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ORLANDO, Fla. — Mawot Mag proved he was more than a defensive specialist Saturday afternoon.
The BYU graduate wing totaled a season-high 19 points and matched a career-best with five assists, as Richie Saunders poured in 22 points to help the Cougars pull away from UCF 81-75 to win a fourth consecutive game at Addition Financial Arena.
Trevin Knell had 15 points and four rebounds for BYU (15-6, 6-4 Big 12), and Keba Keita supplied 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Keyshawn Hall had 20 points with eight rebounds and three assists to lead UCF (13-8, 4-6 Big 12).
But the star junior from Cleveland, who entered the game averaging 18.0 points per contest, drew three fouls in less than six minutes that included a technical foul after he appeared to exchange words with the officiating after a common foul that forced him to the bench.
Foul trouble helped. But for the most part, the task of slowing down the second-leading scorer in the Big 12 also fell to Mag, the 6-foot-7 wing who prepped at Prolific Prep in California.
"Keyshawn is a phenomenal player, a leading scorer in the Big 12. I knew it would be a tough task at first," Mag told BYU Radio. "I just tried to make things difficult, and we're very fortunate he got into foul trouble in the first half.
"(BYU coach Kevin Young) challenged us during halftime to respond to toughness, and I feel like we did that."
It started with the leadership.
"Mawot was tremendous on both ends of the court," Young said.
The Knights scored their first 7 points off turnovers, tied the game at 16-all midway through the first half, and took its first lead on Jordan Ivy-Curry's 3-pointer with 11:26 left in the half.
UCF forced 17 turnovers and scored 18 points off them. But BYU assisted on 22-of-28 made field goals including six 3-pointers to stay in front for more than 21 minutes of game time.
UCF outrebounded the Cougars 22-15 in the first half, but just 19-18 after the break — a sticking point for Saunders, he told ESPN+ in Orlando.
"Early in the game, they punked us; they absolutely punked us," Saunders said. "But I'm just super happy with our team defense.
"Mawot was freaking incredible today, and Keba with some big blocks at the end. He was incredible. It's always a fun game, a fun environment here."
His teammates appreciated his game, but Mag appreciated his teammates.
"First and foremost, it goes to my teammates and coaches," Mag said. "Without them, I wouldn't be here. But I knew it was going to be a dogfight; every game in the Big 12 is a dogfight. But I'm just glad we came out with a W."
Darius Johnson had 12 points and Moustapha Thiam added 10 points and two rebounds as UCF finished with 14 points off 12 first-half turnovers en route to a 40-38 halftime edge.
Knell scored 4 of his 13 points to end the half, and the Cougars erupted out of halftime with an 8-0 run to retake the lead.
FOUR POINT PLAY to end the half 🔥
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) February 1, 2025
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/chz3OurCI7
Mag dropped his third 3-pointer and finished at the rim to push BYU's lead to 53-49 with 12 minutes remaining. But Johnson emerged from the bench with four fouls to help the Knights tie the game at 65-all ahead of the final five minutes.
Mag, who was one of the top defensvie players in the Big Ten at Rutgers before transferring to BYU, was at his best on offense. The 6-foot-7 wing who grew up in Australia scored to stretch the Cougars' lead to 5 points with 90 seconds left en route to a fourth consecutive win in two weeks since a one-point overtime loss at in-state rival Utah.
Have the Cougars figured out how to close out a close game?
"They're very important," Mag admitted. "At the beginning we had a rough start. But it's not about how you start — it's how you finish. I felt like we connected, and just executed the game plan. It was about belief, too.
"I just feel like we've got to keep stacking days. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it."
BYU returns home Tuesday night to host Arizona (9 p.m. MST, ESPN).
