LUBBOCK, Texas — No. 11 BYU’s nine-point second-half lead vanished as No. 15 Texas Tech rallied for an 84-71 win Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena ending the Cougars 13-game win streak.
Despite Robert Wright III and Richie Saunders combining for a dominant scoring burst in the second half to give the Cougars a nine-point lead, Texas Tech made its final seven shots of the game to secure the win.
Wright III led BYU with a career-high 28 points on 9-on-17 shooting. The Wilmington, Delaware product added five rebounds, three assists and one steal. After recording six points in the first half, Wright III scored a season-high 22 in the second, highlighted by his 9-of-9 shooting from the free throw line.
Saunders posted 18 points, going 7-of-15 from the field. The senior also grabbed four rebounds, two steals and a block in tonight’s game.
BYU’s scoring came largely in the paint, totaling 40 points, with 24 coming in the first half. The Cougars held Texas Tech to 28 lane points.
First Half
The Red Raiders got off to a fast start, with Christian Anderson knocking down two threes in the opening two minutes to take an 8-2 advantage. AJ Dybantsa finished an and-one jumper for a three-point play, and then Wright III added a layup to cut the deficit to three with 15:28 on the clock.
Saunders and Dybantsa combined to engineer a 6-0 run, as Saunders opened the spurt with a layup before his freshman teammate followed with another on the next possession. Saunders capped the spurt with a dunk, assisted by Dybantsa, to give BYU its first lead at 15-13.
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The teams traded baskets before Saunders absorbed contact and finished a layup, completing the three-point play to go ahead by three with 7:53 remaining in the half. After two fouls on Keba Keita in under 40 seconds, Texas Tech took a one-point lead. Dybantsa answered with back-to-back jumpers in the paint.
Mihailo Boskovic made the Cougars’ first shot from behind the arc, but a 7-2 Red Raider run gave them the lead going into the locker room, 32-21.
Second Half
After a 6-2 Texas Tech spurt to open the second frame, Wright III made two consecutive layups in 21 seconds to cut the deficit to one. The Red Raiders’ sixth three went down, and then a Kennard Davis Jr. put the Cougars just behind Texas Tech, 41-39, going into the first media timeout.
Saunders and Wright III found their offensive rhythm, combining for 18 of BYU’s next 21 points. In just over four minutes, the senior-sophomore duo each knocked down two three-pointers, with both of Saunders’ assisted by Wright III. Their run was capped by a three from Saunders, forcing a Texas Tech timeout with BYU leading 46-37 with 9:26 remaining.
After holding Texas Tech scoreless for nearly three minutes, Saunders blocked another three-point attempt, but the Red Raiders grabbed two offensive rebounds and finally hit a three to spark a 20-4 run spanning less than five minutes. Texas Tech converted six three-point plays during the stretch, led by Toppin. With 3:40 left, the Red Raiders led 72-65.
Fouls continued to plague the Cougars in the final minutes, as back-to-back shooting fouls on Abdullah Ahmed sent Texas Tech to the line and helped the Red Raiders extend their lead to nine.
The teams traded free throws down the stretch, but Texas Tech pulled away for an 84-71 victory.
Up Next
The Cougars return home Saturday, Jan. 24 to take on the Utah Utes at 3:30 p.m. MST. Watch broadcast live on FOX or listen to live play-by-play with Greg Wrubell on BYU Radio.