Salt Lake City — The No. 9-ranked Cougars rolled into Salt Lake City for the dreaded “trap game” Saturday night against Utah. The reeling Utes entered at 8-7, riding a three-game losing streak and still winless in Big 12 play.
But the Holy War, regardless of record or ranking, always seems to deliver, and it certainly did again in BYU’s gritty 89-84 win.
“(Expletive) BYU” chants rained down courtesy of the Utah student section before the opening tip. A less-than-ideal start for the Cougars only amplified the noise.
Utah opened the game on a 7-0 run, energizing a packed Huntsman Center that had been searching for life all season.
Deafening cheers followed a Terrence Brown and-one, immediately raising the question of whether BYU could match the intensity.
That said, the Cougars weathered the storm and settled in for the remainder of the first half.
Robert Wright III led the way early, scoring 15 points on an efficient 6 of 10 shooting from the field.
Utah made life difficult for AJ Dybantsa, who managed just five shot attempts in the half, but nine trips to the free-throw line and seven of them converted allowed him to score 11 points.
The rest of the offense was uneven. Richie Saunders was not his usual self early, shooting an uncharacteristic 3 of 9 from the field and 1 of 5 from three. Even so, BYU still put up 45 first-half points while shooting 47% from the field.
In what turned into a physical game, BYU matched Utah’s toughness, holding the Utes to 41% shooting in the half and just 29% from beyond the arc.
Still, a feisty, motivated Utah group managed 43 points, leaving BYU with a slim two-point lead at the break.
Through 15 games this season, BYU had been the best second-half team in the country, boasting nearly a 14-point scoring margin.
Once again, the Cougars showed why. BYU opened the second half on a 14-4 run over the first four minutes, pushing the lead to 12.
But Utah refused to go quietly.
A steady stretch from the Utes over the next 10 minutes, combined with four consecutive missed free throws in the waning moments from three different Cougars, allowed Utah to claw back within three at the under-four timeout.
In the end, though, BYU had just enough gas left in the tank.
Behind 17 second-half points from Richie Saunders and two clutch free throws in the final seconds, as well as a clutch forced turnover by Keba Keita, the Cougars secured the five-point win.
Notables:
After an underwhelming first half, Richie Saunders turned into an unstoppable force over the final 20 minutes of play.
As previously mentioned, he poured in 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds, four offensive, in the second half alone.
For the game, Saunders finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds, a career high.
RICHIE SAUNDERS vs Utah
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) January 11, 2026
24 PTS | 14 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL pic.twitter.com/95Q5XTDAYQ
This marked Saunders' first victory inside the Huntsman Center in three tries, and coach Kevin Young made it clear the win was for him and his upperclassmen.
After the game, coach Young said, “Richie’s will to win is like nothing I’ve ever been around. We wanted to get the win for him here in his senior year.”
As for the environment, it was easily the most hostile setting the Cougars will face all season.
Freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa felt it firsthand, saying postgame, “Boy, that was crazy. It was super hostile. Besides my high school days, it was probably the most hostile environment I’ve been in.”
“It was definitely a welcome to the Big 12 moment,” Dybantsa said.
Wins like these are physically taxing and even more so emotionally draining.
BYU now gets four days to recover before welcoming TCU to Provo on Wednesday. For now, this is a team that looks battle tested and ready to compete with just about anybody in the country.