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BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) shoots during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Houston in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Conference tournament Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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BYU forward Dominique Diomande (24) dunks the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Houston in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Conference tournament Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Houston's Joseph Tugler (11) passes as BYU's AJ Dybantsa (3) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Conference tournament Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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BYU's Robert Wright III, left, looks to the basket as Houston's Milos Uzan defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Conference tournament Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Eh, the BYU men’s basketball team didn’t really want to play five games in five days, did they?

The blue Cougars put up a great fight against well-rested No. 5 Houston in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament and trailed by just three with under two minutes to go.

But playing three games in three days seemed to take its toll down the stretch, which allowed the red Cougars to pull away for a 73-66 victory on Thursday at T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City.

With two solid wins in the Big 12 Tournament under its belt and metrics that point to a probable No. 6 seed, BYU is probably better off resting and recovering for the NCAA Tournament that starts in a week, anyway.

AJ Dybantsa led BYU with 26 points, finishing with with 93 points in three games to break the Big 12 Tournament record of 92 held by Kevin Durant.

BYU head coach Kevin Young defended Dybantsa after a rambling question from an AP writer in the post-game news conference suggested the talented freshman had an “off night.”

“How did he have an off night?” Young interjected. “He was 7 of 18 from the field, 9 of 10 from the free throw line and 3 of 5 from three. He had 26 points. Not a bad night.”

Young also expressed frustration with the officiating.

“Houston beat us. Stone cold beat us. They won the game. But AJ should have shot 20 free throws minimum in that game. Rob Wright only shoots four free throws and the guy drives every time and (Emanuel) Sharpe shoots 10. I’m not saying the officials were like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna give Houston calls and not the other way,’ I’m not suggesting that in any form of fashion. I though they flat our missed calls, bottom line, and that led to some turnovers. It led us to some frustration. And that’s disappointing, you know?”

Dybantsa added, “They just pack the paint. When you pack the paint, it’s tough to get in the paint. Obviously, I live in the paint. They’re trying to force me to take three, and I made three. My shot was feeling good. I guess they played good defense and showed hands a lot, so I only took ten free throws.”

Rob Wright III had 15 points and five assists but was just 1 for 7 from the field in the second half. Keba Keita put up eight points and 13 rebounds. Kennard Davis Jr., averaging 17 points in his past three games, was just 1 of 8 from the field and scored just four points.

Kingston Flemings led Houston (27-5) with 17 points. The red Cougars did much of their damage with 19 offensive rebounds, which resulted in a 19-10 advantage in second-chance points. BYU had an 88-54 advantage in points in the paint in its first two games of the tournament but was outperformed there by Houston 30-24.

“When you play Houston, you’ve got to keep the possession game pretty close,” Young said. “There were too many offensive rebounds down the stretch. They turned us over too much and we turned them over as well, but that was really the story. And Flemings is a special player and made big plays, so give them credit.”

The blue Cougars led at halftime and hung in the game despite their growing fatigue, taking a 51-50 lead with 14:10 left on a Dybantsa 3-pointer.

BYU, which shot a healthy 52.2% from the field in the first half, faded to 32.1% (9 of 28) in the second. Flemings nailed a 3-pointer with 1:22 to play for a 67-61 Houston lead — the red Cougars earned a second chance with the ball on their 19th offensive rebound — and that was pretty much the ball game.

Keita put BYU’s first two points on the board with a pair of free throws but Dybantsa and Wright combined to score the blue Cougars’ next 28 points. Houston led by as many as nine (23-14) but BYU battled back and took its first lead, 33-32, on a 3-point play from Kennard Davis Jr. Aleksej Kostic banged in back-to-back 3-pointers and Dominique Diomande converted a Houston turnover into a windmill dunk, pushing BYU to a 41-34 advantage. The blue Cougars gave up a 3-point play with under a second to play and took a 41-37 lead into the break.

An 8-2 Houston run gave the favored team a 57-53 lead with 9:44 remaining and the blue Cougars couldn’t recover, though they closed to within one, 59-58, with seven minutes to go. A five-minute scoring drought allowed the red Cougars to keep the lead and earn a trip to the semifinals.

BYU is 0-5 against Houston since joining the Big 12 in 2023.