Saunders leads BYU to 91-89 win over Wisconsin, on to Sweet Sixteen

Richie Saunders scored a team-high 25 points and helped will No. 6 seed BYU men’s basketball to a 91-89 victory over No. 3 seed Wisconsin and berth in the Sweet Sixteen on Saturday night at Ball Arena.

Author Joseph Hovey
Saunders leads BYU to 91-89 win over Wisconsin, on to Sweet SixteenSaunders leads BYU to 91-89 win over Wisconsin, on to Sweet Sixteen
Box Score

DENVER, Colo. — Richie Saunders scored a team-high 25 points and helped will No. 6 seed BYU men’s basketball to a 91-89 victory over No. 3 seed Wisconsin and berth in the Sweet Sixteen on Saturday night at Ball Arena.

"What an unbelievable basketball game, two hungry teams," head coach Kevin Young said. "Obviously there was a decent amount of talk of how prolific both of our offenses were, and that second half was on full display for both teams. Just an unbelievable game. Glad we were on the winning side of it. Just super proud of our guys' resiliency. We just found a way. We felt like we couldn't stop them at all in the second half, and in that last time-out. We just looked each other in the eye and said all we've got to do is get one stop, that's it."

The Cougars led by as many as 14 points in the first half and 13 in the second but saw their lead dwindle to two as the Badgers battled back in the final moments of the game with 6-0 run and 2:34 BYU scoring drought.

Wisconsin had the final shot with 13 seconds left but straight-up defense from Mawot Mag forced an errant shot and Keba Keita collected the game-sealing defensive rebound as BYU staved off the Badgers for the 91-89 win.

With the win on Saturday, the six-seeded Cougars advance to their third all-time NCAA Regional and first since 2011. BYU will face the winner of No. 2 seed Alabama and No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s on Thursday, March 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Gametime and broadcast details are forthcoming.

Saunders' 25 points came on a 9-of-16 shooting night from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. The junior guard also collected seven rebounds with six on the offensive glass alone.

Trevin Knell, Egor Demin and Keita added three more double-figure scoring performances. Knell shot 4-of-6 from 3-point range on his way to 14 points. Demin scored 11 points along with eight rebounds and eight assists. Keita established himself in the paint on both ends of the floor and finished the night with 10 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Dawson Baker added eight points while Trey Stewart and Mawot Mag pitched in seven a-piece.

The Cougars and Badgers engaged in a shootout from start to finish with BYU out-dueling the Big Ten runners-up 49 to 43 percent from the field and leading start to finish. BYU shot 12-of-26 from three with Wisconsin draining 12 triples on 35 attempts. The Cougars’ 32 made field goals came on 21 assists.

The Badger comeback was aided by 12 points off of 11 Cougar turnovers. While the game ended in a 14-14 deadlock in second-chance scoring, BYU outrebounded Wisconsin 41-32, including 13-11 on the offensive glass, and outscored the Badgers 38-28 in the paint.

First Half

BYU started hot with 5-of-8 shooting from the field on its way to a 16-8 lead five minutes in. The Cougars’ first-half shooting was fueled by their out-rebounding Wisconsin 9-4 on the offensive glass. BYU’s nine offensive rebounds gave it a 12-2 advantage in second chance points.

A second-chance score helped the Cougars get on the board first with Saunders collecting an errant shot and Demin scoring seconds later on a fadeaway jumper. Saunders then buried BYU’s first triple of the game for a 5-2 lead. The Cougars pushed the pace in transition on their next two possession with a Demin steal converted into a Keita lay-in and Saunders scoring moments later on a reverse lay-in. Another Keita score followed by a steal from Knell and a Saunders fastbreak bucket gave BYU a 16-8 lead.

Wisconsin responded over the ensuing two minutes with a 6-0 run before BYU staunched it with a Boskovic three from the wing. The Cougars were back up nine, 23-14, with 10 minutes to go before the break after Stewart drove and scored off the glass.

BYU took its first double-digit lead of the half at the 7:34 mark following a hook shot from Traore and a Knell driving score. The Cougars’ 27-16 lead was further built by their defense, forcing a Badger scoring drought of over three minutes.

Three consecutive 3-pointers from Saunders, Mag and Demin helped BYU to a half-high 14-point lead at 38-24 with five minutes before the break. Wisconsin cut the Cougar lead to eight with 1:24 to play but Knell doctored BYU back to a double-digit 47-36 lead at the break.

The Cougars shot 47 percent from the field for the half while Wisconsin shot 39 percent. BYU went 6-of-14 from 3-point range to the Badgers’ 5-of-17 and 7-of-7 from the free throw line while Wisconsin made 7-of-11 attempts.

BYU controlled the paint with a 26-14 rebounding advantage and a 20-12 lead in paint points. Nine different Cougars scored in the half, with Saunders leading the way with 12 points and five rebounds.

Second Half

BYU picked up where it left off in the first half with Demin dealing a pass to Mag who scored at the rim, giving the Cougars a 49-36 lead. Wisconsin quickly responded after a Knell 3-pointer with an 8-0 run that cut BYU’s lead to 52-48 at the 17-minute mark.

A technical assessed to the Badger bench sent Saunders to the free throw line moments later. Saunders knocked down both free throws then put BYU back up eight after weaving through two defenders and finishing at the rim on the ensuing possession.

Baker and Stewart maximized their minutes off the bench and helped build a 67-56 BYU lead with 10:50 to play. Baker beat a pair of Badger defenders and finger rolled at the rim for the score. Stewart nailed two free throws then a transition triple while Baker floated and scored on BYU’s next trip down floor. Fousseyni Traore scored inside to give the Cougars the 11-point advantage. BYU’s defense, meanwhile, kept the Badgers off the board over a 4:16 stretch.

The Cougars stayed in front by double digits with consecutive 3-pointers from Knell, including one on a behind-the-back pass from Demin. Keita kept BYU up 11 with a personal 4-0 run on a free throw and old-fashioned 3-point play.

Demin buried a seeming dagger three to push BYU’s lead to 89-78 with 2:30 but the Badgers kept clawing back. Wisconsin cut the Cougar lead to 89-83 with 90 seconds to play before Saunders scored BYU’s final points of the game on a 2-for-2 free throw trip.