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BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) goes to the basket past Texas forward Dailyn Swain (3) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)

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BYU head coach Kevin Young gestures from the sideline during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Texas, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)

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Texas guard Chendall Weaver (2) and BYU guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) vie for the ball during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)

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PORTLAND, Ore. — Trailing Texas big in its NCAA first round game on Thursday, BYU was looking for one more second half comeback.

And for moment, it appeared the Cougars might get one.

With the partisan BYU crowd at the Moda Center roaring their approval, the Cougars fought their way back from a 17-point deficit by going into second-half turbo mode to get to within four, 75-71, on a 3-pointer by Aleksej Kostic with 1:11 to play.

Texas missed three free throws in the final minute but BYU failed to capitalize, turning the ball over and getting a shot blocked on two very important possessions. Tramon Mark made 4 of 4 from the foul line to put the game away for the Longhorns.

Texas moved on to the second round with a 79-71 victory, bringing an end the the Cougars’ eventful season and, more than likely, the college career of possible No. 1 NBA draft choice AJ Dybantsa.

Dybantsa put on a show as expected, putting up 35 points and ten rebounds in what is probably his final game in a Cougar uniform. But it wasn’t enough to overcome his team’s poor night from the 3-point line (4-21, 19%) and too many defensive holes that the Longhorns continued to exploit.

The biggest hole in the defense was in the key, where Texas seven-footer Matas Vokietaitis dominated, especially in the first half with 15 points and 11 rebounds, seven on the offensive end. He finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds. Mark had 17 and Dailyn Swain 14 for the Longhorns (20-14).

Robert Wright III had 14 points for BYU (23-12) but Kennard Davis Jr., who had nine in the first half, went scoreless in the second.

Keba Keita, who was pretty much non-existent in the first half, opened the second with a vicious follow slam of a Dybantsa miss that became a 3-point play and a moment that ignited the BYU fans at the Moda Center. BYU scored seven straight points and got to 48-44 with a Wright drive and layup at the 17:36 mark, forcing a Texas time out.

Texas responded with a 20-7 run over the next seven minutes, extending their lead to 17 points, 68-51, with 11 minutes remaining. That’s when the Cougars made their final run.

Both teams started off well offensively, BYU getting into the paint and Texas scoring from distance. A 3-point play from Davis got the Cougars level at 17 with 13:21 to go in the first half and a drive by Wright gave BYU its first lead at 21-20. But the Cougars went almost five minutes without a field goal, falling behind by seven, 30-23, on a a jumper from Swain with under eight to play. The Longhorns kept their advantage and extended it to nine, with Vokietaitis dominating inside. Three straight times down the floor, the Texas big man tipped in a teammates miss without a challenge.

Davis finally made BYU’s first 3-point shot (the Cougars were 1 of 9 from distance) to get to within six points as the half would down. But the Cougars gave up a 3-pointer to Mark at the buzzer and the Longhorns took a 46-37 lead at the break.

Dybantsa had 20 to lead all scorers, Davis finished with nine and Wright eight as the only three BYU players to get into the scoring column.

Vokietaitis led the Longhorns with 15 points and 11 rebounds, seven of those boards on the offensive end and his team finished the half with a 12-5 advantage in second-chance points.

Texas (20-14) plays the winner of Gonzaga-Kennesaw State, the late game in Portland, on Saturday.

Carrying the load: Dybantsa and Wright become the second duo in BYU history to combine for 1,500 points in a single season — the first since Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery had 1,530 in 2010-11.

Familiar faces: Jordan Kohler, the 6A Player of the Year as a junior at American Fork in 2021, is a 6-foot-10 senior at Michigan State. The No. 3 seed Spartans beat up No. 14 seed North Dakota State 92-67 in Thursday’s first round in Buffalo. Kohler totaled 12 points and nine rebounds in the game.

Former Cougar Aly Khalifa scored six points as No. 6 seed Louisville topped No. 11 USF 83-79 in Buffalo.

Former BYU and Utah Valley guard Tanner Toolson didn’t scored but contributed three rebounds and an assist as No. 9 seed TCU held off No. 8 seed Ohio State 66-64 in Greenville, S.C.

Former Timpview star Hunter Erickson and former American Fork standout Isaac Johnson saw their season come to an end with Hawaii. The No. 13 seed Warriors lost to No. 4 seed Arkansas 97-78 in Portland. Johnson — younger brother of former BYU standout Spencer Johnson — scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds. Erickson, who also played two seasons at BYU and two at Utah, finished with five points and six assists.

Another former American Fork star, Tanner Cuff, is also on the Hawaii roster but sat out the season with an injury.