No. 8 BYU's 'Big 3' combines for 52 in 45-point win over Holy Cross

It's official: The Cougars' Big Three is legitimate.

In the first regular season home game at the Marriott Center on Saturday night, fans were treated to a dominant performance from the nationally revered trio of Richie Saunders, AJ Dybantsa and Rob Wright lll.

The three were without a doubt the best players on the court, and guided the No. 8 BYU Cougars to a 98-53 victory over Holy Cross.

Photo by BYU Photo

It was easy early for Saunders, the All-American hopeful, scoring a fast and efficient 10 points in the first six minutes of the game.

There's not many words to describe Saunders' performance other than "easy." Against a lower-level program like Holy Cross, Saunders outclassed the Crusaders, never looking like he had to work hard for his buckets.

He finished with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, four rebounds and four steals.

"That's just who Richie is," said BYU coach Kevin Young. "He's gonna be great for us this year and tonight was definitely what I expect him to play like."

Saturday night was also the first time that BYU fans got the chance to see the No. 1 high school recruit, Dybantsa, play in a regular season game at home.

He got by far the loudest ovation from the ROC, BYU's student section, when he was introduced in the starting lineup, and he made some highlight plays throughout the night. Four of his 17 points came off of emphatic two-handed jams that brought a roar throughout the Marriott Center.

On multiple drives, Dybantsa showcased his impressive ball-handling skills for a 6-foot-9 forward. At one point, he shook his defender for a step-back 3-pointer that he ultimately missed, but the sight of it was enough for BYU faithful to get excited.

When asked about his confidence level in Dybantsa's ball-handling skills, Young praised the freshman.

"I've had a lot of success in my career in not worrying about who's the 'point guard,' and just giving the most dynamic guy the ball in space to just do their thing," Young said. "[Dybantsa's ball-handling] was on full display at times tonight."

Dybantsa finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a highlight-worthy block.

"He's gifted man, he's really unique," said Young. "You don't find guys with his size and athleticism that can handle like he can."

The last member of BYU's Big Three, Wright, finished with impressive efficiency around the rim on Saturday, a far cry from the team's struggles to convert buckets on Tuesday night's win over Villanova.

Both Young and Wright said that finishing at the rim was a point of emphasis during the week's practice, and the stats show that.

Between Saunders, Dybantsa and Wright, the trio shot 21 of 30. That's a stat line that every coach would rave about.

Wright finished with 17 points, four rebounds and three assists.

"It's bigger than just us three," Wright said, dismissing any Big Three claims about the Cougars. "I think we have a full team."

BYU will host Delaware on Tuesday as the Cougars look to move to 3-0 on the fresh season.