3 takeaways from BYU’s upset win over No. 6 Iowa State

Magic at the Marriott Center.

No. 23 BYU scored its most impressive win of the season Saturday night, topping No. 6 Iowa State for a 79-69 upset victory.

The Cougars are now 20-7 on the season and 8-6 in Big 12 play.

3 takeaways

A late first half stretch made the difference for BYU. With 6:34 left to play before halftime, Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson hit a 3-pointer to put the Cyclones ahead by one point.

It would be their last score for nearly six minutes, as BYU responded with a 13-0 run — arguably the team’s most impressive stretch of the season.

AJ Dybantsa and Rob Wright scored 10 of the 13 points, with Mihailo Boskovic adding a bucket and Khadim Mboup making a free throw.

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Iowa State shot 0 for 6 from the field over the course of BYU’s 13-0 run, committing three turnovers as well.

When the Cyclones finally broke their scoring drought, the Cougars still held a 10-point advantage and never trailed again en route to the 10-point win.

BYU dominated down low. The Cougars rebounded like mad men, winning the glass battle by a 39-28 margin, including 12 offensive boards.

Khadim Mboup led the way with 10 rebounds, including nine in the first half alone.

Dybantsa added 10 rebounds of his own, with Keba Keita, Boskovic and Kennard Davis Jr. grabbing six, five and four boards each, respectively.

Additionally, BYU nearly doubled Iowa State’s paint scoring production, posting 40 points to the Cyclones’ 22, which went a long way in helping the Cougars overcome a 28% 3-point shooting night.

BYU also scored 13 points off turnovers, 14 points in transition and averaged 1.25 points per possession against an Iowa State defense that ranks top 10 nationally.

At long last, BYU finally earned a signature victory. All season long, the Cougars have been unable to defeat elite opponents, entering Saturday night 0-6 against top 15-ranked teams.

But the losing streak is over.

BYU defeated an Iowa State team that would be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament if it had started on Saturday. The Cougars finally have a marquee win they can hang their hat on both for their résumé and in believing they can beat anyone in March.

It was a gutsy effort. BYU out-worked and out-hustled Iowa State, and while the Cyclones did threaten late by cutting the deficit to three, the Cougars held their ground and finished the job.

Most impressively, BYU won without Richie Saunders, which should add even more fuel to the belief tank.

One final note: This was likely Dybantsa’s finest outing of his unbelievable freshman campaign, scoring 29 points with 10 rebounds, nine assists, a block and a steal.

But Dybantsa’s most valuable contribution was his defense. He forced nine Cyclone stops and held prolific scorer/3-point shooter Milan Momcilovic to just five points on 1 of 5 shooting.

If Dybantsa can continue to excel on both ends of the floor while getting contributions from his supporting cast, watch out for BYU down the stretch.