Richie Saunders scores 26 as No. 9 BYU gets 1st win over ranked foe, beating No. 23 Wisconsin 98-70

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Richie Saunders made five 3-pointers and scored 26 points to lead No. 9 BYU to a 98-70 victory over No. 23 Wisconsin on Friday.

AJ Dybantsa added 18 points and six rebounds to help the Cougars (4-1) earn their first victory over a ranked opponent this season. Rob Wright III added 10 points and his 11 assists were three more than Wisconsin had as a team.

Nick Boyd led Wisconsin with 16 points. Nolan Winter had 14 points and 14 rebounds, and John Blackwell and Braeden Carrington scored 14 apiece for the Badgers.

Wisconsin struggled with prolonged shooting droughts, shooting just 32% from the field before halftime. The Badgers missed eight straight baskets over a 5 1/2-minute stretch and then had five consecutive misses over a three-minute span.

BYU took advantage. The Cougars used a 13-0 run fueled by 3-pointers from Saunders, Wright and Tyler Mrus to take an 18-6 lead.

Carrington made a pair of 3-pointers to trim the deficit to single digits. BYU responded with a 16-4 run. Back-to-back baskets from Dybantsa and a steal and dunk by Khadim Mboup put the Cougars up 34-18.

Wisconsin cut the deficit to single digits after Dybantsa picked up his fourth foul just 2:10 into the second half, pulling with 56-49 on Winter’s putback.

Saunders ended the rally with a layup and then made four 3-pointers to fuel a 31-9 run, extending the Cougars' lead to 87-58 with 4:32 left. The Badgers scored only nine points over a 10-minute stretch.

Wisconsin faces Providence in the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego on Thanksgiving Day.

BYU faces Miami in the ESPN Events Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on Thanksgiving Day.

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