No. 23 BYU cruises past Montana State for 86-71 win

PROVO, Utah — Rob Wright III had 22 points, seven assists and five steals to lead No. 23 BYU to an 86-71 victory over Montana State on Thursday.

Bruce Branch III had 17 points for the Cougars. Jaxon Kohler tallied 12 points and six rebounds. BYU (4-0) outscored Montana State 28-4 in fast-break points and had a 46-24 edge in the paint.

Jeremiah Davis and London Praytor led the Bobcats (1-2) with 14 points apiece. Christian King added 12 points.

BYU never trailed and used a 13-2 run to break open the game before halftime. Tyler Betsey fueled the run with a pair of layups and Jake Wahlin capped the run with a 3-pointer, giving the Cougars a 34-17 lead.

Montana State briefly cut the deficit to nine on a 3-pointer from Davis a minute into the second half. Branch drained back-to-back 3s to cut off the comeback attempt and put BYU up 49-34.

The Cougars go the lead up to 21 points, at 86-65 on Wright’s steal and layup with 1:50 left.

Dawson Baker made his season debut for BYU and finished with two points and two rebounds in eight minutes. Baker played in six games for the Cougars last season, averaging 7.5 points while shooting 47.4% from 3-point range, before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Miami.

Baker was a key contributor off the bench for BYU two seasons ago, averaging 7.5 points and shooting 38% from long distance while helping the Cougars reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011.

Up next

Montana State: Hosts Cal Poly on Sunday.

BYU: Hosts Northern Colorado on Wednesday.