BYU basketball: Jimmer Fredette unstoppable as Cougars beat Aztecs, 71-58

BYU-SDSU boxscore

PROVO — When the final buzzer sounded Wednesday night at the sold-out Marriott Center, BYU fans, who had screamed themselves hoarse during the game, stormed the court to celebrate the Cougars' first victory over a top-10 team at home since 1984.

In a showdown between top-10 teams that lived up to the hype, Jimmer Fredette erupted for 43 points as No. 9 BYU knocked off No. 4 San Diego State, 71-58, before a crowd of 22,700.

It was a physical game that saw the score tied seven times and the lead change hands 15 times. The Cougars (20-1, 6-0) snapped San Diego State's 20-game winning streak and handed the Aztecs (20-1, 5-1) their first loss of the season.

BYU takes over sole possession of first place in the Mountain West Conference standings.

"It was definitely a big win for our program, just because it was two top-10 teams and a very hyped game," Fredette said.

Afterwards, Fredette was mobbed by Cougar fans as he tried to shake hands with Aztec coaches and players.

"It was a little crazy tonight," he said. "That's something I've never experienced, where they rush the floor. I just tried not to get trampled. It was a cool experience. It just shows the support we have here at BYU. They really love our basketball team. It was great to see, but it was a little scary."

And Fredette was scary good.

For Fredette, it was the 15th time he has scored over 30 points in his career and his fifth game with more than 40. It's only the second time he's scored more than 30 points at the Marriott Center. He had 36 last season against Utah.

"It wasn't a goal of mine to score 40," Fredette said, who nailed 14-of-24 from the floor, including five 3-pointers. "It was a goal to try to win the game."

The nation was paying close attention to this game, and so, too was NBA star Kevin Durant, who declared on his Facebook page after the game, "Jimmer Fredette is the best scorer in the world!"

"I would disagree with him on that one," Fredette said when asked about Durant's comment. "I think he's the best scorer in the world. I was making shots again tonight. But my teammates did a great job of setting screens for me and giving me opportunities to make baskets. And fortunately, they were going in."

Fredette scored the final 15 points for his team to end the first half, then scored nine of the Cougars' first 12 points to start the second half.