PROVO, Utah — In a thrilling matchup on Friday night, Egor Demin emerged as a standout performer for BYU, contributing 20 points to help secure an 86-80 victory against UC Riverside. Keba Keita made a significant impact as well, finishing the game with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

BYU entered halftime with a comfortable seven-point lead and extended it to a 56-39 advantage following an emphatic dunk by Kanon Catchings with just over 13 minutes remaining in the game. The Cougars maintained a commanding 16-point lead with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, displaying strong offensive prowess.

However, the Highlanders fought back, embarking on a 9-2 run that narrowed the score to 71-62 with about six minutes on the clock. UCR continued to push and managed to close the gap, consistently reducing the deficit to seven points in the final moments, highlighted by Nate Pickens converting two free throws to make it 81-74 with just over a minute to play.

With 15 seconds remaining, BYU momentarily increased their lead to eight points, thanks to Richie Saunders who made one of two free throws. Kaleb Smith responded for UCR with a three-pointer, cutting the score to 84-79 with seven seconds left. Nevertheless, BYU sealed the game with two free throws from Mihailo Boskovic, ultimately staving off any further comeback attempts.

In addition to Demin’s performance, Fousseyni Traore contributed 13 points, while Richie Saunders added 12 for the Cougars, who improved to a record of 2-0. Despite their victory, BYU struggled at times, shooting 53% overall but hitting only 6 of their 22 attempts from beyond the arc and converting 14 of their 26 free throw attempts.

On the other side of the court, Kaleb Smith led UC Riverside with 20 points, supported by Nate Pickens who scored 18 points. Both Barrington Hargress and Isaiah Moses chipped in with 16 points each for the Highlanders, who fell to 0-2 this season.