BYU vs. Buffalo: Game Notes and Quotes

Player Notes

- Noah Hartsock led the Cougars to an early 18-9 lead as the junior forward hit three early treys and two layups to score 13 straight BYU points. Hartsock came into the game averaging 8.9 points per game. Hartsock ended the first half with 15 of BYU’s 39 points and finished the game with 19 points.

- After five straight 25-plus point performances, Jimmer Fredette was held to just 6 points in the first half. Fredette shot just 1-for-9 in the first half.

- Struggling to find his shot in the first half, Fredette looked to involve his teammates posting 4 assists in the first half. The senior guard averaged 4.23 assists in the Cougars first 13 games. Fredette finished with 6 assists on the night.

- Despite a slow start, Fredette came out strong in the second half scoring 28 points in the second half on 10-for-15 shooting from the field. The senior guard finished with a season-high 34 points. Fredette has scored 30+ points 11 times in his career and 3 times this season.

- Fredette is now third in the nation in points per game averaging 24.92 points per game. He has now scored 20+ points in the last six games.

- Jackson Emery finished with a season-high 5 assists. He had previously recorded 4 assists in five games this season.

Team Notes

- For the fourth time this season, the BYU coaching staff started Fredette, K. Collinsworth, Abouo, Hartsock and Davies. With the win, this lineup is now 4-0.

- The team shot 48.4% from the field on the night and shot 40% from the long-range.

Record Watch

- With the victory, Dave Rose moved into third place all-time in career coaching victories at BYU with 140. Rose surpassed G. Ott Romney who coached the Cougars to 139 wins from 1927-1935.

- Jackson Emery recorded 4 steals in the win which brings the senior guard within four of the all-time steals record currently held by Danny Ainge. Ainge recorded 195 steals during his time as a Cougar from 1977-1981.

Game Trends

- BYU took an early 18-9 lead behind 13 points from Noah Hartsock.

- Buffalo proceeded to go on a 6-0 run but the Cougars responded with a 7-0 run of their own behind Jimmer Fredette’s first four points of the night.

- The Bulls answered with yet another run, this time scoring 10 straight points to tie the game 25-25. BYU would go into the locker room at the half with just a two point lead, 39-37.

- In a game that was defined by runs from the very beginning, the Cougars came out of the break with a 13-4 run to open the second half. Still, BYU could not shake the Bulls as Buffalo came back to cut the lead to one, 54-53.

- Once again, the Cougars responded refusing to let the Bulls take the lead as Fredette scored five straight points and would go on to beat the Bulls, 90-82.

Quotes

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

“It was a great battle. I was really impressed with Buffalo and this is a really good win for us because they are a good team.”

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

BYU guard Jimmer Fredette

“We knew that they were going to give a great effort. 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.”

“It was a tough one in front of a great crowd. This team did a great job of playing 40 minutes. It will be great to get back home and hopefully get a win on Saturday.”