Ultimate highlight: Dybantsa creates amazing moment in BYU’s victory over Abilene Christian
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- BYU’s AJ Dybantsa (3) puts down a follow dunk in a men’s college basketball game against Abilene Christian at the Marriott Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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- BYU’s Richie Saunders rises up between two defenders in a men’s college basketball game against Abilene Christian at the Marriott Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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- BYU men’s basketball head coach Kevin Young reacts on the sideline in a game against Abilene Christian at the Marriott Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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- BYU’s Khadim Mboup (7) handles the ball in a men’s college basketball game against Abilene Christian at the Marriott Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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- BYU’s Mihailo Boskovic (5) passes the ball in a men’s college basketball game against Abilene Christian at the Marriott Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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- BYU’s AJ Dybantsa drives to the basket in a men’s college basketball game against Abilene Christian at the Marriott Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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- BYU’s AJ Dybantsa cuts through the key in a men’s college basketball game against Abilene Christian at the Marriott Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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- BYU’s Richie Saunders looks for a foul call in a men’s college basketball game against Abilene Christian at the Marriott Center on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
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- BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) drives on Abilene Christian guard Cbo Newton (5) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Provo, Utah.
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- BYU head coach Kevin Young talks with guard Richie Saunders during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Abilene Christian, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Provo, Utah.
How is anyone supposed to focus on the outcome of a middling December non-conference game between No. 10 BYU and Abilene Christian when AJ Dybantsa is doing AJ Dybantsa things?
The talented freshman scored a career-high 35 points in Friday’s 85-67 Cougar victory, sure, but that was just a nice sidebar to Dybantsa giving the fans in the Marriott Center something to not only cheer about but a moment they could brag about to their friends that they were in the arena when it happened.
On the ESPN play-by-play log, the entry at 1:47 of the first half reads “AJ Dybantsa makes 0-foot tip in dunk,” but that’s like describing a volcanic eruption as a “a little bit of smoke.”
Setting the stage: BYU led Abilene Christian 37-33 as the first half neared its close. The Cougars’ Robert Wright III took a 3-pointer from the left side and Dybantsa, who was standing about 40 feet from the basket, began his approach. The ball took a long bounce off to the right of the rim and Dybantsa came flying through the key, rising over the back of the Wildcats’ Cbo Newton. In one motion, the 6-foot-9 Dybantsa extended his right arm to gather in the ball and slammed it through the hoop.
He stared down Newton as the crowed exploded out of their seats. Teammate Mahailo Boskovic put both hands on his head in disbelief as he ran back on defense. BYU football coach Kalani Sitake, who was watching the game from the expensive seats behind the Abilene Christian bench, leaped to his feet and started cheering. A reporter standing near the ACU basket had an expression on her face like many others who watched the dunk: “Ohhh!”
What did Dybantsa think of the play?
“That’s probably the best put back I’ve had, other than the one I had last year at Utah Prep,” he said in the post-game media session. “If ya’ll seen that one, it was kind of similar. But this was probably top seven.”
Dybantsa was asked if he thought the dunk should be on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 Friday night.
“Yeah,” he responded with a big smile. (It was No. 2).
BYU head coach Kevin Young: “I’ll be honest, I’m pretty stoic over there when cool stuff happens, just because you’re thinking about the next play. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of plays in my life, but I did react to that one. That was insane. I can’t wait to watch it on film, but what a gifted player, man. That was unbelievable.”
The Dybantsa dunk was definitely a highlight in what was not a very pretty college basketball game.
BYU was favored by more than 30 points and the Wildcats were coming off a 96-62 thumping at the hands of No. 1 Arizona in Tucson. The Cougars, who were playing without starting center Keba Keita (illness) had a hard time adjusting to ACU’s physical, grabbing style of defense. The Wildcats committed 30 fouls (in a 40-minute game) and the Cougars went 29 of 40 from the free throw line.
“We kind of let these guys speed us up without playing off two feet in the paint,” Young said. “We were driving into crowds, begging for the ball and not cutting. I was frustrated with the guys a little bit in the first half but I think they adjusted.”
Abilene Christian actually led for more than 11 minutes of the first half, BYU stumbling around due to turnovers and missed shots. The Cougars trailed 17-11 midway through the first half but caught up and took a 43-35 lead at halftime when Boskovic beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer.
Dybansta scored 10 of BYU’s first 11 points of the second half, including a breakaway two-handed dunk that gave the Cougars a 54-42 lead with 14:51 to play. Abilene Christian broke out a 10-0 run to close to within two but BYU responded with a 13-0 burst that featured a two-handed dunk by Richie Saunders, and it was 67-52 with under eight minutes left. That sequence was the lift the Cougars needed to put the game away.
Dybantsa was 9 of 12 from the field against the Wildcats but made 17 of 20 from the foul line, adding six rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
“I feel like they (ACU) were being kind of handsy and stuff like that,” Dybantsa said. “I wasn’t able to just get to wherever I wanted. So I just tried to take advantage of them putting their hand in the cookie jar.”
Saunders contributed 21 points and three steals.
“We had to grit it it out,” Saunders said. “My energy was a little lower than I think it needed to be. But every game has its own life and we had to figure it out.”
Khadim Mboup, who made his first start in place of Keita, finished with six points, ten rebounds and three blocks.
BYU shot 60% from the field (65% in the second half) to overcome a season-high 18 turnovers.
“Their free throw turnover rate is 6th best in the country so that’s what they do,” Young said. “I was disappointed because everything we said they were going to do, they did. We took the bait in the first ten minutes. Second ten minutes of the game, I thought we had better ball toughness. It was good, though, because Iowa State is going to do the same thing. Houston is going to do the same thing. Our guys have to get used to playing against that type of pressure.”
Newton topped Abilene Christian (7-5) with 23 points and Bradyn Hubbard added 12.
BYU (11-1) completes its non-conference schedule on Monday in the Marriott Center against Eastern Washington.
