No. 5 Houston rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat BYU 73-66 in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals in Kansas City. The Cougars advance to the semifinals, while BYU ends its tournament run at 23-11 overall (11-10 Big 12), showing promise for the NCAA tournament.
In the Thursday night quarterfinal at the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, Missouri, No. 5 Houston improved to 27-5 by holding off a gritty BYU squad playing its third game in three days. BYU entered with momentum, having scored a tournament-record 105 points in the first round and held West Virginia to 48 in the second, but fatigue showed.
Houston jumped to an early nine-point lead in the first half, but BYU responded with a 10-2 run, taking the lead on a free throw by Kennard Davis Jr., followed by threes from Aleksej Kostic and a dunk by Dominique Diomande. The Cougars led 41-37 at halftime, powered by 28 points from AJ Dybantsa and Rob Wright III.
The second half was tougher for both. Houston dealt with foul trouble—Kingston Fleming (17 points) picked up his third foul early and fourth late, Emanuel Sharp (13 points) his third mid-half—yet pulled ahead. BYU shot 9-of-28 (32%) after break, committed nine turnovers, and was outscored 36-25. Dybantsa (26 points, all 40 minutes) and Wright III (15 points) combined for just 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting post-halftime; Davis went 0-for-5. BYU's 18 turnovers fueled 19 Houston points, and they lost the rebound battle 37-30.
Defensively, BYU shone, holding Houston to 1.09 points per possession, forcing 16 turnovers, under 45% FG, and <30% from three. Dominique Diomande had three steals (third straight game), Keba Keita 13 rebounds (seven offensive) and two blocks, Dybantsa and Davis five stops each. Houston got 12 from Joseph Tugler and 10 from Chris Cenac Jr.
Dybantsa broke Kevin Durant's 2007 Big 12 tournament scoring record (92 points) with a final three-pointer. BYU coach Kevin Young saw growth in the three-game stretch, even without Richie Saunders; they're projected as a No. 6 NCAA seed, resting until Selection Sunday. Houston faces TCU or No. 14 Kansas in Friday's semifinals. BYU tweeted: 'Hard-fought battle. While our Big 12 Tournament run comes to an end, there’s more basketball to play this season.'
