NEW YORK CITY — The comeback Cougars pulled off their craziest stunt yet.
Brigham Young University, which trailed by 21 points at halftime, fought back again in the second half and beat Clemson 67-64 on a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Rob Wright III at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmie V Classic.
advertise
It was the largest second-half comeback in the history of the Cougars, who now sit at 8-1 on the season.
3 points
Rob Wright just became a legend at BYU. Get ready to watch Wright’s buzzer-beater be replayed thousands of times over the next few decades.
With 1.5 seconds left and the score tied at 64, Wright caught an inbounds pass from Mihajlo Boskovic and launched a leaping 3-pointer between two defenders that went perfectly into the net, igniting an outburst from the BYU fans in attendance.
BYU has had a lot of memorable moments so far in the 2025 campaign, but none as exciting or viral as this one.
advertise
Wright later told reporters it was his first game-winning 3-pointer in his life. What better place to accomplish such a feat than in the world’s most famous arena?
This is an extreme story made of two halves. BYU has been a second-half team all year, but it’s hard to remember an instance where the Cougars were so rotten before halftime and so dominant after halftime.
After 20 minutes of play, Clemson led 43-22 and went on a stunning 21-0 run at halftime.
BYU shot 28.1 percent in the first half, while the Tigers shot 45.2 percent.
But the Cougars won the second half by a 45-21 advantage and shot 53.3 percent in the final frame, limiting Clemson to 25.9 percent shooting.
advertise
BYU couldn’t match Clemson’s energy and physicality in the first half, but the Cougars turned things around and dominated in both categories to end the night.
AJ Dybantsa was ridiculous throughout. While Wright’s game-winning goal will grab all the headlines, don’t forget DiBanza’s second-half performance.
In the final 20 minutes alone, BYU’s freshman phenom scored 22 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists. By comparison, Clemson scored a total of 21 points in the second half.
Not only did DiBanza outscore the Tigers after halftime, but he scored or assisted on 34 of BYU’s final 45 points.