NEW YORK (AP) — Robert Wright III made a 3-pointer as time expired after AJ Dybantsa scored 22 of his season-high 28 points in the second half, and No. 10 BYU stormed back from a 22-point deficit to beat Clemson 67-64 on Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic.
The Cougars (8-1) lost a six-point lead in the final 70 seconds but completed the comeback when Wright took an inbounds pass from Mihailo Boskovic and sank a long 3 from the right side.
After trailing by 21 at halftime and 44-22 with 18 1/2 minutes remaining, BYU pulled off the largest second-half comeback in school history.
Dybantsa surpassed his previous high of 25 in the Cougars’ two-point loss to UConn on Nov. 15 in Boston. The freshman sensation shot 9 for 17 and highlighted the biggest night of his college career so far with a one-handed dunk from the middle of the lane that put BYU up 62-56 with 1:10 left.
After his thunderous slam, Clemson rallied, and a layup by Dillon Hunter tied it at 64 with 5 seconds remaining.
Wright added 17 points and Keba Keita contributed 10 on four dunks, including a slam that led to an uneven rim and caused a nearly 20-minute delay with 11:40 left and BYU trailing by nine.
Jestin Porter paced Clemson (7-3) with 17 points but the Tigers were outscored 45-21 in the second half. RJ Godfrey added 13 and Efrem Johnson had 10 as Clemson shot 36.2% overall, including 25.9% after halftime.
BYU shot 40.3% and overcame an off night from Richie Saunders, who was held to five points. Saunders shot 2 for 11 and missed all seven 3-point tries.
Dybantsa was 2 for 6 in the first half, when the Cougars allowed a 21-0 run. But the forward hit an array of difficult shots to fuel the comeback.
Porter sparked Clemson’s big run, including a shot that rolled in as the shot clock expired. That helped the Tigers take a 43-22 halftime lead after there were eight ties in the opening 13 minutes.
Up next
Clemson: Hosts Mercer on Saturday.
BYU: Hosts UC Riverside on Saturday.
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