CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Cougars fell to the Bearcats 90-68 on Tuesday night at Fifth Third Arena.
"My message to the guys is that I believe in our group," head coach Kevin Young said. "Less than two weeks ago, we beat Iowa State, who is one of the best teams in the country. I think our confidence is shook as a group right now, and I just want our guys to play with a little more belief in themselves and each other."
Cincinnati shot 50 percent from the field while holding BYU to 41.4 percent. The Bearcats knocked down 10 3-pointers and also recorded 10 steals and six blocks on defense. Cincinnati led for 37:01 of the game.
AJ Dybantsa led the Cougars with 23 points, six assists and six rebounds. Additionally, the Brockton, Mass. product became the third freshman in program history to play over 1,000 minutes in a single season.
Robert Wright III was just behind Dybantsa with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Aleksej Kostic recorded 14 points, going 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.
First Half
Kennard Davis Jr. put BYU on the board first with a midrange floater, but the Bearcats hit two early threes to take an 8-6 lead 16:43 remaining in the half. In the final minute before the first media timeout, both teams traded blocks to keep it close.
Cincinnati continued its run after the timeout, extending it to 12-0 behind a fast-break jumper and an and-one conversion. Missed shots and turnovers continued to plague BYU, allowing the Bearcats to maintain a nine-point advantage.
In less than 30 seconds, Cincinnati hit two 3-pointers. Turnovers continued to plague the Cougars, as 10 of the Bearcats’ 26 points came off BYU turnovers. After BYU missed its first six attempts from beyond the arc, Kostic connected on a 3-pointer off an assist from Dybantsa to cut the deficit to 11.
After going nearly three minutes without a point, Dybantsa drew a foul and made both free throws. He later found Abdullah Ahmed for a dunk, but the Bearcats stayed in front, 39-25, with 3:18 on the clock.
Kostic remained BYU’s primary outside threat, knocking down two 3-pointers in just over a minute to trim Cincinnati’s lead. The Bearcats closed the half with two free throws to take a 43-31 lead into the locker room.
Second Half
Wright III opened the half with a 3-pointer, and Dybantsa grabbed a defensive rebound before adding a step-back jumper on the Cougars’ next possession. The teams traded free throws before Cincinnati carried its lead into the media timeout after a dunk and a block on BYU’s ensuing possession.
A 6-2 Bearcats spurt gave Cincinnati its largest lead of the game at 17. After nearly two scoreless minutes for both teams, Dybantsa sparked a 4-0 personal run, drawing a foul and converting before turning a Bearcats turnover into a basket. Another Cincinnati 3-pointer pushed the lead to 64-48 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the second half.
The Bearcats scored on back-to-back possessions off BYU turnovers, stretching their lead to 21. Dybantsa knocked down his first 3-pointer of the night before Cincinnati capped a 6-0 run with 5:57 remaining.
The teams traded runs, with Wright III scoring four straight before BYU answered a 5-0 run by Cincinnati as Dybantsa and Kostic combined to match it. The Cougars could not overcome the scoring slump and lost 90-68.
Up Next
The Cougars return home to conclude their regular season on Saturday, March 7 at 8:30 p.m. MST in a matchup against No. 10 Texas Tech. Watch live on ESPN or listen to live play-by-play with Greg Wrubell on BYU Radio.