PROVO, Utah — No. 16 BYU fell 77–66 to No. 8 Houston on Saturday night at the Marriott Center as the visitors used a late run to fight off another rally from the Cougars.
Houston built an early second-half cushion but BYU answered with a surge to briefly take the lead at the midway point of the half. The Coogs responded with a decisive run, scoring on four straight possessions to rebuild separation and maintain control down the stretch.
“You know, we’re upset that we didn’t win the game. Another great opportunity that we let go, which unfortunately for us has been too many against the highest-caliber teams in the country," head coach Kevin Young said. "You know, we can’t seem to finish the job, and that’s disappointing. However, I was happy with the response. I mean, since I’ve been at BYU, that was the hardest I’ve ever gone at the team in terms of the things I was saying to them, the film I was showing them, the practice and so forth. So I did think they responded, which for me, was going to be an “I’m going to learn a lot about our group” type of game. Again, disappointed we didn’t pull the win out, but I thought the response out of the guys, given the stretch that we’re going through, was admirable.”
AJ Dybantsa led all scorers with 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, adding five rebounds and four assists. Robert Wright III followed with 17 points on a perfect 3-for-3 night from deep.
Keba Keita anchored the defense with three blocks, marking his seventh multi-block performance of the season and moving into a tie for 10th on BYU’s single-season blocks list.
Richie Saunders finished with seven points and a game-high seven rebounds, while Kennard Davis Jr. contributed five points. Houston was led by Kingston Flemings with 19 points, with Emanuel Sharp adding 14.
BYU shot 39.6 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three but left points at the free-throw line, going 16-of-28 from the stripe. Houston shot 47.5 percent from the field and closed the game at the line to secure the road win.
First Half
Both teams got off to a slow start, trading empty possessions before Houston scored the game’s first four points on second-chance opportunities. BYU answered with a putback from Keba Keita to get on the board, but the Cougars in red used back-to-back 3-pointers to open a 10–2 lead, leading to a media timeout with 15:55 remaining.
Out of the break, Dybantsa knocked down a pull-up jumper in the paint, and Wright III added a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 12–9. After Houston fought back with a 7-2 spurt, Wright III and Saunders each put down a triple to keep the score within three.
Houston opened the next segment with another advantageous run, this time 9–0, to extend the lead to 28–18 with 5:55 left in the half, forcing a BYU timeout. The Cougars closed the half with a push, highlighted by a Dybantsa-to-Abdullah Ahmed dunk and a fast-break three from Dybantsa to trim the deficit to 33–29 with just over a minute to the play.
The Cougs sunk both free throws at the line in the final minute before securing a second-chance basket at the horn to take a 37–31 lead into halftime.
Second Half
Houston opened the half with a bucket in the paint before Dybantsa answered with a step-through finish. Houston then knocked down a 3-pointer to push the lead to 42–34, forcing a BYU timeout at 18:14.
The Cougars answered out of the break as Saunders went 3-for-3 at the line to trim the deficit, and Kennard Davis Jr. followed with a 3-pointer to make it 44–40. The Cougars continued the push as Saunders kicked out to Dybantsa in the corner to tie the game at 46–46 with 14:52 remaining.
CORNER THREEEEEEEEE 🔥
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) February 8, 2026
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/d9pepeORdN
Wright III then drove for a layup to give BYU its first lead since the 1:20 mark of the game at 48–46 with 14:02 remaining. Houston responded to keep the game tight, and the teams traded baskets before U of H connected on a jumper to knot the score at 52 heading into the media timeout with 11:39 remaining.
Houston regained the lead out of the break and pushed the margin to 59–54 with 8:38 remaining after a second-chance basket and a foul. BYU trimmed the deficit to 63–58 with 5:07 left as Dybantsa made a pair of free throws, but the Cougars in red answered with consecutive scores in the paint to rebuild separation.
Ahmed threw down a dunk off a Dybantsa bounce pass to make it 68–61, and Dybantsa later hit a pull-up three to pull BYU within five. Houston responded with a 3-pointer to make it 73–65 with 1:27 remaining and sealed the game at the free-throw line to secure a 77–66 win.
Up Next
BYU heads to Waco, Texas, to face Baylor on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. CT. The game will air live on ESPN, with radio coverage available on BYU Radio featuring Greg Wrubell and Mark Durrant.