KISSIMMEE, Fla. — It’s become something of a recurring theme for BYU so far in the young season.
The Cougars looked disappointing to start the night, entering halftime a few points behind. They then opened the second half with a heat, regaining the advantage and securing a victory.
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That was the case Friday night, as No. 9-ranked BYU rallied at halftime and withstood late drama to defeat Dayton 83-79 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Florida, winning the ESPN Events Invitational championship.
After Dayton entered the intermission with a 4-point advantage and scored 3 points immediately after halftime, the Cougars then orchestrated a 15-0 run to begin a 26-4 run.
It was the second such development in as many days for BYU, which fell behind Miami 33-29 on Thursday before a 30-12 second-half score changed everything in an eventual 72-62 victory.
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But Dayton put up a much more intense fight than the Hurricanes.
BYU’s 26-4 run was followed by a 17-9 Flyers run to complicate matters in the final minutes, but Rob Wright III, AJ Dybantsa and Richie Saunders all delivered buckets of clutch crunch time to stave off a Dayton comeback.
“They trusted us, honestly, early in the game,” head coach Kevin Young told reporters after the win. “And so I thought we were on our heels a little bit, but ultimately we weren’t smart. I thought Rob’s decision-making in the second half was much better, as was AJ’s.
“We wanted to play fast, but I thought they were speeding us up. And so I thought our decision-making (helped), and then obviously we changed our defensive coverages (in the second half). That, I think, really put (Dayton) in the mud a little bit, and that’s how we were able to get that gap and then withstand the run at the end.”
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With the score tied at 67 points apiece and with less than four minutes remaining, Wright scored a 3-pointer to give the Cougars the lead. Dayton responded with a triple for another tie, but Saunders connected on two shots from behind the arc and made three free throws, while Dybantsa added two tough passes to finish the job.
“At that point, it was just willpower,” Young said. “You know, I thought Rob’s decision-making (was good), and I mean, Richie’s will to win is second to none in the country. This guy is just an absolute, ‘just find a way’ guy. I love that about him. I thought AJ was poised all the way, he had big buckets at the position.
“…But I just thought it was (Wright’s) decision-making, (Saunders’) will to win and AJ’s composure.”
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The talented trio of Saunders, Dybantsa and Wright combined for 70 of BYU’s 83 points, continuing another early season trend of the “Brig 3” leading the Cougar charge each night.
Saunders scored a career-high 29 points, grabbing eight rebounds with three steals and six 3-pointers.
During Saunders’ first year at BYU in 2022, he was part of another thrilling Cougars win over Dayton — and in another Thanksgiving tournament, ironically — where BYU rallied from a 23-point deficit to win 79-75.
Fast forward to the present, and not only did he play a major role in another 4-point BYU Thanksgiving week triumph over Dayton, but Saunders was named the ESPN Events Invitational’s Most Valuable Player, averaging 18.5 points, six rebounds and four assists over the two games at Disney.
“It seems like a lifetime ago, honestly,” Saunders said of the 2022 win over Dayton. “But I mean, I’m really, really happy that we released a dub (Friday). In the end, that’s where my mind is, where my heart is.”
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Wright scored 23 points with six assists, and Dybantsa scored 18 with four rebounds and three assists.
Keba Keita and Kennard Davis Jr. added eight and five points each, respectively.
Overall, BYU shot 51.8% from the field and made 10 of 22 (45.5%) from 3-point range. In the second half alone, the Cougars made 65.6% of their field goals and 63.6% of their triples.
So, is it safe to call BYU a team in the second half?
“I mean, it’s true,” Young said of such a notion. “We put up 53 points against (Dayton), and they’re a very tough team to play against. I told coach (Anthony) Grant after the game. They mix up their defenses, they’re aggressive, and so they’re a tough team to play against.
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“But I thought our guys adjusted. I just told him in the locker room that we need to find some of that juju before halftime. It’s a good lesson for our guys.”
While BYU’s starting five shined, its bench was almost nowhere to be found.
Although Khadim Mboup grabbed six rebounds on the defensive glass, the Cougars didn’t get a single point from their reserves, which should be a little scary considering BYU could be without its top weapon, the recently injured Dawson Baker, for an extended period of time, perhaps the rest of the season.
After suffering a lower body injury Thursday against Miami, Baker was seen in a wheelchair during Friday’s game.
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“I hope it’s a one-time thing. I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t worry me,” Young said of the lack of bench production. “I mean, Dawson has been great for us, but the guys are going to step it up. On the perimeter, I have a lot of confidence in Tyler (Mrus), Dom (Diomande) and even (Aleksej Kostic). You know, we started (Kostic) out there, and those guys will tell you, he doesn’t miss a shot in practice. So I have a lot of confidence in him.”
With the win, BYU is now 6-1 in its non-conference challenge, having already beaten Power teams in Villanova, Wisconsin and Miami, narrowly losing to national title contender UConn and now beating Dayton – another potential NCAA Tournament team.
“I think the theme for us early on was just how many tough games and tough opponents we played,” Young said. “You know, (Dayton) is clearly going to be a tournament team, right? And so to be able to play against those type of teams early in the season, I just told our group that that’s one thing that we can count on as the season goes on. We have a lot of reference points that we can fall back on when we’re in tougher games, both in conference and in the playoffs.”
BYU players and staff react during the trophy presentation after their victory over Dayton in an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Kissimmee, Fla. | Phelan M. Ebenhack
