PROVO, Utah (AP) — Robert Wright III scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half, rallying BYU to an 82-76 victory over No. 10 Texas Tech on Saturday night.
Wright made his first seven shots after halftime to help the Cougars (21-10, 9-9 Big 12) snap a three-game losing streak and beat a top-10 opponent at home for the second time this season.
AJ Dybantsa added 21 points, six rebounds and four assists for BYU. Kennard Davis Jr. chipped in 16 points. The Cougars, who outscored Texas Tech 48-14 in the paint and 20-9 in second-chance points, shot 50% from the field after halftime.
Donovan Atwell and Christian Anderson led the Red Raiders with 23 points apiece. Anderson added nine assists, and Jaylen Petty had 14 points. Texas Tech (22-9, 12-6) was handed its second consecutive loss.
Wright and Dybantsa combined to make five straight baskets that fueled a 15-2 run, giving BYU a 75-66 lead with 4:16 left.
Texas Tech erased that deficit, though, tying it on Anderson’s deep 3-pointer with 1:46 left. Davis banked in a corner 3 on the ensuing possession to put the Cougars ahead for good, and Wright made four free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
The Red Raiders went 12 of 19 from 3-point range in the first half.
Anderson made four 3s and assisted on four other baskets to help Texas Tech sprint out to a 31-18 lead.
BYU cut the deficit to 46-38 by halftime. The Cougars made five consecutive baskets over the final 3:25 of the half, culminating in Davis and Dybantsa combining for a trio of 3-pointers over three straight possessions.
Up next
Texas Tech is the No. 4 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and gets a double bye into the quarterfinals Thursday.
BYU is the No. 10 seed and faces 15th-seeded Kansas State in the first round Tuesday.
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