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12/09 20:51 CST Wright hits winning 3 at buzzer and Dybantsa scores 28 as No.
10 BYU rallies past Clemson 67-64
Wright hits winning 3 at buzzer and Dybantsa scores 28 as No. 10 BYU rallies
past Clemson 67-64
By LARRY FLEISHER
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) --- Robert Wright III made a 3-pointer as time expired after AJ
Dybantsa scored 22 of his season-high 28 points in the second half, and No. 10
BYU stormed back from a 22-point deficit to beat Clemson 67-64 on Tuesday night
in the Jimmy V Classic.
The Cougars (8-1) lost a six-point lead in the final 70 seconds but completed
the comeback when Wright took an inbounds pass from Mihailo Boskovic and sank a
long 3 from the right side.
After trailing by 21 at halftime and 44-22 with 18 1/2 minutes remaining, BYU
pulled off the largest second-half comeback in school history.
Dybantsa surpassed his previous high of 25 in the Cougars' two-point loss to
UConn on Nov. 15 in Boston. The freshman sensation shot 9 for 17 and
highlighted the biggest night of his college career so far with a one-handed
dunk from the middle of the lane that put BYU up 62-56 with 1:10 left.
After his thunderous slam, Clemson rallied, and a layup by Dillon Hunter tied
it at 64 with 5 seconds remaining.
Wright added 17 points and Keba Keita contributed 10 on four dunks, including a
slam that led to an uneven rim and caused a nearly 20-minute delay with 11:40
left and BYU trailing by nine.
Jestin Porter paced Clemson (7-3) with 17 points but the Tigers were outscored
45-21 in the second half. RJ Godfrey added 13 and Efrem Johnson had 10 as
Clemson shot 36.2% overall, including 25.9% after halftime.
BYU shot 40.3% and overcame an off night from Richie Saunders, who was held to
five points. Saunders shot 2 for 11 and missed all seven 3-point tries.
Dybantsa was 2 for 6 in the first half, when the Cougars allowed a 21-0 run.
But the forward hit an array of difficult shots to fuel the comeback.
Porter sparked Clemson's big run, including a shot that rolled in as the shot
clock expired. That helped the Tigers take a 43-22 halftime lead after there
were eight ties in the opening 13 minutes.
Up next Clemson: Hosts Mercer on Saturday. BYU: Hosts UC Riverside on Saturday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball |
