BYU Pulls Off Last-Second Upset At No. 19 Arizona
Feb 22, 2025, 11:01 PM | Updated: Feb 23, 2025, 2:31 am
BYU wing Richie Saunders led the Cougars to an upset victory over No. 19 Arizona in Tucson. (Courtesy of BYU Photo)
(Courtesy of BYU Photo)
For the first time in 37 years, BYU basketball has won back-to-back games against Top 25 opponents.
UPSET!!
BYU 96, No. 19 Arizona 95
Back-to-back wins over Top 25 teams for the first time since 1988.
That's a win where you climb seed lines. Massive victory.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 23, 2025
BYU took down No. 19 Arizona 96-95 on Saturday night in their first visit to the McKale Center since 2009.
The Cougars completed a week that included a 34-point victory over nationally-ranked Kansas earlier.
Richie Saunders knocked down two free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining after a questionable foul call on Arizona’s Trey Townsend.
Arizona couldn’t get a potential game-winner attempt off as they turned the ball over.
BYU escaped Tucson with another signature victory that should help the Cougars climb in their NCAA Tournament forecast as they earn a coveted Quad 1 road win.
The Cougars got revenge over the same Arizona team that knocked off BYU earlier this month at the Marriott Center on February 4.
Kevin Young’s squad has won eight of its last 10 games in Big 12. It’s their fourth consecutive victory.
They improve to 19-8 overall and 10-6 in Big 12 play. Arizona falls to 18-9 and 12-4 in the Big 12.
BYU had five players in double-figures, led by Richie Saunders, who finished with 23 points.
First Half
15:38 – BYU’s Mawot Mag and Richie Saunders each scored five points, while Arizona’s Caleb Love and Tobe Awaka opened the game with five each. Awaka knocked down his first three-pointer since December 21 against Central Michigan.
BYU was having some success getting to the rim. Arizona 11, BYU 10.
11:09 – BYU had some open looks from three that didn’t fall. The Cougars started the game 2-of-8 from beyond the arc. A key moment was Egor Demin with an in-and-out three that led to Arizona’s Jaden Bradley getting out on the run for an easy layup.
Mawot Mag and Richie Saunders have combined for 15 of BYU’s 17 points. The other two were from Dawson Baker. Arizona 22, BYU 17.
8:34 – BYU put together a 10-0 run to take a 27-22 lead featuring Dawson Baker and Trey Stewart threes. Kanon Catchings also went to the foul line after being fouled on a three-point attempt.
Then Arizona put together a quick 5-0 run that included a Henri Veesaar three that got Arizona running after a turnover by Egor Demin. BYU 27, Arizona 27.
3:55 – Richie Saunders reached double-figures in scoring for the third consecutive game. BYU 39, Arizona 34.
23.7 – Keba Keita had back-to-back field goals to give BYU a lead of eight points. Egor Demin had two turnovers, bringing him up to six in the first half.
Halftime: BYU 47, Arizona 44
Carter Bryant knocked down a three as time expired.
Second Half
15:42 – Arizona opened up the second half on fire by knocking down its first five field goal attempts, four of which were from three. Anthony Dell’orso hit three 3’s. Arizona 58, BYU 56.
11:22 – Dell’orso reached 11 points in the first six-1/2 minutes of action in the second half.
It’s been a back-and-forth game with 12 lead changes. A notable exchange that showed the quick changes was a missed three by BYU’s Dallin Hall, Arizona; however, then turned the ball over to Hall, and BYU’s guard found Kanon Catchings for a corner three. BYU 66, Arizona 66.
6:52 – Kanon Catchings caught fire from three-point range for BYU. The heralded freshman barely played against Kansas. He stayed ready for his moment against the Wildcats as he knocked down back-to-back threes. BYU 78, Arizona 77.
5:11 – Similar to what they did in Provo, Arizona began imposing their will on the glass in the second half. The Wildcats were (+8) to this point of the half at a 14-6 rebound advantage. BYU 80, Arizona 79.
3:19 – Keba Keita had two rim-rolling buckets in a game that continues to be back-and-forth with 18 lead changes. BYU 84, Arizona 83.
1:12 – BYU was brilliant in after-timeout play calls. Kevin Young designed a play for Trevin Knell that led to the sharpshooter getting a three-point attempt, which he knocked down. On the following possession, Caleb Love was fouled by Knell on a three-point attempt, where Love countered with three free throws.
Mawot Mag hit a corner three-pointer and Keba Keita got an offensive rebound putback. BYU 92, Arizona 88.
32.6 – With BYU holding a four-point lead, Caleb Love knocked down a three to trim BYU’s lead to one. BYU 94, Arizona 93.
25.2 – Arizona’s full-court pressure caused some close turnovers for BYU, forcing the Cougars into a timeout. BYU 94, Arizona 93.
13.0 – BYU’s Dallin Hall went to the line for a one-and-one and missed the front end. Caleb Love then was fouled on the opposite end and knocked down two free throws to give the Wildcats the lead. Arizona 95, BYU 94.
Final: BYU 96, No. 19 Arizona 95
Officials called a foul on Arizona’s Trey Townsend with 3.2 seconds remaining and Richie Saunders went to the line. He knocked down both free throws.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
