PORTLAND, Ore. – No. 6-seeded BYU fell 79-71 to the No. 11-seeded Longhorns on Thursday evening in the Round of 64 in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Moda Center.
"I thought for our guys, I was disappointed in our first half defensive effort and intensity and rebounding," head coach Kevin Young said. "We knew the game was going to get won there. We talked a lot about rebounding coming into this game, so that was a little disappointing. Then our guys fought their tails off in the second half. In a lot of ways it was representative of our season. We faced a lot of challenges this year, just like we did in this game. We battled back. That's the mantra of this group. They never quit. I'm really proud of the group."
AJ Dybantsa finished with 35 points and 10 reobunds for his fifth double-double of the season. The freshman shot 12-of-12 from the free throw line. The 6-foot-9 forward closed his freshman season with 894 points, which are the third-most points by a freshman in NCAA Division I history. He also surpassed Devin Durrant (1983-84) on the BYU single season scoring list.
Robert Wright III recorded 14 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals. He and Dybantsa became the second duo in program history to surpass the 1,500-point mark in a single season. Wright III had 632 total points on the season, which puts him in a tie with Danny Ainge (1977-78) for the 20th-most points scored in a single season in program history.
First Half
Texas got on the board first with a 5-0 run that spanned 20 seconds. Dybantsa and Wright III answered with a 6-2 spurt, but the teams continued trading baskets. The Longhorns primarily scored from beyond the arc, taking a 15-12 lead into the first media timeout.
Kennard Davis Jr. converted an and-one layup to tie the score. Dybantsa later added a turnaround jumper, and Khadim Mboup came up with a takeaway on Texas’ next possession. Wright III capped the momentum with a driving layup, giving the Cougars the lead with 12:05 left in the half.
The Longhorns went on an 8-0 run that was snapped when Dybantsa drew a foul and made both free throws. The Brockton, Mass. product then went on a 6-2 personal run, but Matas Vokietaitis remained dominant for Texas, helping it hold a five-point advantage with 3:54 left.
Vokietaitis capped an 8-2 personal spurt with a pair of free throws, giving the Longhorns a nine-point lead. Davis Jr. made BYU’s first 3-pointer of the half from the wing with eight seconds left, but Texas answered with one of its own with one second remaining to take a 46-37 lead into the locker room.
Second Half
The Longhorns opened the half with an alley-oop, but Keba Keita sparked a BYU run with a tip-in that resulted in a three-point play. The senior converted the free throw. Aleksej Kostic then came up with a steal and was fouled on a shot attempt, and the freshman made both free throws. Keita followed with a block, and Wright III added a steal and fast-break layup to cut the deficit to four.
Texas responded with a 7-3 run as the Cougars made just one of three attempts from beyond the arc. With 15:06 remaining, the Longhorns held a 55-47 lead. Texas then went on an 8-2 run in less than 90 seconds, fueled by missed shots from BYU.
Dailyn Swain helped the Longhorns extend their lead with a 9-0 run, scoring three layups. Dybantsa answered with an 8-0 personal spurt, converting four free throws and adding two layups. After a brief scoring drought, Dybantsa made a 3-pointer from the top of the key and, two possessions later, drew a foul and made both free throws to cut the deficit to six.
Kostic hit a 3-pointer with 1:17 left off an assist from Davis Jr., trimming the deficit to four. Despite two personal fouls on BYU that resulted in empty possessions for Texas, the Cougars were unable to score. Tramon Mark drew back-to-back fouls and made all four free throws as BYU fell 79-71 in the NCAA Tournament.