BYU basketball: Cougars stay on collision course with SDSU

BYU-SDSU boxscore

PROVO — Now the stage is set.

No. 7-ranked BYU overcame a poor shooting night, and a slew of turnovers, to claim a gutty 84-76 victory over Colorado State on Wednesday night in front of a sellout crowd at the Marriott Center.

As the clock ticked down the waning seconds, the student section began chanting, "Beat the Aztecs!"

That, of course, was referring to BYU's monumental rematch on Saturday with No. 6 San Diego State. Wednesday's win pushed the Cougars (26-2, 12-1) into a first-place tie in the league standings with the Aztecs (27-1, 12-1).

"We're just looking forward to being able to go down there to play them. It's going to be a great atmosphere. Hopefully, we can come out with a win," said guard Jimmer Fredette, who scored a game-high 34 points against the Rams. "It's going to be nationally televised. A lot of people will be watching it. It's one of the biggest games the Mountain West Conference has ever seen. I'm just looking forward to the challenge."

Fredette, nursing a sore left calf, struggled shooting against CSU, hitting only 9-of-26 shots from the field and 2-of-8 from 3-point range.

As a team, BYU shot only 38.6 percent, including 8-of-24 in the second half. It was a physical battle that saw the Cougars go to the free-throw line 43 times.

Just like he has in other MWC games, Fredette absorbed plenty of punishment. He was knocked around by CSU's defense, and he knocked down 14-of-16 shots from the free throw line.

"I'm going to play aggressive, no matter what," said Fredette, who also had seven turnovers. As a team, BYU committed 19 turnovers.

With such a huge game on the horizon, BYU probably would have preferred having an easier time of it Wednesday. But the Rams weren't content to be a harmless appetizer before the main course. They rallied from a 14-point first-half deficit and trailed by just two, 48-46, early in the second half. CSU, led by Andy Ogide's 25 points and Adam Nigon's four 3-pointers, hung with BYU most of the way.

Colorado State (18-9, 8-5) entered the contest looking to pull a major upset and earn some big style points for NCAA Tournament consideration.