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(AP file photo)TUSCON, ARIZ. -- BYU's Jimmer Fredette had it going on Monday night at the Desert Diamond Fiesta Bowl Classic against the host Arizona Wildcats. The junior guard delivered a record-breaking 49 points in Tucson leading his team to a 99-69 rout of the perennial college basketball powerhouse.
He reminds me a lot of Mark Price, who played at Georgia Tech and had a long career in the NBA. I'm not an NBA manager, but I would put Fredette against a lot of guards in the country.
–Arizona Head Coach Sean Miller
Fredette became BYU's single-game scoring leader, passing Bob Skousen's mark of 47 with a 3-pointer in the waning minutes of the game.
Fredette also produced the most prolific scoring performance of an Arizona opponent on the Wildcats' home turf and the highest point total ever in the Desert Diamond Fiesta Bowl Classic, played annually in Tucson.
Arizona Head Coach Sean Miller said before the game he knew guarding Fredette would be a tough task, and by halftime he had seen enough.
"Jimmer Fredette is someone we just don't have an answer for," Miller told Fox College Sports before heading into the locker room at halftime. "To me they have one of the best guards in college basketball."
Fredette's 49-point performance also ties a Mountain West Conference record, set previously by UNLV's Trevor Diggs in 2001 against Wyoming. Fredette scored 24 points in the first half and 25 in the second.
Fredette scored with relative ease and efficiency against the Wildcats (6-6), reaching his point total on 16 of 23 shooting, and connecting on nine of his 13 three point attempts. The junior guard also connected on eight of his nine free throw attempts, and dished nine assists to go with seven rebounds.
The nine 3-pointers broke Mike Rose's BYU record of eight 3-pointers in a game.
Fredette said he thought the success he and his team had was a product of getting off to a fast start.
What did Fredette learn from the game?
"We can play with anybody ... we've got a special team here," he said.
Fredette's coach was also impressed with the junior's performance.
Right now, (Fredette) is playing with about as much confidence as any player we've had.
–BYU Head Coach Dave Rose
"Right now, he's playing with about as much confidence as any player we've had," BYU Head Coach Dave Rose told KSL Newsradio.
The Cougars (13-1) handed the Wildcats the worst beating ever in the McKale Center, with a 30-point margin of victory.
The preseason MWC player of the year also played well on the defensive end, holding Arizona's star guard Nic Wise to only eight points and no assists on the night.
"He reminds me a lot of Mark Price, who played at Georgia Tech and had a long career in the NBA," said Arizona's Miller. "I'm not an NBA manager, but I would put Fredette against a lot of guards in the country. When he does miss a shot, he goes and gets it, and we made that very easy for him tonight."
Derrick Williams led Arizona with 17 points, which has dropped two December home games for the first time since 1983, when the Wildcats opened 1-6 under first-year coach Lute Olson.
Fredette had plenty of help, as Jackson Emery added 13 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Tyler Haws was the only other Cougar in double figures, finishing with 12 points and three rebounds.
The Cougars jumped out to a 23-point lead in the first half before the Wildcats cut it to 15 at halftime. The lead got as small as nine in the second half before Fredette took over to put the game away.
The Cougars return home to play Eastern New Mexico Saturday in their last contest before starting conference play next week.
(Copyright 2008 Bonneville International Corporation. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or distributed. AP contributed to this report.)
