Alex Jensen shares painful reality about Utah's loss to BYU

Utah drops season series to in-state rival following big game from AJ Dybantsa

Utah Runnin' Utes head coach Alex Jensen reacts during the first half against the BYU Cougars at Marriott Center. | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

For the second time this season, Utah came out of the gate ready to give BYU everything it had to offer.

And, once again, the Cougars leaned on their big three of AJ Dybantsa, Rob Wright III and Richie Saunders to get the job done against their in-state rival.

On a day that featured no shortage of outstanding play from freshmen hoopers, Dybantsa made sure the country didn't forget about him and his reputation as one of the best players in college basketball. The former five-star recruit went nuclear against the Runnin' Utes, finishing with a career-high 43 points on 15-of-24 shooting from the field in a 91-78 win for BYU on Saturday.

Utah was neck-and-neck with BYU for the first 30 minutes of regulation, even coming within two after Terrence Brown knocked down one of his team's 13 3-pointers to make it 55-53 with just over 15 minutes left in regulation. But it didn't take long for the wheels to fall off the wagon for Alex Jensen's group, as the Cougars used a 14-3 scoring run over the next 5 minutes to go ahead by 13 with under 10 minutes to play.

Just like that, the Runnin' Utes found themselves trailing by 21 following an 11-3 spurt from the Cougars.

"It was the first time this year I thought our guys quit at the end," Jensen said after the game. "They felt defeated, which is kind of disheartening because I think we've always done a good job fighting and playing. It was the first time I think where they kind of — for whatever reason — kind of quit tonight."

The toughness and dignity Utah had displayed in the first meeting between the bitter rivals was no where to be found down the stretch of regulation on Saturday.

In addition to going ice cold from the field during a crucial point in the second half, Utah allowed 14 offensive rebounds and 19 second-chance points to BYU, which shot 53.3% from the field and won the battle on the glass, 40-24. In the second half alone, the Cougars scored 49 points while going 18-of-30 (60%) from the field.

Utah was able to keep up for a while on the offensive end, though its effort defensively was another story. It wasn't a new one to Jensen though, considering Saturday was the eighth time his team allowed 85 or more points to an opponent this season (Utah is 2-6 in such games). The Runnin' Utes also dropped to 2-8 when allowing their opponent to shoot 50% or better from the field.

Wright III chipped in 21 points and Saunders had 12 for BYU (17-2, 5-1 Big 12), which completed the season sweep of Utah (9-11, 1-6 Big 12) two weeks after coming away with an 89-84 win at Jon M. Huntsman Center.

BYU's big three combined for 67 points in that five-point victory from Jan. 10. The rematch at the Marriott Center Saturday was more of the same, highlighted by Dybantsa's dominant performance.

The 6-foot-9 forward was the third freshman on Saturday to score 40 points in a game, joining Houston's Kingston Flemings (42 points against Texas Tech and Illinois' Keaton Wagler (46 points against Purdue). Dybantsa scored 24 of his team's 49 second-half points, with Saunders and Wright combining for 16 after halftime.

Keanu Dawes led Utah with a season-high 23 points. Terrence Brown chipped in 22 points, while Don McHenry added 16.

Here's more of what Jensen had to say after the game.

On Dybantsa's performance

"He's a generational talent, and he showed what he's capable of tonight. There's no telling how good he could get. Credit to them; they did a good job using their height and size advantage against us. But yeah, great player, and he can do a lot of things. Sky's the limit."

On losing convincingly despite making 13 3-pointers

"Since I got here in the summer, I've tried to encourage all of them to shoot if you're on balance and you're open. The hard part about that is, we shoot 60% from 3 and we still get beat pretty good."

"The problem is, I think as individuals in a group, you got to take pride in guarding the guy you have; regardless of what scheme we are in, you have to take pride in defense. The Big 12 is actually a great lesson for that, because you see it; you defend and rebound, and you got to compete. The games where we do that — whether we shoot well or not — we have a better chance to win. So, got to take pride in the defensive end, regardless if we make or miss shots."

On whether Utah is progressing on the defensive end

"I think tonight was frustrating, so I think we took a big step back. Like I said, I think they quit. We had certain guys that were targeted on defense. They used their size. I don't think that we fought back like I think we've had, so that's a hard thing to swallow. But credit BYU; like I said, they did a good job playing big and using their size against us."

On his message to the team after the game

"My message to TB and the rest of them was, 'OK, let's guard then — make that a priority.'"

"That doesn't mean going for it. Like, the first possession of the second half was disheartening because he went for the steal. That's not what we're about. We've got to be steady and not go for the home run. But, to TB and the rest of them, you got to take pride in guarding your man and not being the weak leak link on defense."