Categories: Utah News

Dybantsa scores 21 in BYU debut in victory over Villanova

LAS VEGAS (ABC4 Sports) – To tip off the most anticipated season in BYU basketball history, led by the highest rated recruit in the nation, neither freshman AJ Dybantsa nor the Cougars disappoint Monday night.

Dybantsa had 21 points and six rebounds and eighth-ranked BYU defeated Villanova 71-66 Monday night in the Hall of Fame Series and season-opener for both teams.

Dybantsa shot 9 for 18 from the floor in his collegiate debut. Richie Saunders added 15 points and seven rebounds and Baylor transfer Robert Wright III scored 14 points for the Cougars in his BYU debut.

“It just feels great,” Dybantsa said. “We’ve been going in the off-season so long. We’ve been playing against each other, and we’re tired of playing against each other. So we finally wanted to take it out on somebody else and hopefully we just try to get a win. And that’s what we did.”

Saunders extended his streak of made free throws to 29. That run dates to last season and is tied for second-longest in program history.

The victory extended BYU’s regular-season win streak to nine games, its longest since 2019-20.

Keba Keita did a little bit of everything, scoring eight points, pulling down seven rebounds and blocking three shots.

The Wildcats, who endured a rash of injuries leading up to the start of the season, were led by Bryce Lindsay’s 22 points. Christian Jeffrey added 11 points and Duke Brennan finished with eight points and 15 rebounds.

BYU did a good job of taking care of the ball, finishing with just four turnovers. Meanwhile, the Wildcats committed 11 turnovers, which led to 17 points for the Cougars.

Both teams struggled in the first half. The Cougars shot 36% (14 of 34) from the field, while Villanova was worse, hitting 12 of 35 (26%).

BYU used a 23-13 run during an 11-minute span to open a 12-point lead with 4:25 left in the first half. The Cougars went into the locker room with a 42-32 halftime lead.

The Cougars will next play its home opener Saturday against Holy Cross at 7:00 p.m.

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