BYU Drains Electric Buzzer Beater to Seal Comeback Win After 21-Point Halftime Hole

Robert Wright III called game.
AJ Dybantsa had an unbelievable night as BYU won on a buzzer beater from guard Robert Wright III
AJ Dybantsa had an unbelievable night as BYU won on a buzzer beater from guard Robert Wright III / Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images

No. 10 BYU survived a true scare against Clemson during the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden Tuesday evening. The Cougars started out sluggish as they went into halftime facing a whopping 21-point deficit.

Freshman star and top NBA draft prospect AJ Dybantsa came through, though, scoring 22 of his 28 points on the night in the second half. BYU claimed the lead with just over three minutes left in the game, but Clemson was able to tie things up with just five seconds left as the Cougars had a last-second chance to win in regulation.

With 1.3 seconds left on the clock, the Tigers defense eyed Dybantsa, which allowed sophomore guard Robert Wright III to run in from well beyond the three-point line. Mihailo Bošković cleanly inbounded the ball and although multiple Clemson defenders scrambled to get a solid contest on Wright’s shot, he called game.

Hopefully he called glass, too.

The electric moment gave off some March vibes while we’re only a week into December. Wright had 17 points on the night, second on BYU behind Dybantsa. Tuesday was the freshman star’s night, as he added nine rebounds and six assists alongside his 28 points. The thrilling win was the best game of his young collegiate career, although he dropped 25 points on UConn in a close loss on Nov. 15, BYU’s only blemish early in the season as the Cougars advance to 8–1.


More College Basketball on Sports Illustrated

dark. FREE NEWSLETTER. SI BTN Newsletter. Start off your day with SI:CYMI

feed


Published
Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.