Saunders has 24 points and 14 rebounds to lead No. 9 BYU past rival Utah 89-84
AP
Jan 11, 2026
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Richie Saunders scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half and No. 9 BYU Cougars outlasted Utah Utes 89-84 on Saturday night.
Robert Wright III had 23 points and AJ Dybantsa added 20 for BYU. Saunders tied his career high with 14 rebounds as the Cougars (15-1, 3-0 Big 12) won their 12th straight game.
Terence Brown scored 25 points for Utah but turned the ball over in the corner with 8.9 seconds left when his team had a chance to tie. Saunders was fouled and clinched the game with two free throws.
Don McHenry had 21 points for the Utes (8-8, 0-3), who have lost three in a row but never let BYU relax in this rivalry game.
After the Utes drew to 81-80, Wright scored four points and assisted on Keba Keita's layup - but missed a shot that left it a one-possession game.
The Cougars went on a 12-2 run to start the second half. Saunders had six points during the surge and his reverse layup made it 57-45 with 15:43 to play.
Keanu Dawes’ thunderous dunk gave Utah a 24-20 lead with 9:29 left in the first half. BYU responded with a 9-0 spurt, punctuated by Wright's 3-pointer, and finished the period ahead 45-43.
The schools are separated by 45 miles and there were almost as many Cougars fans as Utes supporters in the sellout crowd. At halftime, new Utah football coach Morgan Scalley introduced his staff through chants from BYU fans and then said, “This is the best rivalry in the nation” to which all fans could cheer.
The Cougars are 9-0 when Saunders scores 20 or more.
Dybantsa has nine straight 20-point games, second-most for a Big 12 freshman behind former Oklahoma guard Trae Young.
BYU hosts TCU on Wednesday.
Utah visits No. 14 Texas Tech on Wednesday.
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This story has been corrected to remove a reference to BYU's winning streak tying the program record.
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1st Half
BYU
Cougars
45
UTAH
Utes
43
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Keba Keita vs. James Okonkwo (Runnin' Utes gains possession)
19:44
+2
Terrence Brown makes two point jump shot
0-2
19:32
AJ Dybantsa turnover (bad pass) (James Okonkwo steals)
19:24
Don McHenry misses three point jump shot
19:22
Richie Saunders defensive rebound
19:17
Keba Keita misses two point dunk
19:15
Keanu Dawes defensive rebound
19:08
+2
James Okonkwo makes two point dunk (Terrence Brown assists)
0-4
18:57
Kennard Davis Jr. misses three point jump shot
18:55
Keanu Dawes defensive rebound
18:35
Terrence Brown misses two point jump shot
18:33
James Okonkwo offensive rebound
18:32
+2
Terrence Brown makes two point layup (James Okonkwo assists)
0-6
18:32
Keba Keita shooting foul (Terrence Brown draws the foul)
18:32
+1
Terrence Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 1
0-7
18:16
+3
Robert Wright III makes three point jump shot (AJ Dybantsa assists)
3-7
17:55
Kennard Davis Jr. shooting foul (Terrence Brown draws the foul)
17:55
+1
Terrence Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 2
3-8
17:55
+1
Terrence Brown makes regular free throw 2 of 2
3-9
17:20
Kennard Davis Jr. misses three point jump shot
17:18
Keanu Dawes defensive rebound
17:14
Terrence Brown misses two point jump shot
17:12
Keba Keita defensive rebound
17:07
Robert Wright III misses three point jump shot
17:05
Richie Saunders offensive rebound
16:59
+2
Keba Keita makes two point layup (AJ Dybantsa assists)
5-9
16:59
Don McHenry personal foul (Keba Keita draws the foul)
16:59
+1
Keba Keita makes regular free throw 1 of 1
6-9
16:52
Don McHenry misses three point jump shot
16:50
Richie Saunders defensive rebound
16:45
+2
Robert Wright III makes two point jump shot
8-9
16:40
AJ Dybantsa blocks Don McHenry's two point layup
16:38
Richie Saunders defensive rebound
16:14
+2
Richie Saunders makes two point layup
10-9
15:49
Don McHenry misses two point layup
15:47
AJ Dybantsa defensive rebound
15:40
AJ Dybantsa misses three point jump shot
15:38
Don McHenry defensive rebound
15:27
Terrence Brown misses two point jump shot
15:25
Keba Keita defensive rebound
15:14
Richie Saunders misses three point jump shot
15:12
James Okonkwo defensive rebound
14:54
+2
Terrence Brown makes two point layup (Don McHenry assists)
10-11
14:41
Kendyl Sanders personal foul
14:41
TV timeout
14:31
+2
Richie Saunders makes two point layup (Robert Wright III assists)
12-11
14:11
Kendyl Sanders misses three point jump shot
14:09
Abdullah Ahmed defensive rebound
14:04
Richie Saunders turnover (lost ball)
13:42
Abdullah Ahmed blocks Terrence Brown's two point layup
13:40
Abdullah Ahmed defensive rebound
13:35
Lucas Langarita personal foul
13:28
Kendyl Sanders shooting foul (AJ Dybantsa draws the foul)
13:28
AJ Dybantsa misses regular free throw 1 of 2
13:28
+1
AJ Dybantsa makes regular free throw 2 of 2
13-11
13:28
Runnin' Utes turnover (5-second violation)
13:24
Keanu Dawes personal foul
13:12
Mihailo Boskovic turnover (bad pass)
13:04
+3
Lucas Langarita makes three point jump shot (Obomate Abbey assists)
13-14
12:53
+2
Mihailo Boskovic makes two point layup (Richie Saunders assists)
15-14
12:28
Keanu Dawes misses three point jump shot
12:26
Richie Saunders defensive rebound
12:18
Richie Saunders misses three point jump shot
12:16
Abdullah Ahmed offensive rebound
12:16
Josh Hayes personal foul
12:09
Terrence Brown personal foul (Robert Wright III draws the foul)
12:09
+1
Robert Wright III makes regular free throw 1 of 2
16-14
12:09
Robert Wright III misses regular free throw 2 of 2
12:09
Abdullah Ahmed turnover (lane violation)
11:52
Abdullah Ahmed shooting foul (Keanu Dawes draws the foul)
11:52
TV timeout
11:52
Keanu Dawes misses regular free throw 1 of 2
11:52
+1
Keanu Dawes makes regular free throw 2 of 2
16-15
11:37
Richie Saunders misses two point layup
11:35
Terrence Brown defensive rebound
11:28
+2
Seydou Traore makes two point layup
16-17
11:24
Richie Saunders misses three point jump shot
11:22
James Okonkwo defensive rebound
11:22
Keba Keita personal foul
11:09
Keanu Dawes misses two point layup
11:07
James Okonkwo offensive rebound
10:58
+2
Seydou Traore makes two point jump shot
16-19
10:46
+2
Robert Wright III makes two point jump shot
18-19
10:30
Robert Wright III shooting foul (Don McHenry draws the foul)
10:30
+1
Don McHenry makes regular free throw 1 of 3
18-20
10:30
+1
Don McHenry makes regular free throw 2 of 3
18-21
10:30
+1
Don McHenry makes regular free throw 3 of 3
18-22
10:16
+2
Robert Wright III makes two point layup
20-22
10:00
Abdullah Ahmed blocks Terrence Brown's two point layup