This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Jimmer Fredette was not about to lie after a performance where his legend grew longer than Pinocchio's nose.

Did BYU's preseason All-American guard want to dump 50 points on the Cougars' biggest rival on Tuesday night?

"Of course," he said, laughing. "I won't lie to you."

Fredette had to settle for 47 however, thanks mostly to coach Dave Rose taking him out twice in the last six minutes of the game as the Cougars pounded the Utes 104-79 in front of 11,243 fans almost evenly divided in their allegiances at the Huntsman Center.

In a hard-to-believe-unless-you-were-there outing that will add to rivalry game lore, and perhaps even rivalry angst, Fredette scored 32 points in the first half alone on 10-for-15 shooting in helping the No. 11-ranked Cougars (3-0 MWC, 17-1 overall) beat the Utes (7-10, 0-3) for the fourth straight time. He cooled off just a bit in the second half, going 6 for 13 after the break to finish with the 47, which tied him with Bob Skousen (1961) for the second-most single-game points in school history.

Fredette set the school record with 49 last year against Arizona, and now owns three of the top four scoring performances ever at BYU.

"The basket got a little bit bigger, especially in that first half," he said. "It was just one of those special nights that you have, and that our team had, and so it was something I will never forget."

Fredette got plenty of help, too, after hitting a ridiculous and heavily defended 40-footer to beat the halftime buzzer and give the Cougars a 53-42 lead at the break.

Jackson Emery added 20, while Brandon Davies and Noah Hartsock had 12 points apiece and Kyle Collinsworth chipped in 11.

"When he starts to shoot from 40 feet out, then you know he's feeling something," said Emery of Fredette. "You just want to keep giving him the ball."

Will Clyburn had 23 points to lead Utah, and the Utes won the rebounding battle 45-30. But 22 turnovers hurt the Utes, who have lost seven straight games for the first time since the 1949-50 season.

Clyburn said Fredette is the best player he's faced.

"He made some great shots and we could not do anything about it," Clyburn said.

BYU coach Dave Rose might have made some enemies, though, with the way he handled Fredette in the final minutes.

He took Fredette out with the Cougars leading 90-61, their biggest lead of the game, with five minutes, 44 seconds remaining. But after Utah cut the deficit to 24, the coach put Fredette back in and he made two free throws before coming out for good with 3:07 left.

"I thought the momentum changed. I think they scored six or seven straight points. We wanted to finish this with a positive note, so we got Jimmer in there, and then got him out as soon as we could."

Utah coach Jim Boylen declined to comment on the tactic, but some Utah players said they saw it as a sign of disrespect.

drew@sltrib.comTwitter: @drewjay —

Storylines

R In Short • Jimmer Fredette erupts for 47 points, two shy of his own school record, and No. 11 BYU cruises past Utah for the fourth straight time.

Key Stat • Utah outrebounds BYU by 15, but has 17 more turnovers than the Cougars. —

For the record

Most points in a single game by a BYU player:

49 • Jimmer Fredette vs. Arizona, Dec. 28, 2009

47 • Jimmer Fredette vs. Utah, Jan. 11, 2011

47 • Bob Skousen vs. UCLA, Dec. 2, 1961

45 • Jimmer Fredette vs. TCU, March 11, 2010

44 • Dave Eastis vs. New Mexico, Feb. 5, 1960