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Amherst, N.Y. • Jimmer Fredette was back in his home state of New York, but definitely immersed in foreign territory.

He was having trouble finding shots, and when he did, they were not dropping. Before anyone took notice, though, the Glens Falls, N.Y., native had a season-high 34 points — 28 coming in the second half.

The recovery efforts proved crucial as No. 16 Brigham Young held off an upset-minded Buffalo squad, 90-82, before a close-to-sellout crowd of 5,803 in Alumni Arena on Thursday night.

After hitting 1 of 9 shots in the opening 20 minutes, Fredette drained 10 of 15 after halftime. He used a series of transition baskets to get into a rhythm and kick-start his outside game.

"You're not going to shoot the ball great every single night," Fredette said, "but the main thing is that you have to have a short-term memory."

The Cougars received solid nights on the offensive end from forwards Noah Hartsock (19 points) and Brandon Davies (18 points). Hartsock, two off his career high, poured in 15 during the opening 20 minutes — including three 3-pointers.

"I've been shooting a lot of 3s lately — trying to get better at that," Hartsock said, noting the looks will continue to come as defenders shift to Fredette.

The game's momentum swung with a pendulum-like consistency Thursday, with BYU — which never trailed — regularly opening up leads in the eight- to 10-point range before watching them dwindle.

BYU went on a decisive 10-0 run after Mitchell Watt pulled Buffalo within, 54-53, with 11:25 remaining. Over the next two-plus minutes, Fredette scored seven points to help the Cougars regain a cushion at 64-53.

The Bulls briefly squeaked back within three, but a four-point possession from Davies — two free throws off an intentional foul and then a put-back — put BYU back in control down the stretch. Buffalo got no closer than five points during the final six minutes.

Watt and fellow Buffalo forward Javon McCrea combined for 32 points on 14-of-18 shooting, consistently exposing holes in the BYU post defense. The Bulls shot 55.9 percent from the floor as a team.

"We have issues with our post guys fouling a lot and so we've kind of gotten a little bit softer in the post," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "That needs to be an area where we can guard hard and not foul. That's something that I think we're working on."

Fredette, about 300 miles from his hometown across the state, appeared to be flirting with his season low (13 points at Creighton on Dec. 1), but has now reached 25 points in six consecutive games. —

No. 16 BYU 90, Buffalo 82

R Jimmer Fredette's 28-point second half allows BYU to finish off a game that was nip-and-tuck until the final six minutes.

• Noah Hartsock, who had never attempted more than two 3-pointers in a game during his career, hits 3 of 3 during a stretch of 2:32 in the first half.

• Buffalo post players Mitchell Watt and Javon McCrea combined to go 14 of 18 from the field and totaled 32 points.