Fredette leads BYU past pesky Wofford
BYU guard Jimmer Fredette (32) reacts during the second half against Wofford in a Southeast regional second round NCAA tournament college basketball game. (March 17, 2011) Credit: AP
DENVER -- It wasn't anything too dazzling, but Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette, the nation's leading scorer, made his numbers with 32 points to lead the third-seeded Cougars to a 74-66 victory over 14th-seeded Wofford Thursday night in a second-round game of the Southeast Regional.
Fredette, who also had seven assists, surpassed his season average of 28.5 points, but he made only 10 of 25 field-goal attempts and was a poor 2-for-9 from three-point range, including an air ball from about 30 feet in the final minute that drew boos from the Pepsi Center crowd because it seemed he was showing up the game Terriers (21-13).
"Sometimes, the shots weren't falling, but I kept playing my game,'' Fredette said. "I didn't shoot the ball great, but I was pleased with how I controlled the game and got others involved.''
Saturday the Cougars (31-4) will face the winner of the late game between St. John's and Gonzaga. BYU had three other players with 10 points each -- Charles Abouo, Noah Hartsock and Logan Magnusson. Noah Dahlman topped Wofford with 22 points, Jamar Diggs added 14 and Cameron Rundles had 11.
Wofford made only four of 19 three-point attempts, while BYU shot 6-for-22 from beyond the arc.
The Terriers' 6-2 Diggs was assigned to hound Fredette and did a good job, blocking two of his shots late in the first half. But a Fredette three from well beyond NBA range in the final minutes gave the Cougars a 33-29 halftime lead.
"You saw his numbers,'' Diggs said. "He's the toughest guy I've ever guarded. He's deceptively quick. You think you're in front of him, and he's by you. He's got unlimited shooting range, so you have to get out there.''
Fredette scored eight of BYU's first 12 of the second half as the Cougars pushed their lead to 45-37. At one point, he was alone on a fast break but passed up a dunk attempt for a layup.
"I've had dunks this season,'' Fredette said. "I don't have to prove to anyone I can do it.''
Wofford narrowed the difference to six points once and then cut it to five at 52-47, but both times Magnusson drilled threes from the left corner to repel the threat. But it wasn't until the Cougars' Abouo scored eight unanswered points for a 65-51 lead that the game really got away from Wofford. The Terriers got no closer than 10 until Terry Martin's three at the buzzer.
