PROVO, Utah – No. 25 BYU defeated Omaha 108-67 Friday night in front of 16,190 fans at the Marriott Center, extending the Cougars home opener win streak to 21 games.
“I was really happy with our ability to score off of our defense," BYU head coach Kevin Young said. "Tonight was a little bit different because we added on 22 assists, whereas the other night I think we only had 12. I was really happy with the way the ball was flying around, and to go 16-of-35 from three. We have a lot of guys who can make threes on this team."
Friday's victory over the Mavericks marked the first time since December 2024 that BYU had six players score in double figures as the Cougars shot 39-of-70 from the field, 16-of-35 from three and 14-of-18 from the free throw line.
Robert Wright III led the Cougars in scoring for a second straight game as the junior had 19 points going 8-of-11 from the field, 1-of-3 from three and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. He also had a team-high steals, a rebound and assist.
Tyler Betsey tied a career-high with 18 points as the Syracuse transfer went 6-of-8 from 3-point range marking the third time in his collegiate career that he has scored in double figures in consecutive games.
Freshman Bruce Branch III added 17 points and grabbed six boards with Kentucky transfer Collin Chandler chipping in 18 points, shooting 6-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3. Jaxon Kohler and Jake Wahlin also reached double figures with 11 and 10 respectively.
The Cougars held a 31-0 advantage in fast breaks while turning 12 Maverick turnoers into 19 points. BYU dominated the glass, 46-27, including 15 offensive boards.
First Half
Branch III won the jump for the Cougars to start the first half and the Cougars quickly jumped ahead with a 3-pointer from Betsey off the feed from Chandler. After another Betsey 3-pointer, Kohler and Wright III extended the Cougars' lead with finsihes at the rim. A step-back three from Chandler saw BYU's lead ballon to 13-4 at the under 16-minute media timeout.
Success from the 3-point line continued out of the break with Wright III sinking a shot from the elbow. Omaha answered with a 3-pointer of their own before Chandler's euro step lay-in extended BYU's lead.
Branch III connected on his first three of the game with just under 12 minutes to play in the half, increasing BYU's advantage to 25-9. Out of the media timeout, the Mavericks scored two unanswered buckets before Kohler ended the short-lived run with a triple.
Two more buckets, including Betsey's third 3-pointer of the game, forced an Omaha timeout with 8:20 remaining in the half and the Cougars leading 33-13.
Betsey connected from deep for a fourth time, and Wright III's old-fashioned 3-point play pushed the lead to 43-18. Offensive rebounds led to Khadim Mboup's first bucket of the game as Young took a timeout with 3:29 on the clock.
Both teams traded points as the first half ended with BYU on top 56-30.
Second Half
Wright III started off the second half with a steal and score before Betsey showed his worth on both ends of the floor. After picking up his first block as a Cougar, the junior knocked down another 3-pointer. Another and-one from Wright III then shifted the score to 67-38 in favor of the Cougars.
this sequence by Betsey 🤯 📺 ESPN+ https://t.co/32WRQ4jc47
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) November 7, 2026
Betsey increased BYU's lead to 70 with his sixth and final 3-pointer of the evening, five minutes into the second half. Wright III found another fast break bucket, going coast to coast off the rebound, and BYU entered the media timeout up 78-46.
BYU's defense made its mark, with Branch III and Wahlin each securing blocks. The Cougars and Mavericks traded points through the stretch before a media timeout at 86-53 and 7:45 remaining in regulation.
Ball movement fueled the Cougars' next basket as Wright III kicked the ball out to Chandler, who then found Branch III for a three. Chandler found his rhythm, scoring three buckets in a row as the advantage increased to 99-55 from BYU's 11-0 run.
Nate Pickens and Petar Ostojic added threes to conclude the game, cementing BYU's 108-67 victory.
Up Next
No. 25 BYU hosts Queens on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. MST. Broadcast is available on ESPN+ or listen to live play-by-play with Greg Wrubell on BYUradio.