Rick Scuteri, AP Photo

BYU men’s basketball coach Kevin Young drew up what would be the game-winning offensive play and looked all of his players in the eye in the final moments against No. 19 Arizona.

“I didn’t see a doubt,” Young said. “I didn’t see a shadow of a doubt in that huddle.”

The play worked.

Richie Saunders made a pair of free throws with 3.2 seconds to play, then stole Arizona’s long in-bounds pass, tossing the ball high in the air as the clock expired in a wild 96-95 Cougar victory at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday.

Caleb Love gave Arizona a 95-94 lead with 13 seconds to play on a pair of free throws. After the time out, BYU got the ball to Saunders, who found himself stuck in the key with beefy Trey Townsend defending and the clock running down.

Rick Scuteri, AP Photo

Saunders drew a foul from Townsend, much to the dismay of Arizona.

“Basketball is a game of reads,” Saunders said. “They initially cut off what I was hoping for, a three at the top. There was only so much time on the clock so I was trying to figure out how in the world to make something happen. Luckily, he bit a little bit on the shot fake and I was fortunate to get to the line.”

Saunders made both pressure-packed free throws, having the first hit the front of the rim and bounce in for dramatic effect, for the 96-95 lead.

“I’ve practiced that ever since I was a little kid in the church gym,” Saunders said. “You practice and you hope for moments like that where you can just step up and shoot those free throws. It was so loud and everything was on the line. That’s why you play basketball.”

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said: “It was a bad call, whatever, what am I going to say? I hate for the game to be decided by that. The guy was pivoting, pivoting, pivoting, he throws his shoulder at him (Townsend), he falls down and it’s a foul with three seconds to go. Listen, it’s the Big 12, or so I’m told, and the guy who called it (Tony Padilla) is one of the best refs, so we’ve got to live with it.

Courtesy BYU Photo

“But step back: They scored 93 points up to that point on our home court, that’s the problem. Me and my staff and my players, that’s the problem, not the officials. It would have been great to steal a victory if they don’t call that, but don’t put yourself in that position.”

The 96 points was the most points Arizona had given up in the McKale Center since Jimmer Fredette and the Cougars hung 99 on the scoreboard in 2009.

The handshake line didn’t go well after the Saturday’s game and Arizona fans resorted to vulgar, bigoted religious chants as BYU left the floor.

Sounds like a rivalry is brewing.

So, the numbers.

Courtesy BYU Photo

Saunders was 8 of 10 from the field (4 of 5 from the 3-point line), leading five Cougars in double figures with 23 points. Kanon Catchings was huge off the bench, going 4 of 6 from distance and scoring 14 points. Egor Demin contributed 13 points and eight assists, Mawot Mag had 11 points and Keba Keita was a perfect 5 of 5 from the field for 10 points. Trevin Knell scored nine, all in the second half, for BYU, which shot 55.4% from the field (36 of 65) and 45.2% (14 of 31) from the 3-point line.

Arizona (18-9 overall, 12-4 Big 12) was led by Love, who scored 27 points, with four other teammates joining him in double figures. The Wildcats shot 54.2% from the field (32 of 59), including nearly 60% in the second half, and was 10 of 22 (45.4%) from beyond the arc.

The game was incredibly competitive, featuring 11 ties and 20 lead changes.

The biggest difference between Arizona’s 85-74 victory in the Marriott Center on Feb. 4 and Saturday was the Cougars didn’t go cold in the final seven minutes.

Instead, they just kept answering every challenge.

Courtesy BYU Photo

“A game like that, you’ve got to keep scoring, and our guys did,” Young said. “I thought our execution tonight was really good. Out of time outs we were able to execute really well, Credit our guys for stepping up and making shots for us and not turn the ball over that much.”

BYU turned in an excellent first half, leading by as many as eight behind 14 points from Saunders. The Cougars led 47-44 at halftime. Catchings made back-to-back 3-pointers for a 76-71 BYU lead with under nine minutes to play but Arizona, behind Love’s scoring, battled back to trail just 92-90 with one minute left. Saunders converted a baseline drive and was fouled with 41.8 seconds to go, but missed the free throw and the Cougars led 94-90.

Love banged in a 3-pointer with 32.6 seconds showing to trim the deficit to one, 94-93. Dallin Hall was fouled with 19.7 seconds to play but missed the front end of a one-and-one, leading to Love’s free throws for Arizona’s final lead of the night.

Coupled with Tuesday’s 91-57 rout of No. 23 Kansas, Saturday’s victory means BYU has beaten consecutive ranked opponents for the first time since 1988.

“We just talk about stacking days, stacking wins,” Knell said. “We’ve been on this roller coaster, but I feel like we’re really hitting our stride at the right time. This is a statement win for us.”

Courtesy BYU Photo

BYU (19-8, 10-6) will stay in Arizona in preparation for Wednesday’s rematch with Arizona State in Tempe. The Cougars beat the Sun Devils 76-56 in the Big 12 opener Dec. 31.

BYU men's basketball coach Kevin Young (far left) poses for a photo with his family after a 96-95 victory against No. 19 Arizona at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.

BYU's Dawson Baker jumps into the arms of teammate Richie Saunders after a 96-95 victory against No. 19 Arizona at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.

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