Comeback Cougs fall to No. 3 UConn, 86-84

Dybantsa scored a game-high 25 points in his return to Beantown.

Author Tyson Jex
Comeback Cougs fall to No. 3 UConn, 86-84Comeback Cougs fall to No. 3 UConn, 86-84
Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. — BYU’s AJ Dybantsa scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half as No. 7 BYU came close to overcoming a 20-point second half deficit in a 86-84 loss to No. 3 UConn on Saturday evening at TD Garden. 

After trailing by 11 at halftime, BYU outscored the Huskies 53-42 over the final 20 minutes to get within two points in the final minute, but a turnover and free throws from UConn halted the Cougars' comeback hopes, handing them their first loss of the season.

After only scoring four points in the first half, the native of Brockton, Mass., flipped a switch, going 7-of-8 from the field, 2-of-2 from three and 5-of-6 from the free throw en route to 21 second-half points. Dybantsa has now scored 20 or more in two of his four collegiate games.  

Richie Saunders scored in double figures for the 16th consecutive game, as the senior finished with 17, going 6-of-14 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Robert Wright III finished with 16 points, four assists and a steal. 

First Half
The Cougars scored the opening four points of the game with Wright III getting to the rim on BYU’s first possession of the game. Dybantsa went 2-of-4 from the free throw line after back-to-back stops on the defensive end. A scoring drought of more than three minutes had BYU trailing 5-4 before Dybantsa scored at the rim.

The Huskies would retake the lead a little more than a minute later on Taris Reed Jr. layup followed by a 3-pointer from Jayden Ross. A Mihailo Boskovic putback on a miss from three cut the deficit to four, 16-12, before UConn went on a 10-0 run to lead 26-12 with 8:51 remaining in the first half. 

Consecutive stops on the defensive end turned into offense for the Cougars as Saunders got a contested floater to fall, followed by three free throws from Dawson Baker after he was fouled with the shot clock running down. 

Xavion Staton scored the first points of his collegiate career on an old-fashioned 3-point play to spark a 7-2 run for the Cougars as they cut the deficit to single digits, 38-29. Tyler Mrus would score the final points of the half with his first 3-pointer as a Cougar to make it an 11-point game, 43-32, after 20 minutes. 

Second Half
Even with 3-pointers from Baker and Wright III in the opening minutes of the second half, BYU was unable to gain any momentum with UConn answering with triples of its own to lead 55-39 at the 16:10 mark. 

A 7-0 run from the Huskies saw the Cougars down by a game-high 20 points, 59-39, with five minutes gone. Saunders and Dybantsa started to rally the troops, combining to score nine straight points for the Cougars to cut the deficit to 12, 62-48. Saunders found space on the baseline for a layup to bring his double-digit scoring streak to 16 games. Dybantsa hit a fadeaway jumper followed by a transition three. The senior would knock down a pair of free throws after the under-12 media timeout. 

Dominique Diomande got on the scoresheet with a pair of free throws with Wright III connecting on his second 3-pointer of the game to cut the deficit to 11, 64-53. Trailing by 14 with eight minutes left in regulation, Dybantsa went on a 7-0 run himself to cut the deficit to single digits for the first time since the first half, 71-62. 

The Cougars' comeback continued as Saunders found space near the basket for four straight points. Dybantsa continued his second-half revival with a fadeaway jumper followed by a layup to make it 75-70 with 4:14 left. 

The deficit was back to nine before Khadim Mboup scored his first points of the game on a putback off a miss. Wright III found some space around the rim for another two points, while Dybantsa connected on another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to three, 82-79. Following free throws from Silas Demary Jr., Baker connected on an off-balance 3-pointer out of the timeout to make it 84-82. The Huskies made their free throws down the stretch to hold onto a 86-84 victory.

Up Next
The Cougars return to the Beehive State next week to face No. 24 Wisconsin on Friday, Nov. 21 at Delta Center as part of the Bad Boy Mowers Showcase. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT on Peacock.