No. 23 BYU survives double OT to stun No. 10 Iowa State for 1st win in Ames

PROVO — No. 23 BYU men's basketball picked a heckuva time to steal its first win in Ames, Iowa.

Richie Saunders poured in 23 points and six rebounds, including a perfect 13-of-13 from the free-throw line in a game-high 47 minutes, as No. 23 BYU stormed into Hilton Coliseum and survived a double-overtime prize fight with No. 10 Iowa State 88-85 in a Big 12 basketball classic Tuesday night.

Dallin Hall added 22 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Cougars (22-8, 13-6 Big 12) in their seventh win in a row that puts the visitors with a top-four seed (and the double bye that comes with it) in next week's Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.

The junior from Plain City scored 17 points after halftime, including a two-handed flush from Trey Stewart that pushed BYU to lead by as much as 21 midway through the second half.

But Iowa State came back.

Milan Momcilovic scored 18 points, including a 3-pointer that erased a 21-point second-half deficit to tie the game at 66-66 with 43 seconds left to help force overtime. He was one of five Cyclones in double figures, including Joshua Jefferson, who scored 19 points on 4-of-9 shooting with 11-of-13 free throws.

But BYU took the lead to start both overtime periods, and Keba Keita had 7 points and tied a career high with 15 rebounds — nine of them on the offensive end — to help the Cougars hold on for their biggest win of the season with a monstrous 52-24 rebounding margin. Keita outrebounded the Cyclones on the offensive glass by three.

Egor Demin had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists for BYU, and Mawot Mag supplied 10 points, six rebounds and keyed one final defensive stop

"Coach in the timeout challenged us, just like Arizona; we get this stop here and we go home," Mag told BYU Radio after the game. "We came out, coach had a plan to switch one through five, and show toughness to just get the job done. That's what we did.

"We're showing what we're made of. I feel like any adversity that is thrown in front of us, we'll prevail. And also, never give up. It just shows what type of guys we are, and what we're made of."

It's just the second time in two seasons the Cyclones (22-8, 12-7 Big 12) have lost at Hilton Coliseum.

"Just toughness," BYU coach Kevin Young said. "Composure. It felt like we were giving it to them after having that big lead, and they ratched that pressure up. Our guys were having a hard time with it. But nobody ever lost confidence or got too rattled. ... We had to rely on our defense. They made huge plays, too; an incredible game. So much respect for TJ and those guys.

"The hand strength was something with those guys. But our guys just didn't relent."

BYU committed five turnovers on its first six possessions, and Iowa State shot 0-of-7 from the field before Curtis Jones kicked in 5 points to put the Cyclones up 5-0 on a 3-pointer with 14:01 left in the half.

The Cyclones, who ranked 10th nationally in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency, forced eight turnovers in the first eight minutes and led by as much as 9 points in the first half.

The Cougars shot just 35% from the field, 18% from the arc, and committed 11 first-half turnovers, but tied the game down the first-half stretch, including 17-17 on a transition bucket through Dallin Hall with 5:13 remaining.

BYU outrebounded the Cyclones 20-11 in the first half, and Mag gave BYU its first lead, 21-20, from the foul line with four minutes left. The visitors' offense clicked with a 14-2 run over three minutes down the backside of the first half, and BYU turned a 9-point deficit into a 9-point advantage when Mag helped close the half on a 23-7 spurt to lead 33-24 at the break.

The Cougars found offensive rhythm to open the second half, connecting on four of their first seven 3-point attempts and getting a 54-33 lead on Stewart's lob to Hall for a two-hand flush with 13:16 remaining.

No, really; you didn't read that wrong.

"That was amazing," Young said. "He had a new pair of Kobes on, and we thought the camo Kobes really helped him jump off the springboard. But our guys really enjoyed that."

Momcilovic capped a 15-2 run to pull Iowa State back within single digits, 56-48 with 8:19 to go.

With the lead as low as 6 points, Hall drained his third triple of the night to keep the Cougars in front. But Iowa State used a defense that included six blocked shots and 34 points off BYU's 29 turnovers to spur a 27-9 run and cut the deficit all the way down to 63-60 with just 3:20 to go en route to the extra periods.

BYU wraps up the regular season Saturday against in-state rival Utah. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. MST on ESPNU.

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