BYU basketball: Jimmer Fredette scores 42, Cougars beat Rams

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — As if there were any doubts, BYU's Jimmer Fredette thrives when he plays on the road.

That hypothesis was proven once again in convincing fashion Saturday night, as Fredette poured in 42 points in front of a rowdy, sellout crowd of 8,745 at Moby Arena in the No. 9 Cougars' 94-85 victory over Colorado State.

Fredette has now eclipsed the 40-point plateau four times in his storied career and all four have occurred away from home. Of the 14 games in which he has scored at least 30 points, 13 of those have happened on the road.

Moby Arena is usually a ghost town when BYU comes to town. Saturday, it was downright raucous — just like Jimmer likes it.

"It was the first time I've played in front of a sellout here," said the senior guard, who leads the nation in scoring. "It was a great atmosphere, a lot of fun. ... It's fun to hit a shot and quiet (the crowd) a little bit."

Fredette did his damage from everywhere on the court, which included four 3-pointers and a 16-of-17 performance from the free throw line.

"A lot of different shots," he said. "(The Rams) were playing me straight-up, then double-teaming sometimes off of the ball. I was able to have a bunch of different shots — threes, pull-ups, floaters, layups, whatever it was, I was able to get into the lane and create for myself and my teammates as well. We did a great job of executing in the half court. We wish we could have gone out and run more in the second half."

BYU (19-1, 5-0) jumped out to a commanding 15-point halftime lead, nailing 8-of-14 shots from 3-point range and shooting a blistering 62 percent from the field. The Cougars stretched their lead to as many as 19 early in the second half.

But CSU (13-6, 3-2) rallied, cutting the deficit to six points, 78-71, on a breakaway dunk by Dorian Green with just under six minutes remaining.

BYU was able to hit only 3-of-12 3-pointers in the second half, so late in the contest, it focused on executing in the half-court. The Cougars converted on three straight possessions on a Fredette layup, a layup by Brandon Davies and a 3-pointer by Jackson Emery. On that last play, Fredette drove into the lane, and kicked the ball to a wide-open Emery. That stretch bumped BYU's lead back to 86-74. From there, the Cougars held on.