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The script for Wednesday night's "Hometown Classic" was as well-devised as the BYU Cougars' game plan for the Vermont Catamounts.
In front of 6,300 hometown fans in a standing-room-only Glens Falls Civic Center, Jimmer Fredette justified the pride and scored a game-high 26 points, leading BYU to an 86-58 win over the Cats from nearby Burlington, VT.
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Fredette began and ended his evening the same way--with standing ovations; one upon his introduction and one upon his departure from the game after scoring his 26th and final point.
In between, the Glens Falls HS product went 9 of 19 from the field and added a game-high 5 assists, including a behind-the-back number to Kyle Collinsworth that Fredette conceded was "a little bit of a show" for the home fans.
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#BYUgamestats
The Catamounts were rendered helpless early in the game, falling behind 9-2 (Fredette scored BYU's first seven points) and spending most of the night trailing by double digits.
After the game, Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan said "I'm glad that's over," but had nothing but praise for Fredette, the Cougars and the crowd at the Civic Center.
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You can hear postgame interviews with Lonergan, Fredette, BYU Head Coach Dave Rose and Cougar Noah Hartsock by clicking on the "Postgame" audio link in the archived game audio from the BYU v. Vermont game on the BYU Basketball Audio Archive page in the BYU Sports Menu.
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Fredette said he knew his town would turn out and support him and the Cougars. "It was a great atmosphere, and it was exactly what I expected. I knew that the city of Glens Falls...they're very proud people, they work hard, and we knew that was going to happen." As for his head coach, he was taken aback by the level of support.
Dave Rose told me postgame that "I was really expecting a lot, and it surprised me; it was more. When I came out for the national anthem and saw how packed it was, and the ovation he got, I just realized that... this was a unique homecoming game. And then Jimmer goes out and plays...normal. It was a really, really good outcome for kind of taking a risk."
"I thought it would be a real special event," said Rose, "but these people surpassed my expectations."
I wholeheartedly echo the coach's comments. I received a text just a few minutes ago from my Dad, who wrote simply that "You certainly witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime experience." My Dad is right.
The weather here in the Capital District never got much above freezing during the Cougars' two-and-a-half day stay, but on a Wednesday night in a packed and always chilly hockey rink, Jimmer Fredette got hot and hearts were warmed as a result.
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