Game 33 - BYU vs. New Mexico in Semifinals

Cougars vs. Lobos in MWC Semifinals

Eighth ranked and No. 1 seed BYU will play No. 4 seed New Mexico in the semifinals of the 2011 Conoco Mountain West Conference Championships on Friday at 6 p.m. PT in the Thomas and Mack Center. The Cougars defeated TCU 64-58 on Thursday in the quarterfinals while New Mexico defeated Colorado State 67-61. Jimmer Fredette scored a game-high 24 points while Charles Abouo added 14 points, eight boards and two steals. Noah Hartsock finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Fredette, the MWC Player of the Year, leads the nation in scoring at 27.8 points per game. MWC Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Emery adds 12.6 points and an MWC-best 2.8 steals per game. Dairese Gary leads New Mexico in scoring and assists at 14.3 points and 5.5 assists per game. Drew Gordon adds a double-double with 12.7 points per game and 10.7 rebounds per game. Kendall Williams and Phillip McDonald add 11.2 points and 10.9 points per game, respectively. During the regular season the Cougars were 0-2 against New Mexico. Friday’s game can be heard live on KSL Newsradio beginning with the pregame show at 5 p.m. PT on 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City or via the Internet at KSL.com. The game will be televised live on CBS College Sports.

Up Next

The winner of No. 8/8 BYU vs. New Mexico will advance to the championship game of the 2011 Conoco MWC Championships to play the winner of San Diego State vs. UNLV on Saturday, March 12, in Las Vegas at 4 p.m. PT. Live stats and audio links will be available on www.byucougars.com and fans can listen live on the radio on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City. The championship game will be televised live on VERSUS.

Cougar Quick Hits

— No. 8/8 BYU head coach and MWC Co-Coach of the Year Dave Rose is 156-43 in his six seasons at BYU and is the program’s all-time leader in winning percentage at .784. He is second all-time in wins behind Stan Watts, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

— MWC Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette leads the nation in scoring at 27.8 points per game and adds 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Fredette also earned All-MWC First Team honors.

— MWC Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Emery leads the MWC in steals at 2.8 per game and adds 12.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Emery was also named second-team All-MWC and to the All-Defensive Team.

— Noah Hartsock adds 8.7 points per game on .507 shooting from the field and .444 shooting from three. Charles Abouo adds 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

— Brandon Davies received All-MWC Third Team honors and Hartsock was named honorable mention.

— At 29-3, BYU has the best 32-game record in program history.

BYU Game #33 Fast Facts

No. 8/8 BYU (29-3, 14-2) vs. New Mexico (21-11, 8-8)

Friday, March 11, 2011

Thomas and Mack Center

Las Vegas

6 p.m. PT

Coaches

BYU, Dave Rose (156-43 in sixth season at BYU; same overall)

New Mexico, Steve Alford (97-37 in fourth season at New Mexico; 405-220 in 20th season overall)

Series

BYU leads 74-55 vs. New Mexico with the Lobos winning the last three meetings

Radio

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analysis)

TV

CBS College Sports (Ted Robinson, play-by-play; Steve Lappas, game analysis)

Web

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

CLICK HERE to see where Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery rank in the BYU and Mountain West Conference record books.