BYU went into halftime down 21 points and erased a 22-point second half deficit to beat Clemson 67-64 Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden. Rob Wright hit a catch-and-shoot three buzzer beating three on an inbounds play with 1.3 seconds left to seal the win. The 22-point comeback is the largest second half comeback in program history.
BYU and Clemson were tied at 22 with 7 minutes to go in the first half, and the Tigers ended the half on a 21-0 run with intensity that was noticeably greater than BYU. BYU opened the second half with two turnovers, but AJ Dybantsa took over and put together the best half we might see in college basketball this year. After scoring just 6 points in the first half, AJ finished with a career high 28 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 6 assists. AJ was 9-10 from the foul line and was aggressive in getting to the rim and finishing in the paint or on pull up jumpers. In the final minutes, BYU put him in PNR situations with Keba Keita and he hit Keba for three lob dunks to put BYU ahead.
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Rob Wright supported AJ with 17 points and the game winner while Keba Keita finished with 10 points and 3 big blocks. Richie Saunders had his worst game of the season with 5 points and 0-7 from three, but BYU’s defense and AJ carried BYU in Richie’s off night.
AJ put together tape in the second half that may make him the #1 pick over Darryn Peterson and Cam Boozer. AJ not only scored in a multitude of ways, but his defense and decision making in the PNR made that one of the most impressive halves in program history.
That win gives BYU another quality win over a Clemson team that is safely a Quad 1 win and should remain that way. BYU now heads home for four games before Big 12 play begins at the start of the calendar year.
