TEMPE, Ariz. – After the drama in Tucson last Saturday, BYU controlled the game against Arizona State, beating the Sun Devils 91-81 and winning its fifth straight.
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— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) February 27, 2025
The Cougars also picked up their third straight quad one win, solidifying their seeding with March Madness looming.
“Hard fought game,” said coach Kevin Young. “We knew it would be, a team that is super undermanned has guys come in who have just been waiting and they’re ready to play. Our guys were able to make plays down the stretch even with the poor shooting from the free throw line, but I thought our 3-point shooting was outstanding. We had 21 assists on the night, that’s how we like to play. Glad we could come out with a win.”
The Cougars shot a low percentage from the free throw line, hitting just 6 of 15 at a 40% clip. The three-pointers helped counter that as they hit 17 of 34 to set a new season-high in 3-pointers made.
BYU was led by reigning National Player of the Week Richie Saunders, who had the Sun Devils' number this year. He scored 30 in their first meeting and had another high-scoring night, totaling 26 behind a three-point barrage.
Saunders hit six threes, his fourth on the night was his 63rd on the season. This surpassed his totals for the last two seasons combined. He has now scored 20+ in three straight and as mentioned was recognized this as the National Player of the Week on Sunday.
“I got great point guards that know how to find me in my spots,” said Saunders. “I hit some shots, those things are cool and I’m very grateful but that’s really a team award. D-Hall (Dallin Hall) and I have played together a long time and that award should be going to my point guards.”
The Cougars had 21 assists, led by Egor Demin with 10. Despite struggles from the field and only two points on the night, he set a new Big 12 high with his double-digit assists and snagged four boards as well. He moved to second on the all-time freshman assists, hitting 144 and passing Randy Reid at 141.
The Cougars tied their longest winning streak of the season and hit a new all-time high in Big 12 play at five straight. They also hit 90+ in their third straight game starting in Provo against the Jayhawks and continuing through their two-game Arizona road trip.
“We have a really unselfish group,” said Young. “Our guys play for each other, whether that’s making the extra pass or sprinting to the corner to space teams out, that has been something we have gotten a lot better at. I think we are starting to see the fruits of our labors.”
Coming off a very hostile environment in Tucson, the stadium in Tempe was filled with BYU fans and pro-Cougar chants were heard throughout the night. Fousseyni Traore was able to pour in 10 points with "Fouss" chants following every one. The Cougars gave their fans what they came to see as they led for more than 30 minutes of the game. With a whole lot of royal blue in the stadium to cheer them on in the win.
“I know there’s a lot of BYU blue in the valley,” said Young. “I was expecting to see some but it surpassed my expectations, I had a moment as I was walking off the court looking up seeing what felt like half the arena in blue.”
The fans got to see Saunders and Trevin Knell start the game on fire. They combined for 11 of BYU’s 17 three-pointers and had nine of those in the first half. They led the team with 27 of the 47 first-half points, 15 from Saunders and 12 from Knell,, all from three. This helped the Cougars secure a 10-point lead at the half.
Despite being in the lead, BYU couldn’t put it out of reach. It led by as much as 19 in the second, but ASU was able to close it to single digits with just five minutes left. In response, Hall hit a pull up three from the wing, followed on the next possession by another corner three this time from Saunders. The two shots pushed BYU’s lead to 13 and ended what was the Sun Devils last real run and the closest they would come.
“We have had the fortune of playing in a lot of great environments and being in those situations before,” said Hall. “Just trusting the work and the guy next to us and looking for those opportunities. Shooting with confidence and living with the result is our mentality.”
The Cougars move to 20-8 on the season and 11-6 in Big 12 play going 10-2 in their last 12. BYU heads back home for their second matchup with West Virginia and third to last game. They’ll follow this with a road game against No. 9 Iowa State and finish their season at home against rival Utah.