Sign Up | Lost Password

MBK: Emery Leads Cougars to 8th Straight Win

Jan. 18th, 2011

PROVO, Utah -- Jimmer Fredette scored 21 points and Jackson Emery hit five 3-pointers to lead No. 9 BYU to an 83-67 victory over TCU on Tuesday night.

The victory was the eighth straight for the Cougars, who improved to 18-1 overall and 4-0 in the Mountain West Conference.

Ronnie Moss led TCU (10-10, 1-4) with 27 points.

BYU went on a 12-0 run to take a 25-7 lead with 10:40 left in the first half. Kyle Collinsworth sank a pair of free throws to start the run and Fredette kept it going with a twisting shot in the lane. Fredette then hit two 3-pointers, including one from 30 feet to cap the spurt.

TCU fought back with a 9-0 run of its own, but reserve Stephen Rogers got rolling for BYU with six points in 3 minutes for a 38-21 lead. Emery hit his third 3-pointer for a 41-21 cushion with 4:23 remaining.

BYU led 47-30 at halftime thanks to a 22-13 rebounding advantage and 54.5 percent (18 of 33) shooting. The Cougars also went 6 of 11 from beyond the arc.

TCU tried to get back in the game early in the second half with consecutive 3-pointers from Nikola Gacesa, Greg Hill and Garlon Green that pulled the Horned Frogs within 55-43 with a little more than 14 minutes remaining. But Fredette came right back with a three-point play to bump BYU's lead back to 15. After a dunk by Collinsworth, Fredette scored BYU's next seven points for a 62-47 Cougars lead.

Emery followed with his fifth 3-pointer.

Noah Hartsock put the game out of reach when he grabbed an offensive rebound, scored and converted the three-point play with 11:24 remaining.

Fredette, who entered as the nation's leading scorer at 26.1 points per game, scored 47 points at Utah last week. This time, he shot 6 for 16 from the field and 7 of 8 at the free throw line.

The night otherwise belonged to Emery, who was honored before the game for breaking Danny Ainge's school career steals mark (195) set in 1981.

Fans showed up with Emery posters, T-shirts and oversized photos of BYU's "other" senior guard. One fan even twisted a Biblical verse with a sign that read Thou Shalt Steal.

Emery, who entered the game with 197 steals, had two more Tuesday night. He also went 5 of 7 from beyond the arc and scored 17 points.

His first 3-pointer gave BYU an 8-2 lead 4 minutes into the game. His third made it 41-21, and his fourth to open the second half increased the advantage to 50-30.

Hartsock finished with 14 points and nine rebounds as five BYU players scored in double figures.

Brandon Davies had 13 points and nine rebounds, and Collinsworth added 10 points and nine rebounds.