PROVO, Utah (AP) — Richie Saunders scored 22 points to lead BYU to a 91-57 victory over no. 23 Kansas on Tuesday night.
Trevin Knell added 15 points and Mawot Mag had 13 to help the Cougars (18-8, 9-6 Big 12) get their third straight win. Saunders, Knell, and Mag combined to make 11 3-pointers.
Hunter Dickinson led the Jayhawks with 12 points. Kansas (17-9, 8-7) trailed by as many as 38 points in the second half.
Efficient shooting and relentless defensive pressure powered the Cougars. Mag and Keba Keita each scored a pair of baskets to fuel a 14-2 run that gave BYU a 22-7 lead just seven minutes into the game.
Kansas had a chance to close the gap after BYU went six minutes without scoring a basket. The Jayhawks cut the deficit in half, pulling to 25-17 on a 3-pointer from Rylan Griffin.
The Cougars regained a double-digit lead behind a flurry of 3-pointers. BYU made five 3s over the final 6:15 before halftime, highlighted by back-to-back outside baskets from Saunders and Knell, to extend its lead to 46-26 at the break.
Takeaways
Kansas: The Jayhawks suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season after committing 15 turnovers and allowing 52% shooting. Kansas' 34-point defeat tied the biggest defeat under coach Bill Self.
BYU: The Cougars had 15 assists on all 15 of their first half field goals and made 14 3-pointers against the Jayhawks.
Key moment
Kansas held BYU without a basket for six minutes late in the first half before Mag and Saunders made 3-pointers a minute apart to boost the Cougars’ lead back to double digits.
Key stat
Kansas has not led through its last 80 minutes of basketball.