One shining moment: Dybantsa, BYU stunned by 11th-seeded Texas

PORTLAND, Ore. — AJ Dybantsa was on fire, but depth issues once again caught up with BYU men's basketball in possibly the final collegiate game of the freshman superstar's collegiate career.

Matas Vokietaitis totaled 23 points and 16 rebounds as 11th-seeded Texas trailed for less than 30 seconds of game time and pulled away for a 79-71 win over the sixth-seeded Cougars in an NCAA Tournament first-round game at the Moda Center.

Tramon Mark scored 19 points with four rebounds for Texas (20-14), who outrebounded BYU 40-31, including 16 offensive boards and a 7-0 advantage from the bench.

Dybantsa erupted for 35 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars, and nearly ignited a supernova in leading a comeback bid.

The five-star freshman who many project to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft in June shot 11-of-25 from the field, including 12-of-12 from the free-throw line, to go with eight rebounds in potentially his final game in a BYU uniform.

Dybantsa became the first freshman to score at least 30 points in an NCAA Tournament game since Davidson's Steph Curry dropped 30 against Maryland in 2007, according to ESPN.

Robert Wright III had 14 points and three assists for BYU (23-12) as the duo became the second-highest scoring tandem in a single season in program history, and the highest since Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery combined for 1,530 points in 2010-11.

The Longhorns led by as much as 17 in the second half before Dybantsa put the Cougars on his back, cutting the deficit as low as 70-64 with a 13-2 run with 4:08 remaining.

Playing next to Dybantsa has been a hero's tale for Wright — and the duo nearly added another tale Thursday night in the house that former Weber State star Damian Lillard built.

"He's a spectacular talent. It's amazing to see him go to work, even with 3-4 guys guarding him," Wright said. "He just makes it look effortless, like it's just a workout.

"We never gave up," he added, "and it's March. Comebacks happen all the time."

Wright drove inside to cut the deficit to four, 72-68 two minutes later. But Jordan Pope's 3-pointer moments later silenced the crowd on the next possession, and Texas used a 39-31 rebounding advantage that included 16 offensive boards to stay in front for good.

Ultimately, those boards — and the 16 second-chance points they provided — were the difference in the game, Wright noted.

Those second chances were ultimately what caused BYU coach Kevin Young to walk away "disappointed." Not with Dybantsa, with Wright or an offensive effort despite making just 4-of-22 3-pointers.

Aleksej Kostic had several open looks, but a 3-point ball that didn't fall until Kennard Davis Jr. got one to go with 8 seconds left in a 46-37 halftime deficit wasn't the final difference in an early exit and a second-round appearance.

It was the defense, Young said.

"The rebounding effort in the first half, for me, was unacceptable," he added. "It was very surprising. I got after the guys pretty good at halftime. But that's probably the thing that irks me more than anything."

Dybantsa and Wright combined to score 12 of the Cougars' first 14 points, and Kennard Davis Jr. tied the game at 17-17 on a 3-point play with 13:21 left in the half.

Dybantsa scored a game-high 20 points, including 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the first half. But Vokietaitis had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and the Longhorns held BYU without a 3-point make until Kennard Davis Jr. drained one with 8 seconds left in the half.

Still, Tramon Mark beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer to lift the Longhorns to a 46-37 halftime lead.

Mark had 8 points and two rebounds at the break, helping Texas to a 21-11 rebounding advantage with nine offensive rebounds — a key stat after the Longhorns finished plus-12 on the glass in a 2-point win over North Carolina State in Tuesday night's First Four.

But despite Dybantsa's heroic effort, another by Wright, and 17 combined points from Kostic and Davis, it wasn't enough to keep BYU from the earliest March exit in Young's second season.

Still, that wasn't the final feeling the former longtime NBA assistant felt standing underneath the Moda Center. Sure, there was the disappointment of the loss, and the potential hurt of not advancing further with a talent like Dybantsa.

But there was also pride, he said.

"This has been a tough year," Young said. "Given the cards that we've been, I'm proud of the group's stick-to-it-tiveness and their grit. I think they felt themselves coming together, and that was rewarding.

"Any time you're in this spot at the end of the season, it's a bit of a double-edged sword with the emotion. But that first half, it's hard to look past that."

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