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BYU holds off Baylor in overtime for Quad 1 win, 3rd straight victory


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PROVO — For the second time in three nights, a BYU fan drained a half-court shot for cash; this time, a student earned $1,000 in tuition after a female fan drained one for $10,000 over the weekend.

BYU's shooting was just as hot against Baylor.

Kanon Catchings poured in a career-high 23 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting with four 3-pointers as BYU held off Baylor 93-89 in overtime for the Cougars' first Quad 1 win of the season Tuesday night in front of 17,297 fans at the Marriott Center.

"Kanon Catchings was on fire tonight," Baylor coach Scott Drew said. "That guy deserves an extra water."

Richie Saunders added 17 points and six rebounds for the Cougars (14-6, 5-4 Big 12) in their third straight win, but first against a team ranked in the top 30 of the NCAA Evaluation Tool for a Quad 1 win at home.

But Catchings was the story of the night, even if the four-star freshman who prepped last year at Overtime Elite before following former coach Tim Fanning to Provo for what many presume is one year before potentially opting for the 2025 NBA draft wasn't alone.

Nights like Tuesday won't hurt that narrative, either.

"It definitely felt like it," BYU coach Kevin Young quipped when asked if Catchings' game was his breakthrough. "You don't miss a shot, I guess you can call that a breakout game. He was tremendous.

"He's had a couple of bumps in the road now, and he stayed the course."

With 32 scouts from 15 NBA teams credentialed for Tuesday's Big 12 showcase, the Cougars — as well as five-star freshman VJ Edgecombe from Baylor — put on a show.

The projected NBA draft first-round pick was as advertised, finishing with 28 points and five assists, knocking down six 3-pointers that included a pair of triples in the extra session to pull the Bears as close as 87-86.

But Egor Demin had 15 points and six assists, Trevin Knell added 11 points with three boards, and Fousseyni Traore supplied 7 points and five rebounds off the bench to help BYU hold on for arguably its biggest win of the season.

Knell took a handoff to the rack to cap a 10-0 run, and Catchings hit back-to-back 3-pointers to lift the Cougars to a 19-11 advantage only seven minutes in.

Catchings had 13 at the break, including three 3-pointers as BYU shot 60% from the field en route to a 44-36 halftime advantage.

Edgecombe had 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting to lead Baylor, which shot 44.8% from the field with six 3-pointers while being edged 15-12 on the glass. He was everything to be advertised — and then some — of a high-end draft prospect.

But BYU had some guys, too, including Catchings, who dropped his career game three nights after the Cougars' dropped 15 3-pointers in a win over Cincinnati — and with his mother Tauja and aunt Tamika in the crowd.

"I just didn't want to have a bad game when she was here," Catchings said of his 10-time WNBA all-star aunt, "especially because my mom was here."

Saunders paced a 7-2 spurt out of the half with a bucket, a steal and a dish to Demin for a 3-pointer. But the Bears wouldn't go away.

"Richie, he's a stud, man," Young said. "He's everything you want as a player."

Jayden Nunn flew through the paint to pull Baylor within a point, 65-64, after Keba Keita was dinged with his fourth foul for a 3-point play with 5:58 remaining.

Still, the Cougars did just enough to stay in front. From a 3-point play by Saunders to a chilly 3-pointer by Mawot Mag and a transition bucket by Demin, the Cougars clung to a one possession lead in the final minutes.

That was until Robert Wright III made a pair of free throws with 4.3 seconds left, capping a 6-0 spurt for the Bears to tie the game in the closing seconds before Dallin Hall's game-tying 3-pointer missed was too late and forced overtime.

BYU hits the road Saturday to face UCF (2 p.m. MST, ESPN+) before returning home next Tuesday, Feb. 4 for a late-night tipoff against Arizona (9 p.m. MST, ESPN2).

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