Richie Saunders had her first career double-double with 17 points and 14 returns when Byu defeated Kansas State 80-65 in a battle at Big 12 Middle-of-Pack-team Saturday night in Provo, Utah.
Byu won for the seventh time in ten matches. The loss snapped a sex game winning line for Kansas State.
Cougars (17-8, 8-6 Big 12) got a season high 16 points from Dallin Hall and 11 from colleague Foussey Traore. Keba Keita had nine points, 11 returns and a pile of career five blocks.
Kansas State (13-12, 7-7), which went 1 in 19 from 3-point intervals in Tuesday’s victory over Arizona, made their first 3-point attempts before missing their last nine attempts during the first half. They finished 6 out of 21 from long reach.
Wildcats were led by Dug McDaniel with 22 points. Brendan Hausen added 12.
After Kansas State scored the first five points in the second half, Byu ran out of nine straight to take its biggest lead at 49-27.
Wildcats went on an 18-4 run to trim the deficit to 53-45 with 10:48. But Saunders responded with a reverse arrangement to start a 10-2 run that stretched back to double digits.
Wildcats never came back within individual numbers the rest of the way.
Byu jumped out quickly. Cougars used a 15-2 run to turn a one-point deficit into a 26-12 lead with 11:16 left during the first half. Cougars held the lead in double numbers for most of the rest of the half.
Both teams became Kalla for a combined 4:47 of speechless action before Hall made a driving arrangement to extend the BYU management to 34-20. The lead grew to 38-20 before David N’Guessan got Wildcats back on the scoreboard. Cougars took the lead 40-22 into the dressing room when Kansas State missed 11 of his last 12 shots.
Saunders and Traore led Cougars with 10 points during the first half. Wildcats were led by McDaniel with seven.
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