BYU’s Balanced Attack Leads To Victory Over NC State In San Diego

BYU basketball didn’t let the heartbreak from the overtime loss to Ole Miss on Thanksgiving carry over to Black Friday.

On Friday, BYU defeated NC State 72-61 to earn third place in the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego.

Final: #BYU 72, NC State 61

– Nine BYU players scored, led by Richie Saunders with 13
– BYU had a (+13) rebounds margin
– 17 assists on 25 FG makes
– Held NC State to 37% shooting from the field#BYUHoops

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 29, 2024

It was a balanced effort from BYU’s entire roster as nine of the 10 players who checked into the game scored for the Cougars. The leading scorer was Richie Saunders, who scored 13 points behind perfect shooting from a three-point range (3-3).

BYU was all over the glass, outrebounding NC State 45-32.

Star guard Egor Demin grabbed 11 rebounds, scored eight points, and dished out four assists. Keba Keita also had nine rebounds.

The victory is BYU’s first against a power conference opponent under head coach Kevin Young.

BYU improves to 6-1 overall in the 2024-25 season. NC State falls to 5-2 and finishes fourth in the four-team tournament.

BYU earned victories over NC State in back-to-back seasons. Last year, BYU defeated the Wolfpack in Las Vegas.

First Half

15:28 — BYU’s offense started the game strong, with Dallin Hall knocking down two threes. BYU knocked down four of its first five three-point attempts as a team. BYU 14, NC State 6. 

11:54 — Egor Demin had a beautiful left-hand dunk to give BYU a double-digit lead. NC State’s Breon Pass hit a second-chance three-pointer, followed by a Mihailo Boskovic offensive foul. BYU 19, NC State 11.

9:22 — Dawson Baker dishes a wraparound pass and finds a wide-open Fousseyni Traore in the paint for an easy slam dunk. Trevin Knell picked off an NC State pass on the previous offensive possession and had a Euro step drive to the basket for BYU’s first fastbreak points. BYU 23, NC State 14

3:39 — Dawson Baker had back-to-back drives to the basket, forcing NC State coach Kevin Keatts to call a timeout. Baker looked explosive on his cuts to the hoop.

Earlier, BYU guard Trey Stewart gave the Cougars some solid contributions off the bench with an offensive rebound and some hustle plays. BYU 33, NC State 18.

Halftime: BYU shot 60% from three in the first half (6-10) and had seven players score, none of which included freshman Kanon Catchings. The Cougars finished the first half with nine turnovers.

BYU 38, NC State 27

Second Half

14:56 — BYU’s starting five of Hall, Demin, Saunders, Catchings, and Keita, playing in only their second start of the season, are starting to find their groove. The Cougars jumped out to a 14-2 run to open the second half.

Kanon Catchings got on the board for scoring with a pair of threes. BYU 52, NC State 32.

11:40 — Nine of BYU’s ten players who had checked in to this point of the game scored. Mihailo Boskovic joined in on the scoring, knocking down a tough three-pointer on the wing. BYU 58, NCSU 38.

9:38 — BYU’s passing has shined against NC State. To this point of the game, BYU had 16 assists on 23 field goal makes. BYU 62, NCSU 41.

7:56 — Kevin Young was displeased after BYU gave up a quick 5-0 NC State capped by a Trey Parker fastbreak layup. Young called a timeout. BYU 65, NCSU 46.

3:37 — BYU went five minutes without knocking down a field goal. They only knocked down one in their previous 12 attempts.

Keba Keita has been all over the glass on offensive rebounds to provide second and even third opportunities, but BYU hasn’t been able to knock them down. BYU 67, NCSU 52.

Final: BYU 72, NC State 61.

Up Next

BYU will travel to Providence, Rhode Island, to take on the Providence Friars on Tuesday, December 3, as part of the Big 12-BIG EAST Battle. Providence lost all three of its games in the Battle 4 Atlantis this week in the Bahamas.

Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. (MST) and will air on FS1 and KSL NewsRadio.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.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.

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