AJ Dybantsa scored 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had three steals to lead No. 10 BYU to an 83-73 win over Kansas State in the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams on Saturday in Manhattan, Kan.
Robert Wright III added 18 points, Richie Saunders pitched in 13 points and Keba Keita had a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds for the Cougars (13-1, 1-0 Big 12), winners of 10 straight games.
PJ Haggerty led Kansas State (9-5, 0-1) with 24 points. Abdi Bashir Jr. scored 16 points, David Castillo chipped in 13 points off the bench and Khamari McGriff added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Wildcats, who had a four-game winning streak snapped.
In the early going, a Nate Johnson steal led to a Bashir Jr. 3-pointer. On the next BYU possession, a Mobi Ikegwuruka takeaway led to Haggerty’s transition layup as Kansas State led 9-5 at the first media timeout.
The Cougars had 19 turnovers, while the Wildcats only gave it away 12 times. Kansas State held a 17-7 edge in points off turnovers.
As BYU shook off the rust from a 12-day break, it went on a 9-0 run in which Dybantsa was a catalyst. He tallied the last six points of the rally with a three-point play and a trey from the wing as BYU took a 23-18 lead at the 11:55 mark.
The Wildcats went nearly seven minutes without a field goal as the Cougars built a 35-28 lead on a Mihailo Boskovic three. Saunders corner three put the Cougars up 43-33 with 1:02 remaining in the first half.
Because BYU came out of the locker room ice cold, the Cougars had just one field goal in over three minutes of second-half action and Kansas State was able to chip away at its deficit. Bashir’s jumper cut the Cougars’ lead to 47-41. But Wright III drilled a three and BYU led 50-41.
As Dybantsa was fouled on a jumper for a three-point play, BYU opened up a 70-58 advantage. Kansas State pulled within 78-71 on a McGriff layup with 2:21 remaining.
Moments later, Keita nailed a pair of free throws as BYU led 80-71. Wright followed with two free throws for more breathing room.
–Field Level Media
