BYU headed to Sweet 16 after 91-89 win over Wisconsin
DENVER (ABC4 Sports) – For the first time in 14 years, the BYU basketball team is headed to the Sweet 16.
Richie Saunders scored 25 points, while Trevin Knell added 14, as the Cougars held off a late run by Wisconsin to hold on for a 91-89 victory at Ball Arena in Denver.
BYU led by as many as 14 points in the second half, and the Cougars led by 11 with 6:21 to play before the Badgers made a run in the final minutes to close the gap to two points.
John Tonje scored 37 points for Wisconsin and had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. But Mawot Mag came up with a huge defensive stop on a drive by Tonje, whose baseline fadeaway fell short as the Cougars celebrated on the floor.
“We felt like we couldn’t stop them at all in the second half, and in that last timeout, man, we just looked each other in the eye and said all we’ve got to do is get one stop, that’s it,” BYU coach Kevin Young said.
Egor Demin had 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for BYU, while Keba Keita added 10 points and six boards.
6th-seeded BYU (26-9) will face the winner of tomorrow game between #2 seed Alabama and #7 seed Saint Mary’s in the Sweet 16 at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Thursday.
The Cougars raced out to a 47-36 lead at the half led by hot shooting from Saunders, Knell and Demin. Wisconsin never led in the game.
The Cougars kept their lead between six and 14 points for most of the second half, but things turned when officials ejected BYU guard Dawson Baker after ruling he intentionally elbowed Wisconsin’s Max Klesmit in the groin during a scrum in the corner with 3:11 left.
Tonje took over from there, making a 3, two free throws and a three-point play to trim the deficit to two. Wisconsin (27-10) got a BYU miss with 13.5 seconds left, then worked the ball to Tonje, but with Mag draped all over him, the senior never got a good look.
The third-seeded Badgers became the first Big Ten team to lose in the tournament where the conference started 10-0.
BYU made 12 of 26 three-pointers, and shot 49.2 percent from the field overall.
Dawson Baker scored eight points, while Trey Stewart added seven as BYU’s bench outscored Wisconsin’s bench, 24-3.
This is the first time since the days of Jimmer Fredette, who was at tonight’s game, that BYU has advanced this far in the NCAA Tournament. BYU has reached the Elite 8 once, in 1981 led by Danny Ainge.
“You watched the game and you’re kind of like, ‘How did we get to a two-point game here, you know?’” Fredette said. “But look, I think that describes this team.”
This story will be updated.
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