Jimmer Fredette scored 25 points to lead BYU to a 80-67 victory over San Diego State.

The Cougars shot 14-of-24 from 3-point range, including four each by Fredette and Charles Abouo, and assisted on 18 of their 27 baskets.

BYU shot 47 percent from the floor and held a 14-7 disadvantage in offensive rebounds

Basketball analyst David Thorpe writes today that Kawhi Leonard has the tools to make the transition to the small forward position in the NBA.

Noting Leonard’s speed, length, and never-quit motor, Thorpe says Leonard will thrive in transition and off cuts to the rim.

Leonard leads the No. 6 ranked San Diego State Aztecs in points, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, steals and is second in assists.

Rick Bay, then San Diego State’s athletic director, interviewed a host of candidates, including Rick Majerus, before ultimately deciding on Steve Fisher.

But not before doing his due diligence on the NCAA investigation that led to Fisher’s dismissal at Michigan.

Bay called Michigan acquaintance Bernie Machen, who was a provost at Michigan during the scandal and assigned to conduct the university’s internal investigation.

“Bernie told me, ‘Fisher had nothing to do with it ... I told the university that they should have never fired him in the first place,’” Bay says. “That’s all I needed to hear.”

San Diego State coach Steve Fisher has been reprimanded by the Mountain West Conference for his remarks made Monday that were critical of the firing of Wyoming coach Heath Schroyer last week and violated the league's sportsmanship rule.

Fisher used his opening statement during the weekly coaches' teleconference to criticize Schroyer's firing on Feb. 7 with seven regular season games remaining for the Cowboys, who were 8-15 and 1-8 in conference play.

"For a coach to be fired with six weeks to go in the season is inexcusable," Fisher said. "We talk to our players about commitment, not cutting and running, and yet when things go south a little bit, often our administrators say, 'What do we do to please our biggest donor or the perception standpoint?'"

Fisher noted that Schroyer was terminated with three seasons remaining on his contract after the fourth-year coach had been awarded an extension following the 2009 season.

"This is not the NBA," Fisher said. "This is not the NFL. Yes, this will happen before and will happen again. That doesn't make it right.

"It's wrong. It should not have been that way. It should have been done in a professional manner. A six-week jump on the market is not worth it."

San Diego State needed a game-winner with 1.8 seconds in the game from D.J. Gay to beat Colorado State by a final of 56-54.

“I had a gut feel,” head coach Steve Fisher said to AM 600 KOGO after the game. “‘Let them play, D.J. will not do something foolish, worst-case scenario we’re going into overtime. Let’s see if we can get something out of the flow before they can set a defense.’ And boy he did a great job just pushing it hard.”

The Aztecs are now 22-1 this season.