PROVO, Utah –
The Cougars closed the regular season with one of their biggest wins of the year.
BYU defeated No. 10 Texas Tech 82-76 on Saturday night at the Marriott Center, sending fans storming the court on senior night.
With the score tied at 75 with 1:30 remaining, Kennard “Moo” Davis Jr. delivered the biggest shot of his BYU career, knocking down a 3-pointer to give the Cougars the lead. BYU sealed the win at the free-throw line as Rob Wright converted four late free throws.
Wright led the Cougars with 27 points, shooting 9 of 17 from the field and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line. He added six rebounds and two assists.
The victory marked the third court storming in Marriott Center history, joining wins over San Diego State during the Jimmer Fredette era and a 2020 upset of No. 2 Gonzaga.
BYU honored seniors Richie Saunders, Keba Keita, Jared McGregor and Mihailo Boskovic before the game.
Texas Tech caught fire from beyond the arc in the first half. The Red Raiders attempted 19 3-pointers and made 12.
Christian Anderson and Donavan Atwell combined to hit nine of those shots, shooting 9 of 13 from 3-point range in the opening half.
BYU made key defensive adjustments after halftime. Keita switched onto Anderson in pick-and-roll coverage, while Khadim Mboup applied full-court pressure.
The adjustments slowed Anderson significantly. After his strong first half, he finished with eight points on 3-of-8 shooting and 1-of-4 from 3-point range.
The Cougars also controlled the offensive glass, finishing with 20 offensive rebounds and a plus-nine advantage overall. Keita and Mboup combined for eight of those boards.
Texas Tech entered the game 20-2 when leading at halftime, but BYU erased the deficit and held on late.
The Cougars have also been nearly automatic when protecting late leads under coach Kevin Young.
BYU improved to 45-0 over the past two seasons when leading with five minutes remaining in regulation and has won 72 consecutive games when ahead at that mark.
With the win, BYU strengthened its NCAA tournament résumé. In ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s latest projection, the Cougars sit as a No. 7 seed after earning their seventh Quad 1 victory of the season.
BYU will travel to Kansas City next week for the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament, opening play against Kansas State on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CST on ESPN+.
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