No. 17 BYU sets Big 12 tourney record with 18 3s, rallies past No. 12 Iowa St 96-92 in quarterfinals
AP
Mar 13, 2025
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Richie Saunders scored 23 points, hitting a crucial 3-pointer with less than a minute to go, and No. 17 BYU Cougars overcame a big game from Curtis Jones in a 96-92 victory over No. 12 Iowa State Cyclones in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday.
Fousseyni Traore added 15 points and Trevin Knell had 14 for the fourth-seeded Cougars (24-8), who went 18 of 36 from beyond the arc to set a tournament record for made 3-pointers, and advanced to play No. 2 Houston or Colorado in the semifinals.
Jones hit seven 3s of his own and scored 31 points, and Milan Momcilovic had 18 for the short-handed Cyclones (24-9), who had won their last four games at the Big 12 tourney, including their run to the championship a year ago.
No. 5 seed Iowa State played without Keshon Gilbert, their second-leading scorer and top distributor, and point guard Tamin Lipsey, who had started all 101 games he had played in his career. Gilbert tried to play through a muscle strain against Cincinnati but went only 11 minutes, while Lipsey strained his groin in the closing minutes of the second-round win.
BYU was without Kanon Catchings, who missed his third consecutive game after hurting his knee against West Virginia.
The Cougars and Cyclones nevertheless picked up where they left off last week, when BYU ruined senior day at Iowa State in a double-overtime thriller. They raced up and down the floor, combined to hit 20 first-half 3-pointers, and Jones poured in 22 points - and hit eight straight shots at one point - to help the Cyclones to a 53-49 lead at the break.
The Cougars still trailed 72-64 with 12 1/2 minutes to go when they went on an 11-0 run, and Mihailo Boskovic's 3-pointer gave them a 75-72 lead. Iowa State tied the game again moments later but was never able to regain the lead.
BYU finished it off in the final minute from the foul line, where it was 18 of 21 for the game.
Iowa State was cautious with its two star guards in the hopes that they can be healthy for the NCAA Tournament. Gilbert was ruled out early and watched in street clothes while Lipsey tried to warm up but never entered the game.
BYU committed 29 turnovers when it beat Iowa State last week. It had only 10 in the quarterfinal rematch.
Saunders hit his third 3-pointer with 49.1 seconds left to give BYU a 92-88 lead. Momcilovic missed at the other end, and the Cougars were able to control the game the rest of the way.
The teams combined for 31 3-pointers, which also set a Big 12 Tournament record.
BYU plays Friday night for a spot in the championship game.
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This story has been corrected to show the final score was 96-92.
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1st Half
IAST
Cyclones
53
BYU
Cougars
49
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Dishon Jackson vs. Keba Keita (Cougars gains possession)
19:45
+3
Trevin Knell makes three point jump shot (Richie Saunders assists)
0-3
19:22
Keba Keita shooting foul (Dishon Jackson draws the foul)
19:22
+1
Dishon Jackson makes regular free throw 1 of 2
1-3
19:22
+1
Dishon Jackson makes regular free throw 2 of 2
2-3
19:02
+2
Richie Saunders makes two point jump shot
2-5
18:32
+3
Joshua Jefferson makes three point jump shot (Dishon Jackson assists)
5-5
18:14
Trevin Knell turnover (bad pass) (Curtis Jones steals)
18:08
Curtis Jones misses two point layup
18:06
Egor Demin defensive rebound
17:57
+3
Mawot Mag makes three point jump shot (Richie Saunders assists)
5-8
17:43
Joshua Jefferson misses three point jump shot
17:41
Keba Keita defensive rebound
17:33
Richie Saunders misses three point jump shot
17:31
Keba Keita offensive rebound
17:26
Keba Keita misses two point layup
17:24
Dishon Jackson defensive rebound
17:19
+2
Dishon Jackson makes two point layup (Curtis Jones assists)
7-8
16:51
+3
Mawot Mag makes three point jump shot (Trevin Knell assists)
7-11
16:33
Milan Momcilovic misses three point jump shot
16:31
Keba Keita defensive rebound
16:19
Egor Demin turnover (back court violation)
16:08
Richie Saunders shooting foul (Joshua Jefferson draws the foul)
16:08
Joshua Jefferson misses regular free throw 1 of 2
16:08
+1
Joshua Jefferson makes regular free throw 2 of 2
8-11
15:50
Joshua Jefferson personal foul
15:50
TV timeout
15:32
+3
Egor Demin makes three point jump shot (Richie Saunders assists)
8-14
15:01
+2
Joshua Jefferson makes two point layup
10-14
14:52
+2
Fousseyni Traore makes two point layup (Dallin Hall assists)
10-16
14:52
Brandton Chatfield shooting foul (Fousseyni Traore draws the foul)
14:52
+1
Fousseyni Traore makes regular free throw 1 of 1
10-17
14:42
+2
Brandton Chatfield makes two point jump shot (Cade Kelderman assists)
12-17
14:27
+3
Richie Saunders makes three point jump shot (Egor Demin assists)
12-20
14:11
Egor Demin blocks Nate Heise's two point dunk
14:09
Brandton Chatfield offensive rebound
14:05
+3
Cade Kelderman makes three point jump shot (Brandton Chatfield assists)
15-20
13:55
Egor Demin misses three point jump shot
13:53
Nate Heise defensive rebound
13:45
Joshua Jefferson turnover (lost ball) (Dallin Hall steals)
13:40
Richie Saunders misses three point jump shot
13:38
Nate Heise defensive rebound
13:23
Nate Heise misses three point jump shot
13:21
Mihailo Boskovic defensive rebound
13:05
Cade Kelderman personal foul
12:52
+2
Fousseyni Traore makes two point hook shot (Dallin Hall assists)
15-22
12:20
Curtis Jones misses three point jump shot
12:18
Mihailo Boskovic defensive rebound
12:03
+3
Dawson Baker makes three point jump shot (Dallin Hall assists)
15-25
11:46
Demarion Watson misses three point jump shot
11:44
Dawson Baker defensive rebound
11:42
Cade Kelderman personal foul
11:42
TV timeout
11:32
Dishon Jackson personal foul
11:23
Dishon Jackson blocks Dawson Baker's two point layup
11:21
Nate Heise defensive rebound
11:16
+2
Joshua Jefferson makes two point dunk (Nate Heise assists)
17-25
10:51
Dawson Baker misses three point jump shot
10:49
Joshua Jefferson defensive rebound
10:31
+2
Milan Momcilovic makes two point jump shot
19-25
10:13
Jump ball. Dallin Hall vs. Curtis Jones (Curtis Jones gains possession)
10:13
Dallin Hall turnover (lost ball) (Curtis Jones steals)
10:08
+2
Curtis Jones makes two point jump shot
21-25
9:54
Dawson Baker misses three point jump shot
9:52
Richie Saunders offensive rebound
9:47
Egor Demin turnover (bad pass) (Joshua Jefferson steals)
9:29
Richie Saunders personal foul
9:25
Curtis Jones misses three point jump shot
9:23
Egor Demin defensive rebound
9:13
Richie Saunders misses three point jump shot
9:11
Cyclones defensive rebound
8:54
Keba Keita blocks Milan Momcilovic's two point layup
8:52
Milan Momcilovic offensive rebound
8:42
+3
Curtis Jones makes three point jump shot (Joshua Jefferson assists)
24-25
8:29
+2
Keba Keita makes two point alley-oop layup (Trevin Knell assists)
24-27
8:19
+3
Curtis Jones makes three point jump shot
27-27
8:04
+3
Trevin Knell makes three point jump shot (Richie Saunders assists)
27-30
7:47
+2
Brandton Chatfield makes two point alley-oop layup (Joshua Jefferson assists)
29-30
7:34
Curtis Jones personal foul
7:34
TV timeout
7:22
+2
Richie Saunders makes two point jump shot
29-32
6:59
+3
Milan Momcilovic makes three point jump shot
32-32
6:43
Egor Demin turnover (bad pass)
6:26
+3
Curtis Jones makes three point jump shot (Joshua Jefferson assists)