SALT LAKE CITY -- There were mixed reviews from BYU basketball players about the Utah State students making EnergySolutions Arena seem like a place where the sagebrush grows.

A line from the school's catchy fight song was part of the lively neutral-court atmosphere that attracted 13,890 fans (about 6,000 short of a full house). The schools split the available tickets in half and it sure sounded that way.

BYU guard Jimmer Fredette loved playing in Salt Lake City's NBA arena again. He notes that it might be even louder than the Marriott Center, as much because of architecture. He noted that it's louder because BYU's 22,000-seat arena extends out, while the ESA steers steeper.

There was independent debate about how nasty the Aggie jeering got.

Lee Cummard said: "Their fans have a lot of mean things to say."

Said Fredette: "Their fans are great. They do research on you and they know everything about you, and they're holding up these crazy posters and everything. I love that they do that. They're very enthusiastic about their basketball."

Both teams commented that anything from the crowd was more heinous than what was being said on the court.

"There wasn't much trash talking at all," Fredette said. "I think our programs have a mutual respect for each other."

• Giving themselves a chance: USU coach Stew Morrill couldn't be any happier at how his Aggies limited BYU's offense, which hadn't scored lower than 74 in the first seven games: "The pace of the game was what we needed to have a chance to win. (BYU) just did a really good job defensively. We didn't get clean looks at the basket and we shot it very poorly from 3-point range."

USU misfired 17-of-22 times from long range.

The Aggies hung around because of BYU foul trouble, but also with a rebounding tenacity that created a 39-27 edge -- 14-7 on the offensive glass.

"That gives you an indication of how hard we battled," Morrill said.

• Missed opportunities: BYU made just 16-of-24 free throws. A few especially good charity makers went cold late. Jackson Emery went 1-for-2 three times in the final 2:17. Fredette also went 1-of-2 with 41.8 seconds left.

Emery missed the first try every time.

"Everything felt good. My form, the motion, everything felt great. But they just didn't drop. When we shot around this morning, it was a little weird. I was shooting long," Emery said. "Then I noticed I was doing it again tonight.

"I don't know. It felt good, I think it was just one of those nights. I played 20 minutes in the second half and didn't come out (37 total). Maybe my legs were tired. I don't know exactly what it was, but I'll fix it."

Emery entered the game making 7-of-9 free throws. BYU shot 73 percent as a team.

Head coach Dave Rose accentuated the positive of the 50-percent theme.

"What was good was we didn't come up empty. I mean, we were able to get one out of the deal," Rose said. "We need to get ourselves into those positions more and then execute from there. Guys like Lee (Cummard) and (Jonathan Tavernari) have been in that position a lot in their careers and then you've got some guys that are trying to grow up. I think that's a good experience for them."

• Wesley sighting: Former BYU hoopster Mekeli Wesley (1997-2001) was spotted outside BYU's locker room. He was also there to see his brother, Tai, who had 12 points and six rebounds for USU. He's been in double figures all six games this year. Mekeli said he was "cheering for my brother," but declined to make a school allegiance.

• Tip-ins: Current Utah football defensive coordinator Gary Andersen was at the game, wearing an Aggies jacket. He was just hired to be the new head coach in Logan. ...BYU senior center, Gavin MacGregor, had the best game of his career with seven points. He also tied three of his career highs with two blocks, one steal and two rebounds.