BYU Collapses Down the Stretch in Road Loss to No. 15 Texas Tech

Jan 17, 2026; Lubbock, Texas, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) works the ball against Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Donovan Atwell (12) in the first half at United Supermarkets Arena. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

On Saturday night, no. 11 BYU basketball came up short on the road at no. 15 Texas Tech. BYU and Texas Tech went back and forth all night. In the middle of the second half, BYU went on a 16-2 run to take a 61-52 lead with nine minutes remaining.

The run was fueled by Richie Saunders and Rob Wright. Tech had no answer for Wright's speed off the dribble, and Saunders knocked down a pair of threes during the run.

It felt like BYU was about to pull away and take control of the game. Then, Tech responded with a run of their own and turned the game on its head.

Tech went on a 20-4 run to take a 7-point lead and never looked back. At one point, Tech's run was a 30-6 run. It went from a closely contested basketball game to a blowout in a matter of minutes.

The headline of this game was the performance of BYU true freshman superstar AJ Dybantsa. Dybantsa did not look like himself, and for the first time this season, looked like a freshman. Dybantsa scored 13 points on 6/16 from the field. The number that stands out the most is his +/-. Dybantsa was -28 in 31 minutes played, the worst on BYU's roster.

After a typical first half in which he scored 11 points, Dybantsa scored just 2 points on 1/6 shooting.

Dybantsa was under the weather during the week and perhaps it impacted his performance in Lubbock. When Dybantsa was not on the floor, BYU outscored Texas Tech by 15.

BYU point guard Robert Wright III was excellent against Texas Tech, scoring a career high 28 points. Tech had no answer for Wright's ability to get to the rim.

Richie Saunders finished with 18 points on 7/15 from the field. Saunders was the only BYU player that could consistently make a three-point shot. Saunders made three of BYU's five threes in this game.

One bright spot for BYU was reserve big man Abdullah Ahmed. BYU was +16 in the 16 minutes that Ahmed played. Against a team like Texas Tech and star big man JT Toppin, Ahmed did an admirable job slowing down Toppin down low. Ahmed would have played more if not for fouling out in th second half.

BYU will get a week off before hosting Utah in the Marriott Center next Saturday. The bye week comes at a good time given illness that's been going around the team.