Dybantsa’s 21 points propel No. 8 BYU to 71-66 win over Villanova

AJ Dybantsa became the fifth freshman Cougar to score 20 or more points in his debut.

Author Halle Taylor
Dybantsa’s 21 points propel No. 8 BYU to 71-66 win over VillanovaDybantsa’s 21 points propel No. 8 BYU to 71-66 win over Villanova
Box Score

LAS VEGAS – Behind AJ Dybantsa’s 21-point regular season debut, the No. 8 Cougars defeated Villanova 71-66 in the Las Vegas Hall of Fame Series on Monday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Dybantsa led the Cougars in his regular season debut with 21 points, six rebounds and three assists. The Brockton, Mass. native became the fifth freshman in program history to score 20-plus in their collegiate debut.

Keba Keita was a defensive asset for the Cougars with three blocks, marking the 10th time in his career he has reached that mark. The senior also recorded eight points, seven rebounds and a steal.

Richie Saunders scored 15 points, extendiing his streak of double figures to 13 consecutive games going back to last season. In tonight’s matchup, the senior went 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Additionally, the Riverton, Utah product recorded seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The Cougars out-shot Villanova 39.4 percent to 35.8 percent and out-blocked five to one. BYU recorded four steals to the Wildcats’ two.

BYU led for over 35 minutes with only four lead changes.

First Half

The Wildcats won the opening tip but BYU scored on its opening possession of the game on an alley-oop from Dybantsa to Keita.  The teams traded buckets before Dybantsa and Robert Wright III each finished with a layup, putting the Cougars up 8-4.

Villanova responded with four straight points to tie it at 8-all before Saunders scored for the first time of the season with a fastbreak layup to start an 8-0 run for the Cougars. 

Another scoring drought ensued before Dawson Baker sank two free throws to extend BYU’s lead to four. One minute later, Khadim Mboup grabbed a defensive rebound and sent it ahead to Mihailo Boskovic, who found Dybantsa for a layup. Less than 30 seconds later, Dybantsa pulled down an offensive board himself and converted a second-chance layup to cap off a 8-0 BYU run forcing the Wildcats to call a timeout. 

The Cougar defense held Villanova scoreless for over five minutes before another Wildcat offensive rebound turned into more second-chance points with a 3-pointer. Baker responded with a 3-pointer of his own after Boskovic found him wide open at the top of the arc. 

The Wildcats scored four straight points but responded with yet another run beginning on a corner three from Kennard Davis Jr. Keita dunked it for a second time in the first half as the 6-foot-9 center got out in transition followed by a pair of free throws from Wright III to make it 26-15 for the Cougars.

Following two consecutive Villanova dunks, each team exchanged a pair of free throws, cutting the margin to seven. With 4:52 left, Dybantsa found Boskovic in the paint to extend the lead to nine. On the Wildcats’ next possession, a turnover gave BYU the ball back and Saunders nailed a three from the wing, giving the Cougars their largest lead of the night up to that point.

Villanova went on a 6-0 run, cutting its deficit to six points with 2:28 remaining in the half. After a timeout, Dybantsa attempted a contested layup, but Keita jumped up and tipped it home. On Villanova’s next possession, the Bamako, Mali native kept the intensity alive and denied a Wildcat layup, preserving the Cougar lead at 36-29.

A Flagrant 1 foul was called on Villanova, sending Dybantsa to the free throw line where he made both. Four seconds later, another Wildcat foul earned Saunders a pair of free throws, which put the Cougars up 10 with 45 seconds to go.

The Wildcats knocked down their fifth three of the first half but Davis Jr. responded with another corner three at the buzzer to send the Cougars into halftime with a 10-point lead, 42-32. 

BYU shot 41.2 percent from the field while holding the Wildcats to 34.3 percent. Saunders and Dybantsa led the Cougars with nine and eight points, respectively, in the first half.

Second Half

Saunders had the opening basket of the half and 90 seconds later, Dybantsa went straight to the rim for another Cougar layup.

The Wildcats scored six straight points off two layups and a dunk to cut the BYU lead to eight before a timeout.

Out of the timeout, Dybantsa pushed through the lane to get the layup pushing the lead back to double digits. Villanova took advantage of a BYU drought and generated a 5-0 run to bring the game to five points.

Saunders secured a defensive board and passed to his freshman teammate Dybantsa, who knocked down a pull-up three. The Wildcats cut BYU’s lead to 51-48 soon after, making it a closer game with two free throws and a 3-pointer.

The teams exchanged baskets before Villanova tied it up at 53-53 off of a stepback three. Wright III hit a jumper halfway through the final frame and after over one scoreless minute, the Wildcats took their first lead of the game with a wide-open three leading into a media timeout.

Following the media timeout, Saunders scored on a layup, and Keita blocked Villanova’s next possession for his second rejection of the night.

The Wildcats regained the lead, 59-57, off a three-ball with 6:28 left. Keita and Dybantsa claimed the next four points to take back a two-point lead.

Keita swatted away a Villanova dunk attempt to help maintain BYU’s lead. After almost two scoreless minutes for both teams, Saunders committed a foul on a Wildcat, but a traveling violation gave the Cougars the ball back immediately.

Dybantsa capitalized on the Villanova turnover with an in-the-paint deuce. Wright III drained a jumper with 2:26 left and brought the score to 65-59, forcing a Wildcat timeout in the process.

Out of the timeout, Villanova missed a three and Wright III grabbed the board. Dybantsa followed with a driving layup to give BYU an eight-point edge with 1:50 left.

The Wildcats made four free throws, a layup and a last-second jumper to close the game, but it wasn’t enough, as BYU held on for a 71-66 win. 

Up Next

The Cougars will tip off in their home opener against Holy Cross on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. MST. Watch the broadcast live on ESPN+ or listen to live play-by-play with Greg Wrubell on BYU Radio.

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