The scoreboard at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, told the story of a basketball team running on high-octane fuel Saturday night. The BYU Cougars, who have prowled into the top ten rankings, made quick work of UC Riverside with a lopsided scoreline of 100-53. AJ Dybantsa's performance resonated with authority, as he hooped his way to 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. His tour de force on the court has been generating buzz as he's become a talking point for the 2026 NBA Draft, shaping up to be a marquee pick.
It's not every day you see such a crushed spirit in a game, but BYU's triumph handily deflated UC Riverside's momentum, as reported by ABC4. The Cougars stripped the ball 18 times, leading to 20 points, and ran circles around the Highlanders with 29-6 fastbreak points, all while shooting a scorching 59% from the field. A revelation this season, Richie Saunders, who had recently come off a rough patch, ricocheted back, scoring 19 points to help BYU leap to its sixth consecutive win.
Coach Kevin Young's squad, embracing his ethos of playing with the pass, tallied up a notable 22 assists. Making a mark was freshman guard Alexsej Kostic, who found his rhythm and dialed from deep with five 3-pointers, contributing a career-high 15 points. As if trying to outdo each other, Khadim Mboup also clocked career highs with 12 points and 10 rebounds, strengthening the Cougars' inside game where they outscored the Highlanders 56-24, as per KVUE.
UC Riverside, attempting to paddle upstream in the encounter, found nominal success. Andrew Henderson shouldered the scoring load with 14 points, and BJ Kolly added 12 points – efforts that were a mere drop in the bucket against BYU's tidal wave. According to Field Level Media, Dybantsa, the man of the hour, expressed confidence post-game, "I’m confident in my abilities," Dybantsa said, "If they don’t want to talk, then they don’t want to talk. It is kind of better for me because I can just work in silence and do what I do." His actions on the court have been louder than words, as evidenced by his substantial role in the victory.
