BYU Holds Off No. 10 Texas Tech on Senior Night, Snaps Losing Streak

The Cougars beat the Red Raiders for the first time since joining the Big 12

Mar 7, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) controls the ball during the first half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

For the first time since joining the Big 12, BYU basketball took down no. 10 Texas Tech on Saturday night. The Cougars used a dominant second half, led by Rob Wright III and AJ Dybantsa, to take down the Red Raiders 82-76.

The story of the first half was a spectacular shooting performance from Texas Tech. The Red Raiders scored 46 points on 12/19 from the three-point line. Only 10 of Tech's points came from inside the three-point line in the first half. BYU's defense gave up some open threes in the early going, then everything started going in, even the difficult, contested threes.

Perhaps what saved the game for BYU was some excellent shot-making from Kennard Davis and AJ Dybantsa to close out the first half. In the final 3:45 of the first half, Texas Tech made five threes in five possessions. A pair of threes from Kennard Davis and a three from AJ Dybantsa before the half allowed BYU to stay within striking distance. The Cougars trailed by just 8 at half despite Tech's shooting.

In the second half, BYU started switching every ball screen. Credit to BYU big men Keba Keita and Khadim Mboup who played excellent on-ball defense against very talented guards. Without their defense, BYU would not have been able to switch every screen. Tech cooled down from three, shooting just 4/16 from three.

On the offensive end, it was the AJ Dybantsa and Rob Wright show in the second half. Dybantsa and Wright combined to score 34 of BYU's 44 points. Wright scored 23 points in the second half alone. He used his physicality to bully Tech's guards on his way to the paint - the Red Raiders had no answer.

Rob Wright III finished with 27 points on 9/17 from the field. He was a perfect 9/9 from the free throw line and his free throw shooting put the game on ice in the closing minutes. Wright III also had 6 rebounds and 2 assists.

AJ Dybantsa was not as efficient as he has been in earlier games this season, but he was still effective in key moments. He finished with 21 points on 8/25 from the field. He added 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

Kennard Davis Jr played a major role in this game as well. Davis started off ice cold from three. He was getting wide open looks, but he was 0/5 from three. Davis started impacting the game in different ways. He dished out a few assists when shots weren't falling, played excellent defense, and he added a steal.

Then, the shots started to fall and that's when BYU's offense caught fire. He made 4 of his last 5 threes including a clutch three in the closing minutes. The game was tied at 75 when Davis hit a three with 1:34 remaining.

CLUTCH.

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/Bk7XW54ZeH

— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) March 8, 2026

Keba Keita played for his final time in the Marriott Center. He had 9 points on 4/5 from the field and he grabbed 11 rebounds. Keita's on-ball defense was key to slowing down Tech's offense.