In a dominant start to their Big 12 Conference campaign, BYU secured a resounding 76-56 victory against Arizona State on Tuesday, with Richie Saunders emerging as the standout performer.
Saunders recorded a personal best of 30 points, showcasing his shooting prowess by converting 11 of his 18 attempts, which included six successful 3-pointers. He also added 2 of 3 from the free-throw line, leading the Cougars to their fourth consecutive win. Notably, he became the first BYU player since Alex Barcello to reach the 30-point mark in nearly three years.

Kanon Catchings contributed significantly as well, hitting three shots from beyond the arc to finish with 11 points, while Keba Keita provided solid support with nine points and ten rebounds. On the other side, BJ Freeman led the Sun Devils with 11 points in their losing effort.

The Cougars set the tone early by racing to an 11-2 lead, with Saunders scoring eight of those points. As the first half progressed, he hit three 3-pointers to help BYU take a 31-26 advantage into halftime. Arizona State struggled offensively, shooting just 32.3% from the field and managing to make only two of their 15 attempts from long range before the break.

BYU kicked off the second half with impressive momentum, launching into a 9-0 run that pushed their lead to 12 points. The Cougars maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.

Looking ahead, BYU is set to face No. 14 Houston on Saturday, while Arizona State will welcome Colorado to their home court that same day.