LAS VEGAS — San Diego State reminded basketball fans that the game is a team sport — not a one-man show, no matter how bedazzling.
Like he has all season, BYU’s Jimmer Fredette put up another scintillating individual performance — 30 points — in Saturday’s Mountain West Conference tournament championship, but the second-seeded Aztecs exuded collective confidence, with three players in double figures. It translated into a 72-54 win over the top-seeded Cougars.
“This is a wonderful feeling,” SDSU head coach Steve Fisher said. “It’s a well-deserved feeling for our kids.”
The Aztecs finished the season 32-2 overall and won their second straight tournament championship. Fredette was the only Cougar that showed up, pumping in another 30-point performance — down from the career-high 52 points he scored against the Lobos on Friday.
But as a whole, the Aztecs dominated both sides of the court. Yes, Fredette got his points, but the Aztecs focused on containing the Cougars’ role players. SDSU never trailed and overwhelmed the Cougars in the paint.
“I think the main thing is we just weren’t shooting well,” Fredette said. “Sometimes that happens. They played good defense. They’re long. They’re athletic. They caused us some problems.”
Fredette went 10-of-25 from the field and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line. The rest of the Cougars hit only nine shots on 30 attempts. BYU posted one of its worst shooting performances (32 percent) and hit just a quarter of its 3-pointers.
Fredette said the Cougars weren’t tired from the tournament’s wear and tear.
“We were beat up,” he said. “But I think we had stretches, like coach (Dave Rose) said, where we just didn’t hit our shots. When we’re not hitting shots and they’re hitting shots, it’s really tough to beat them.”
If not impossible.
SDSU shot 54 percent from the field in the first half. Forward Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points in the victory and grabbed eight rebounds. Forward Billy White, a versatile force, complemented Leonard inside, registering a double-double, 21 points and 12 boards. Both players were named to all-tournament team.
Even though the Cougars lost, Fredette was the tournament’s MVP.
“I think we always come together at this time of the year,” White said. “We knew this was a big game for us. We lost to them (BYU) to times in a row. Everybody knew we needed this game.”
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BYU and SDSU will have to wait till Selection Sunday to find out their seeding in the NCAA tournament.
Fisher said, with Saturday’s win, the Aztecs have made a strong case for a No. 1 seed.
“We know we’re going to have a high seed,” Fisher said. “What that is, I don’t know. But we’ve been a double-digit seed the three times we’ve been in. So I know we’re going to be a single-digit.”
