BYU, Fredette Fall to New Mexico

by David Cassilo / @dcassilo

It didn’t take long for BYU to get hit with a dose of reality after its win over San Diego State on Wednesday. The Cougars could not get past New Mexico on Saturday and fell victim to an 86-77 upset at the Pit.

Jimmer Fredette was his usual self, finishing with a line of 32 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, but the BYU defense had too many holes to give the team a quality road win in a tough enviornment. The Lobos shot nearly 51 percent from the field and scored 54 points in the second half alone.

While the win was huge for New Mexico’s hopes of turning the season around and making a run at the Mountain West Conference title, it did take a toll on its historic venue.

From The Salt Lake Tribune:

Seven rows of benches broke in the lower portion of the student section on Saturday, but weren’t discovered until the students rushed the floor after the 86-77 win over BYU.

A UNM spokesperson said nobody was hurt.

Of course, the Pit recently underwent a $60 million renovation that has been dogged by problems, including the failure to meet fire code standards. The benches are expected to be repaired before UNM’s next home game.

As for BYU, Fredette will make the Cougars media darlings for as far as they go, but Saturday’s loss most likely squashes any hopes of being a one- or two-seed in March. Despite having such a talented player, the Mountain West is as deep as a non-BCS conference can be and just surviving week-to-week will be a much taller task than people realized following Wednesday’s win over San Diego State.