No. 23 BYU defeats No. 6 Iowa State in front of of sold out Marriott Center

AJ Dybantsa’s 29 points led the Cougars in their 79-69 victory over the Cyclones.

Author Carter Bentley
No. 23 BYU defeats No. 6 Iowa State in front of of sold out Marriott CenterNo. 23 BYU defeats No. 6 Iowa State in front of of sold out Marriott Center

PROVO, Utah — No. 23 BYU downed No. 6 Iowa State 79-69 Saturday night at the Marriott Center giving the Cougars their first Top 10 win of the season. 

Freshman AJ Dybantsa led BYU in points and assists, scoring 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting and totaling nine assists while playing all 40 minutes. Dybantsa also led the team in rebounds alongside redshirt freshman Khadim Mboup, with both grabbing 10 boards.

Kennard Davis Jr. put together a 17-point performance, shooting 6-of-13 from the field as well as 3-of-8 from three. The junior also secured a season-high four offensive rebounds, contributing to the Cougars’ 39 rebounds compared to the Cyclones’ 28.

In his third career start and first at home, Mihailo Boskovic scored a career-high 13 points and five rebounds. The senior went 5-of-11 from the field and 2-of-8 from three including a dagger from the corner in the final minutes. 

“I think there’s a lot to be said about opportunity and confidence," second-year head coach Kevin Young saig. "Those guys understand that now that Richie is out, their numbers are going to get called more. With Mihailo, I think he understands that he’s going to play more minutes, so I think it’s a little bit easier to get into a rhythm when you have that mindset, but at the same time, they get all the credit because they’ve stayed ready and they’ve been able to deliver.”

BYU scored 40 points in the paint while shooting 50% from the field on 58 shots. The Cougars’ defense held Iowa State to 42.6% shooting from the field and forced 10 turnovers.

First Half
Dybantsa led the Cougars in a hot start, blocking an Iowa State jump shot on the first Cyclone offensive possession. The freshman then found center Keba Keita for an alley-oop to put BYU on the board first. A Boskovic three and an Iowa State turnover put the Cougars ahead 7-2 to start the game before the Cyclones answered with a 7-0 run. Dybantsa ended the run with a coast-to-coast two-handed jam through traffic, tying the score 9-9 at the first timeout.

Two Dybantsa layups and a Boskovic slam constituted the start of a Cougars run, moving BYU ahead into another timeout. Dybantsa then found guard Kennard Davis for a corner three, extending the Cougars’ lead to 18-12 on a 9-0 run.

The teams traded scores, including a second Dybantsa-to-Keita alley-oop over an Iowa State defender. A 13-0 BYU run, kick-started by Wright III with his first bucket of the game at just over five minutes left in the half and a Dybantsa crossover into a jumper, then put the Cougars ahead 37-25.

The Cyclones ended the BYU run with just over 30 seconds left in the half. Cougar free throws and an Iowa State three put the Cougars ahead 39-30 heading into halftime.

Dybantsa led BYU in scoring in the first half, putting in 14 points while dishing out four of the Cougars’ five assists. And Mboup led BYU in rebounds, grabbing nine boards in just 10 minutes of play. The Cougars’ 13-0 run in the closing minutes of the half also marked the second-largest run allowed by the Cyclones this season.

Second Half
Dybantsa got the Cougars on the board first in the second half, burying a step-back three before Davis put in another shot from behind the arc, topping off a back-and-forth start to the half.

Keita made his presence known, disrupting a Cyclone alley-oop attempt and laying in an interior bucket after a slew of BYU offensive rebounds. Dybantsa then stole the ball off the Iowa State dribble and finished the sequence with a reverse dunk, adding to the BYU lead, 51-41, heading into a timeout.

The Cyclones cut the Cougars’ lead to four with a three-point shot before Boskovic answered with an and-one layup with just over nine minutes left in the half. Keita then blocked Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson, earning his first rejection of the game. Moving into another timeout, BYU led 55-51 with 7:50 left in regulation.

BYU answered with an 8-1 run, with Dybantsa weaving through the Iowa State defense for a layup. Dybantsa then found Davis for a two-handed slam off a fast break, forcing another Iowa State timeout. Wright III broke the Cyclones’ full-court press and dished it to Mboup for another dunk following the break.

Davis put in another three, extending BYU’s lead to 13 with 3:33 left. The Cyclones responded with a 6-0 run before a Boskovic corner three ended the streak and pushed BYU’s lead to 73-63. Free throws from the Cougars and a Keita dunk then sealed the 79-69 victory.

Up Next
No. 23 BYU returns to the Marriott Center Tuesday, Feb. 24, as the Cougars host UCF. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. MST, with the game broadcast on ESPN2.

Notes&Quotes
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