Jimmer Fredette nets 45 with 24 trips to free throw line

LAS VEGAS — Jimmer Fredette had an off night.

Still, this one-man wrecking ball off the dribble set Mountain West tournament records for scoring, free throw attempts and free throw makes in leading BYU to a 95-85 win over TCU Thursday in the first round of this annual affair in a city that loves big shows.

Fredette made 23 of 24 free throws. He finished with a tournament record 45 points. That's a mark that will be tough to ever repeat in the manner he got it. When he set a BYU scoring mark at Arizona last December (49 points), he had nine treys. This effort had none of that bulk; his legendary stroke from 3-Ball Land was a tad off.

In the media room afterwards, I asked Fredette what happened on that one miss from the line.

In his humble way, he smiled, "I don't know. I'm still upset about that, to be honest with you. I'll think about it tonight and try to correct that. Hopefully I'll make it next time."

Fredette made the first field goal of the game and he had a series of spinning, twisting drives roll in. But from the 3-point line, where he leads the league in percentage at 47 percent accuracy, he struggled, making just 2 of 10, one in each half.

It didn't matter.

TCU's could not find a player who could stay in front of Fredette. They had head starts to get to a spot for a stop. They faced him head on, doubled him up, tried to use the trap. They switched on screens and had backside help inside the key and still he drove around the wings or straight down TCU's gut.

Nothing worked.

Fredette waddled to the line like a duck to a pond.

Jackson Emery said he'd never seen such a performance from anyone. "Never. I've seen Shaq get fouled a lot, but he hasn't made as many as Jimmer has. It's great. Jimmer is a terrific free throw shooter. It's almost automatic when you foul him."

While Fredette and his teammates struggled to make field goals in long stretches, Fredette created another way to keep pace with a fired up Frog squad attacking and tripping to the line like his own travel agency.

When the Cougar junior decided to attack the basket, Frog defenders tugged his cape, hooked his arms, pushed from the side, back and raked him from head to hip.

Officials were obliged. They punched his ticket for free shots. It was like a shooting gallery at a circus and he stole all the teddy bears.