No. 20 BYU earns first-ever Big 12 Tournament win in wire-to-wire victory over UCF

KANSAS CITY, Mo.– BYU basketball ensured the third time wasn’t the charm for UCF in the Big 12 Tournament.

The 20th-ranked Cougars defeated UCF 87-73 in a wire-to-wire victory.

It’s BYU’s first-ever win at the Big 12 Tournament.

BYU jumped on UCF early, building a 21-3 lead. They never trailed in the wire-to-wire victory despite the best efforts from UCF guard Darius Johnson, who scored 32 points, one shy of a career-high to lead all scorers.

But BYU’s balanced attack proved too much for UCF as eight players for BYU scored at least eight points.

BYU’s leading scorer was Fousseyni Traore with 14 points.

First Half: BYU jumps out to a fast start over UCF in Big 12 tourney

16:54 – One of the best starts you’ll ever find from a BYU basketball team in any tournament game. BYU hit three 3-pointers out of the gates to build an early lead on the UCF Knights.

The Cougars also got a free possession after UCF big man Ibrahima Diallo threw an elbow at Dallin Hall’s face. BYU 11, UCF 0.

One of the best starts from a #BYU team in a tournament game.

Cougs up 11-0 forcing Johnny Dawkins to burn a timeout at the 16:54 mark of the first half.#BYUHoops #Big12

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 13, 2024

The Cougars also got a free possession after UCF big man Ibrahima Diallo threw an elbow at Dallin Hall’s face. BYU 11, UCF 0.

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