AJ Dybantsa scored 22 points, collected five rebounds and dished out five assists to lead No. 9 BYU to a 91-60 victory over California Baptist in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night.
The Cougars (7-1) won their fourth straight neutral-site contest after shooting 55% from the field and forcing 14 turnovers. They limited Cal Baptist to 33% shooting and forced numerous prolonged shooting droughts.
Keba Keita tallied 22 points and 14 rebounds for BYU. Rob Wright added 15 points and dished out 11 assists — one more than the Lancers had as a team. Richie Saunders tallied 12 points, while Kennard Davis Jr. chipped in 11.
Martel Williams led Cal Baptist with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists. The Lancers (7-2) lost to a Big 12 team for the second time in three days and will face a third opponent from the league, Utah, on Saturday.
Back-to-back baskets from Keita and Dybantsa ignited a 10-0 run that gave BYU a 14-5 lead. The duo powered the Cougars’ offense throughout the first half. Dybantsa and Keita combined for 13 baskets and 28 points before halftime.
The Lancers trimmed the deficit to 21-16 on a 3-pointer from Jordan Mueller, but they could draw no closer before BYU pushed the lead back to double digits. Wright assisted two baskets and buried a 3-pointer to fuel a 15-2 run that put BYU up 36-18 late in the first half. Dybantsa chipped in a pair of baskets during the run, and Davis capped it with a 3-pointer.
Cal Baptist missed six of seven shots and committed four turnovers over a six-minute stretch, allowing the Cougars to pull away.
BYU dug a bigger hole for the Lancers after halftime. The Cougars made 10 straight baskets, punctuated by back-to-back baskets from Dybantsa, to extend their lead to 70-39 with 11:57 left.
–Field Level Media
