No. 7 BYU Comes Up Short Against No. 3 UConn In Boston
Nov 15, 2025, 8:42 PM
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER 15: Silas Demary Jr. #2 of the UConn Huskies drives to the basket against AJ Dybantsa #3 of the BYU Cougars during the second half at the TD Garden on November 15, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
(Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
BYU basketball came up short against No. 3 UConn in a Top 10 clash at the TD Garden in Boston.
The seventh-ranked Cougars fell to the Huskies 86-84.
Heartbreaker.
On to the next. pic.twitter.com/WRhsLLxjmy
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) November 16, 2025
With 15 minutes remaining in the second half, it didn’t look like a game that was going to come down to the final possessions.
UConn 86, BYU 84: Game Recap
BYU found themselves down by 20, 59-39. But even more than the score, BYU was down two starters as Kennard Davis, who was arrested earlier in the week in Provo for alleged DUI, and center Keba Keita suffered a head injury that caused him to leave the game in the first half.
It was a homecoming for BYU freshman star AJ Dybantsa. The Brockton, Massachusetts native was impressive in front of the Boston crowd, which was primarily made up of UConn fans.
Dybantsa scored 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. He grabbed six rebounds and recorded two steals in 33 minutes of action.
BYU jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, then took the lead at 6-5, but that was the last time they were ahead. UConn began to pull away with Tarris Reed Jr., who scored 11 points in the first half, and Alex Karaban scoring another 11 in the first 20 minutes.
BYU couldn’t find its shot from distance in the first 20 minutes, as they were 2-of-12 from three-point range. The Cougars began finding their stroke from distance in the second half behind Rob Wright, Dawson Baker, and Dybantsa, each knocking two 3s.
BYU had the ball with 12 seconds remaining in the game, down by only three points at 85-82.
Cougars were down by 20, but come up short in the final minute
Starting point guard Rob Wright had the ball and lost possession, giving UConn the ball back, without getting a shot attempt up to try and tie the game or trim down the deficit.
UConn’s Solo Ball hit one of his two free throws to put the game out of reach and give the Huskies the win.
The setback drops BYU to 3-1 overall, while UConn improves to 4-0 this season.
Saturday night in Boston was the first Top 10 game for BYU basketball since 2011.
BYU returns to action next Friday when it takes on No. 24 Wisconsin in the Delta Center at 2 p.m. (MST) on Peacock and KSL NewsRadio.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
