Keita lifts No. 9 BYU to 91-60 victory over Cal Baptist

The senior tied a career-high with 23 points as the Cougars picked up their fourth straight win.

Author Halle Taylor
Keita lifts No. 9 BYU to 91-60 victory over Cal BaptistKeita lifts No. 9 BYU to 91-60 victory over Cal Baptist
Box Score

SALT LAKE CITY – Led by Keba Keita’s seventh career double-double, No. 9 BYU rolled past Cal Baptist91-60 on Wednesday night at the Delta Center.

Keita tallied a career-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting. The senior added 14 rebounds, three blocks and one steal to lead his team to the win. This marked Keita’s first double-double this season.

AJ Dybantsa scored 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting percentage. The freshman also notched five rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal. This was Dybantsa’s third game with 20 or more points, which puts him in a tie for the ninth-most by a freshman in program history.

The Cougars shot 55.4 percent in tonight’s matchup with five players reaching double digits in Keita, Dybantsa, Robert Wright III, Richie Saunders and Kennard Davis Jr.

Wright III recorded his second double-double of the season with his 15 points and 12 assists. Additionally, the Wilmington, Delaware native has scored in double figures in each game this season.

First Half
After winning the tip, Keita got BYU on the board first. CBU missed its first two 3-point attempts before making one on the third. Both teams struggled from long range for nearly 90 seconds, but a Cal Baptist layup put the Lancers ahead 5-4 with 16:30 left in the first half.

Powered by Dybantsa, BYU went on a 10-0 run. The freshman set up senior Keita for a dunk to start the spurt, then converted a three-point play after being fouled on a layup. Davis Jr. followed with a basket inside, and Dybantsa capped the run with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, pushing the lead to 14-5 with 13:25 remaining in the first half.

Back-to-back jumpers and a free throw by the Lancers cut the deficit to seven points. Mihailo Boskovic hit a 3-pointer, his first of the season, before a media timeout, keeping the Lancers close at 14-7.

Led by Wright III, BYU then went on a 7-0 run. Wright III found Keita for a contested layup, where Keita was fouled and made the free throw. On the next possession, Wright III assisted Dybantsa for BYU’s second dunk of the night. Wright III followed with a feed to Saunders for a close-range basket, giving the Cougars a 30-16 lead.

The Cougars surged again late in the first half, scoring eight straight points. Dybantsa made a jumper in the paint, Saunders added a free throw, and a Lancer turnover led to a Saunders layup. Davis Jr. closed the run with a 3-pointer, giving BYU a 38-18 lead with four minutes remaining.

Keita and Dybantsa scored consecutive baskets to reach 40 points for the Cougars. Cal Baptist trimmed the deficit slightly with a 5-2 run, but BYU led 42-26 at halftime.

Second Half
The Cougars came out strong defensively, with Keita recording a block and a steal on consecutive possessions. He scored on a jumper in the paint before Cal Baptist went on a 5-0 run, cutting BYU’s lead to 44-31.

Wright III jumpstarted a 12-2 BYU run, hitting a 3-pointer on a fast break. Dybantsa added a midrange jumper, and Saunders contributed another fast-break three. After a steal by Wright III, Khadim Mboup finished a fast-break dunk to cap the run, pushing the lead to 22 with 14:55 remaining.

Davis Jr. sparked a 10-0 stretch, highlighted by shots from deep. Following a missed 3-pointer by Cal Baptist, Wright grabbed the rebound and drained another three off an assist from Dybantsa. He then stole a Lancer pass on the next possession and finished with a dunk. Dybantsa closed the run with a turnaround jumper, giving BYU a 70-39 lead with 11:57 left.

The Cougars faced a brief scoring drought as Cal Baptist hit a 3-pointer and a jumper for a 5-0 run. BYU senior duo Keita and Saunders responded with a 5-0 push, with Keita adding a block during the run.

Wright III then went on a 6-2 personal run with a jumper, a layup, and two free throws. Missed shots and turnovers allowed the Lancers to go on a 7-0 run, but BYU maintained a commanding lead at 87-55 with 2:39 remaining.

Neither team scored for nearly two minutes until Jared McGregor grabbed an offensive rebound and fed Boskovic for a second-chance jumper. After two CBU free throws, BYU closed out the game with a 91-60 victory.

Up Next
The Cougars will travel to New York City’s Madison Square Garden for a matchup against Clemson in the Jimmy V Classic on Wednesday, Dec. 9 4:30 p.m. MST. Watch broadcast live on ESPN or listen to live play-by-play with Greg Wrubell on BYU Radio.