23. Score tied-3 times. Lead changed-0 times.
Last FG-BY 2nd-01:12, UB 2nd-00:26.
Largest lead-BY by 11 1st-14:24, UB None.

BYU to Play Buffalo in Final Non-Conference Road Game

No. 16/16 BYU basketball will play its final game of the 2010 calendar year and final nonconference road game when it plays at Buffalo on Thursday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m. ET. The Cougars have won two-straight games and are 12-1 overall. Last week BYU won at Weber State and at home against UTEP behind Jimmer Fredette’s 26.5 points and 6.5 assists per game. For the season, he is averaging 24.2 points and 4.2 assists per game. Jackson Emery had his best game of 2010 against UTEP as he scored a season-high 23 points and tied his career high with six steals. He also set a career high with six threes. Buffalo has won three-straight, all at home, against Niagara, Green Bay and Houghton. The Bulls are 7-3 overall and 5-0 at home. Zach Filzen leads the team at 16.3 points per game and .444 shooting from three while Byron Mulkey adds 14.2 points and 4.9 assists per game. As a team, the Bulls average 73.2 points and shoot .476 from the field. Opponents average 61.3 points and shoot .383 from the field against Buffalo. Thursday’s game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 6 p.m. ET on 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City or via the Internet at KSL.com. Visit www.byucougars.com for a link to a live video feed.

Up Next

BYU will play its final nonconference game of the 2010-11 regular season against Fresno Pacific at home on Saturday, Jan. 1 at 7 p.m. MT. Live stats and audio links will be available on www.byucougars.com and fans can listen live on the radio beginning with the pregame show at 6 p.m. ET on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City.

Cougar Quick Hits

— No. 16/16 BYU head coach Dave Rose is 139-41 in his six seasons at BYU and is the program’s all-time leader in winning percentage at .772.

— The Cougars were ranked in the AP Preseason Poll for the first time since the 1980-81 season and are currently ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

— Jimmer Fredette has been named to eight preseason All-America teams (AP, ESPN.com, Sporting News, SI.com/Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times, Athlon Sports, Dick Vitale and Blue Ribbon Magazine). Fredette is averaging 24.2 points, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season.

— Senior guard Jackson Emery is second on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game and adds 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and a team-best 3.0 steals per game. He has posted four-plus steals six times this season. Brandon Davies is third on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game on .582 shooting. He has scored in double figures seven times this season, including the last five-consecutive games.

BYU GAME #14 FAST FACTS

No. 16/16 BYU (12-1) at Buffalo (7-3)

Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010

Alumni Arena

Buffalo, N.Y.

7 p.m. ET

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (139-41 in sixth season at BYU; same overall)

Buffalo, Reggie Witherspoon (151-186 in 12th season at Buffalo; 195-209 in 14th season overall)

Series

First meeting

Live Video

Visit the BYU men’s basketball schedule page for a link to a live video feed

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network

(Greg Wrubell, play-by-play)

Web

Live audio, live video and live stats links are available on the men’s basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com/basketball_m/

Looking at Buffalo

2010-11 Record: 7-3, 0-0

Conference: Mid-American

2009-10 Record: 18-12, 9-7 (T-3rd, East Division)

2010 Postseason: None

Highlights:

- Buffalo is 7-3 overall, including 5-0 at home. The Bulls have won their last three games — all at home — against Niagara, Green Bay and Hougton. The also have home wins vs. Navy and Towson and road wins at Canisus and Army.

- Zach Fullen leads the team in scoring at 16.3 points per game and makes 3.6 threes per game on .444 shooting.

- Byron Mulkey adds 14.2 points per game and a team-best 4.9 assists per game while Javon McCrea leads the team in rebounding at 7.3 boards per contest.

Coach: Reggie Witherspoon (12th season at Buffalo)

Buffalo’s Last Outing — Bulls Defeat Houghton, 79-47

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo men’s basketball team downed Houghton, 79-47, at Alumni Arena on Saturday afternoon. Zach Filzen led all scorers with 21 points, including five three-pointers. All 11 UB players that played in the game scored and grabbed a rebound to help the Bulls improve to 5-0 at home this season.

Buffalo (7-3) shot nearly 61 percent from the field in the first half, but couldn’t shake a feisty Houghton squad until late in the stanza. The Bulls closed the half on a 19-4 scoring run to take a 43-22 halftime lead.

The Bulls clamped down on defense in the second half and Houghton got no closer than 17 points.

Hosting NAIA Houghton gave head coach Reggie Witherspoon an opportunity to give his younger players extended minutes. Freshman Corey Raley-Ross made the most of his opportunity with a career-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a pair of thunderous dunks.

Fellow freshman Jarod Oldham played 17 minutes and had four of the Bulls’ nine steals.

Buffalo dominated the glass, outrebounding the Highlanders, 41-23. Mitchell Watt tied a career high with nine rebounds to go along with six points and a pair of blocked shots. Javon McCrea had eight points on 4-of-4 shooting and added five rebounds and two blocks.

Buffalo dominated the play inside, outscoring Houghton, 38-14 in the paint.

Titus Robinson continued his resurgent play with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

“Houghton stretched us out good which was a good test for us,” Witherspoon said. “I thought it was a good game for some of our younger guys to get some extended minutes. We needed to have a game at this time.”

Buffalo will next host 18th ranked Brigham Young on December 30.

Series Notes

First meeting between BYU and Buffalo.