BYU’s win streak comes to a frustrating end.
After a 13-game unbeaten run, the Cougars stumbled down the stretch to fall 84-71 Saturday at Texas Tech.
BYU is now 16-2 on the season and 4-1 in Big 12 play.
3 takeaways
The Cougars collapsed late. With 8:10 to play in the contest, BYU held a 61-52 advantage, but the Cougars would only score 13 more points in what ultimately became a 13-point loss.
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To quote Ron Burgundy: “Boy, that escalated quickly.”
Texas Tech ended the game on a 32-10 run, completely taking over and shutting down BYU.
It’s a long season, and while there’s no shame in losing on the road to a ranked foe, the way the Cougars lost after leading late will definitely sting for a while.
AJ Dybantsa had his first true dud. In addition to BYU’s winning streak ending Saturday, Dybantsa’s streak of 10 consecutive 20-point outings concluded against the Red Raiders.
Dybantsa posted a career-low 13 points, shooting 6 of 17 from the field, 0 for 3 from 3-point range and adding just three rebounds and a single assist against three turnovers.
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Prior to Saturday, Dybantsa was averaging 8.5 free throw attempts per game. Against Texas Tech, he made just one trip to the charity stripe — and that was in the game’s first three minutes.
BYU struggled to shoot and defend 3-pointers. Outside of three makes from Richie Saunders, the Cougars sank just two of their triples, shooting 22.7% from behind the arc in all.
Rob Wright III shot 1 of 5 from distance (though he did score a career-best 28 points), Kennard Davis Jr. was 0 for 6 and Dybantsa put up a goose egg as well.
Conversely, Texas Tech shot 38% from 3-point range, including a 46% clip after halftime.
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Preseason All-American JT Toppin, who had made just seven 3-pointers all season prior to Saturday, drained three such shots against the Cougars, while Christian Anderson hit four of his own.
To make matters worse, BYU fouled Texas Tech on 3-point attempts twice in the second half. If that doesn’t perfectly illustrate the Cougars’ perimeter struggles on Saturday, nothing will.
Luckily for Kevin Young’s crew, they’ll have a week off before their next action — at home against Utah — next Saturday.
