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Gators end Jimmer, BYU's run in OT

Mar 25, 2011 - 5:04 AM New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Alex Tyus scored 19 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, and the Florida Gators shut down Jimmer Fredette and the BYU Cougars in overtime to pull out an 83-74 victory in the Southeast Regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

The game was rematch of last year's first-round tourney tilt, and while neither was decided in regulation, the result was different on Thursday thanks to Florida holding the Cougars to two field goals in the extra session.

Chandler Parsons finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while the backcourt of Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker donated 17 and 16 points, respectively, in the win.

The second-seeded Gators (29-7) will play Butler on Saturday at New Orleans Arena for the right to advance to the Final Four. Butler, the No. 8 seed, upended Wisconsin, 61-54, to reach the Elite Eight for the second straight year.

Fredette ended his prolific career at BYU with 32 points, but shot just 11- of-29 from the field and was held scoreless over the final 7:53.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet that it's fully over right now," Fredette said after the crushing loss.

Noah Hartsock and Jackson Emery both scored nine points for the third-seeded Cougars (32-5), who were appearing in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1981 and ended the Gators' 2009-10 season with a 99-92 double-overtime win.

"We were able to hold all their guys under double figure points other than Fredette, and I thought that was going to be really important, knowing and understanding their personnel," Florida head coach Billy Donovan said. "We're happy to advance and happy to be playing on Saturday."

Florida was happy to return the favor with a dominant overtime performance, as Tyus cleaned up a Parsons miss to open the scoring, and Boynton hit a jumper the next time down for a 72-68 lead.

Fredette, who suffered a cut under his chin in the second half, had two turnovers and missed both of his three-point attempts in OT, finishing an uncharacteristic 3-for-15 from behind the arc.

"We played the whole game, and I was a little bit tired. But it's not an excuse," Fredette said. "They were ready to go, especially in that overtime.

Florida took advantage of the senior's struggles and put the game away with a 7-2 run. Parsons started the game-sealing rally with a three for a 79-72 lead, and the Gators cruised to their first Elite Eight appearance since winning the second of two straight titles in 2007.

With 1:38 remaining in regulation, Tyus broke a 67-67 tie by hitting 1-of-2 free throws in between two missed threes from Fredette.

Walker missed from long range on Florida's next possession, and Tyus was whistled for an over-the-back foul going after the rebound. Kyle Collinsworth made the first free throw but missed the second, and Florida held the ball for the final 48.5 seconds.

Walker secured the rebound on Boynton's missed three, and a final play was drawn up for the SEC Player of the Year. Parsons, though, missed a runner along the right baseline as the buzzer sounded, and the crowd was treated to five more minutes of basketball.

The Gators missed their first shot attempt of the game, then made their next eight, with Boynton's three-pointer resulting in a 20-10 lead a little less than six minutes in.

Despite Fredette's early struggles -- he started 0-for-6 from the field -- the Cougars used a balanced attack to stay close and tied things, 27-27, on two Hartsock free throws with 4:23 left in the first half.

The score was 36-36 at the break, and it was no more than a two-possession game the entire second half.

Florida led by as many as six in the second stanza, but Fredette put in a layup off a steal, then pulled up from 30 feet on the next possession and drained it for a 63-63 game with five minutes to play.

Game Notes

Florida beat UC Santa Barbara and UCLA to reach New Orleans, while BYU downed Wofford and Gonzaga...BYU had won the previous three meetings between the programs...Collinsworth had 15 rebounds for the Cougars...Fredette had five assists and six turnovers...Florida shot 48 percent from the field but made just 10-of-22 from the free throw line...On Saturday, Florida will be looking for its fourth Final Four appearance under Donovan.