Game Notes and Quotes: BYU vs. Arizona

BYU vs. Arizona

Dec. 28, 2009

McKale Events Center (Tucson, Ariz.)

Player Notes

— Jimmer Fredette scored 49 points, a new BYU all-time record for most points in a game, shooting 16-of-23 (.696) from the field, 9-of-13 from three and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. The 49 points are also a McKale Center record.

— The 49 points tied a Mountain West Conference record set by UNLV's Trevor Diggs against Wyoming in 2001.

— Fredette scored 24 points in the first half alone, shooting 8-of-12, including a career-high 6-of-9 from beyond the three-point line. The junior’s point total and field goal numbers equaled those he posted during the Cougars’ previous game against Nebraska.

— In the second half, Fredette scored 25 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the field and 3-of-4 from the three-point line.

— Fredette’s 9 three-pointers is also a BYU record for three-pointers made. The previous record was eight, set twice by Mike Rose.

— Fredette added nine assists, six rebounds and two steals.

— Jackson Emery had 8 assists. He also had 13 points and 7 rebounds.

Team Notes

— The win was BYU’s first at Arizona since an 86-78 win on February 11, 1972 and the last win over the Wildcats since winning 87-86 on January 19, 1978.

— The 30-point win is the largest margin of victory ever over an Arizona team in McKale Events Center history.

— BYU is now 13-1 on the year. The last time the Cougars had a better record through their first 14 games was the 1987-88 season when BYU began its season 17-0. BYU has won eight straight.

— BYU has shot .500 or better in eight-consecutive halves of play after shooting .594 in the first half and .545 in the second half against the Wildcats.

Record Watch

— Jimmer Fredette's 49 points is a new BYU record for most points by a single player in a game, passing Bob Skousen's 47 point total against UCLA in 1961.

— With 49 points against Arizona, Fredette now has 1,083 points for his career, good for 37th all-time at BYU, two points from passing Mel Hutchins and 17 points from passing Mark Handy for 35th and 34th all-time, respectively.

— With 2 points versus Arizona, Jonathan Tavernari has 1,282 career points and is ranked 20th all-time in scoring at BYU. He is 3 points from passing Alan Taylor (1976-80) for 19th all-time.

— The Cougars hit 14-of-25 from downtown at Arizona, tying the second most threes in a single game in team history. BYU hit 14 vs. Southern Utah in 2003.

Game Trends

— Fredette scored 49 points, his ninth 20-point game this season and 17th of his career. BYU is 14-2 when Fredette scores 20 or more and has won the last 13 games in which he has reached that milestone.

— BYU shot 19-of-32 from the field, 10-of-17 from three in the first half.

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

"Our team handled the situation. This win was one our team will remember forever. You walk in here and see the banners. There are not too many places where you recognize every banner."

"I understand this team is young and Coach Miller is trying to put them together the best that they can. But still you’ve got a lot of obstacles in your way and you don’t expect something like this."

"Defensively we’re doing a much better job of challenging the shot and rebounding the ball which gives us a better chance to get out on the break."

"Jimmer is shooting the ball with unbelievable confidence right now. The starts that we’ve had the last three or four games have been terrific and hopefully we just keep them going."

"I felt like we were on the attack for the majority of the 40 minutes out there both offensively and defensively. We are rebounding the ball really well on the defensive end. Getting stops and rebounds gives us the opportunity to go on the break and I think that's what we succeeded at tonight."

"We got good shots to start the second half and we just missing them. We needed to be a bit more patient and maybe make and extra pass or two. We went on a run and that's what we really needed. Sometimes when you get a lead you get a little passive and we were able to come back from that."

Arizona Head Coach Sean Miller

"I have to give credit where credit is deserved. I can't say much post-game that I didn't say pre-game about BYU. The fact that they're not ranked gives almost no credibility to the rankings. I look at them and they're definitely a top-25 team, and I believe they will be competing for a high seed in the tournament."

"Jimmer Fredette played a great game. Did we have something to do with that? Yes. We struggled to defend the other team's best perimeter player. Their victory tonight was largely thanks to his play. He reminds me a lot of Mark Price, who played at Georgia Tech and had a long career in the NBA. I'm not an NBA manager, but I would put Fredette against a lot of guards in the country. When he does miss a shot, he goes and gets it, and we made that very easy for him tonight."

BYU Record for Points in a Single Game
Jimmer Fredette   49   Dec. 28, 2009   at Arizona
Bob Skousen       47   Dec. 1, 1961    UCLA
Dave Eastis       47   Feb. 5, 1960    New Mexico
Timo Saarelainen  41   Feb. 7, 1985    at New Mexico
Marty Haws        40   Nov. 24, 1989   Siena
John Fairchild    40   Feb. 26, 1965   Arizona
Dick Nemelka      40   Dec. 29, 1965   vs. St. Bonaventure
Danny Ainge       40   Dec. 23, 1978   Oral Roberts