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PROVO, Utah — AJ Dybantsa scored 43 points to break BYU‘s freshman scoring record, leading the No. 13 Cougars to a 91-78 victory over Utah on Saturday.
He went 15-for-24 from the floor and 9-for-10 from the free throw line for his first 40-point game. Dybantsa, who passed Danny Ainge‘s record for points in a game by a BYU freshman, added six rebounds, three assists and blocked a shot.
“It feels good to break any record — if it was Danny’s or not,” Dybantsa said. “I just thank my teammates for just giving me the ball in the right spots. God was on my side. I was hitting shots.”
He also added to a memorable day for some of the nation’s top first-year players. Dybantsa became the third player on an Associated Press-ranked team to eclipse 40 points Saturday. According to ESPN Research, it was just the third time that has happened on a single day, joining Feb. 10, 1990, and Feb. 23, 1970.
“He is a generational talent, and he showed what he’s capable of tonight,” Utah coach Alex Jensen said of Dybantsa. “There’s no telling how good he can get.”
Robert Wright III finished with 21 points, and Richie Saunders added 12 to help the Cougars (17-2, 5-1 Big 12) bounce back from an 84-71 loss to Texas Tech a week earlier. BYU shot 60% in the second half to pull away in its final test before facing No. 1 Arizona on Monday.
Keanu Dawes led Utah with 23 points and six rebounds. Terrence Brown chipped in 22 points and Don McHenry added 16 for the Utes (9-11, 1-6), who shot 62% from 3-point range.
Dybantsa drove for a layup to cap a 14-3 run that gave BYU a 69-56 lead with 9:56 left. Saunders fueled the run with back-to-back layups and a pair of free throws over three straight possessions.
Dybantsa scored four baskets over five possessions — a dunk and three 3-pointers — to extend the Cougars’ advantage to 87-68 with 3:12 left.
McHenry had four baskets to spark a 16-7 spurt that put Utah up 28-26 with 6:56 left in the first half. The Utes made seven straight baskets to erase a seven-point deficit after starting 0-for-7 from the field.
BYU scored on four of its final six possessions to take a 42-37 halftime lead. Dybantsa started and ended the run with baskets.
“He’s hands down the clear-cut No. 1 pick in the NBA draft upcoming, and it was on display tonight,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “He was doing it every which way.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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