BYU played its first true road game of the regular season and largely took control of the game with an 83-73 victory over Kansas State.
BYU’s defense held up the Cougars in a game that required a lot of ball-handling and scoring. Kansas State shot 40 percent from 3-point range in the game (ranked 9th nationally), while BYU tied the Wildcats at 3-21 from distance. BYU’s shooters stayed at home, with Keba Keita and Abdullah Ahmed providing five-block protection on the back end. Keba Keita had 8 offensive rebounds and 8 defensive rebounds, and BYU won the rebounding battle 47-35.
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AJ Dybantsa scored 24 points for BYU, Rob Wright scored 18 points, Richie scored 13 points, Keba scored 11 points, and Mihailo Boskovic came off the bench to score 9 points and hit 2 three-pointers. BYU committed 19 turnovers, including seven by DiBanza, but solid defense and a 38 percent 3-point shooting allowed BYU to stay within striking distance of Kansas State throughout the second half.
This is BYU’s fourth four-game winning streak of the season and its first true Q1 road win as it continues to build its resume. BYU is well ahead of last season – last year BYU didn’t get its first win of Q1 until January 28th and got its fourth win on February 28th. With the win, BYU is off to a promising 4-0 start in the Big 12.
BYU next faces Arizona State on Wednesday night and Utah next Saturday.