28 Fast-Break Points Carry No. 23 BYU Past Montana State 86-71 as Robert Wright III Scores 22
Robert Wright III scored 22 points as No. 23 BYU outscored Montana State 28-4 on the fast break and won 86-71 on Thursday at the Marriott Center in Provo.
Photo: BYU Athletics. Robert Wright III, official roster headshot. Card design: The Dyme.
No. 23 BYU beat Montana State 86-71 on Thursday night at the Marriott Center in Provo, and the Cougars did their damage in transition. BYU scored 28 fast-break points to Montana State's four and outscored the Bobcats 46-24 in the paint, per the ESPN box score. Robert Wright III led BYU with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, seven assists and five steals in 31 minutes. BYU moved to 4-0. Montana State fell to 1-2. Attendance was 17,561.
Wright's steals, BYU's runouts
BYU had 11 steals, five of them by Wright, and turned Montana State's 12 turnovers into 16 points, per ESPN. Wright scored three layups in the first eight minutes of the second half, at 16:45, 15:23 and 12:55, as the lead went from 43-29 at halftime to 65-46, by our count from the ESPN play-by-play.
Bruce Branch III scored 17 on 6-of-8 shooting. Jaxon Kohler went 5-of-5, including 2-of-2 from three, for 12 points and six rebounds. Collin Chandler added 11 with three threes. BYU shot 32-of-55 (58%).
Montana State won the three-point count
Montana State made 10 threes to BYU's nine, but it took 34 of them to get there. By our count from the ESPN box, BYU made 23 two-point baskets to Montana State's 17, a 12-point edge, and six more free throws, 13 to 7. Those 18 points, minus the Bobcats' three-point edge of three, make the 15-point margin.
BYU led for 99% of the game, and ESPN lists zero lead changes. The largest lead was 21, at 81-60 on Chandler's three at 4:43. Montana State outscored BYU 11-5 over the final 4:43, by our count from the play-by-play.
Montana State's side
Jeremiah Davis scored 14 on 5-of-7 shooting, and London Praytor added 14 off the bench. Christian King had 12 points and four assists. Cavin Holden had six assists but went 1-of-7 from the floor and 0-of-5 from three.
The box score, side by side
Full-game team numbers, per the ESPN box score:
| Category | BYU | Montana State |
|---|---|---|
| Field goals | 32-55 (58%) | 27-62 (44%) |
| 3-pointers | 9-22 | 10-34 |
| Free throws | 13-24 | 7-13 |
| Rebounds | 38 | 30 |
| Assists | 15 | 16 |
| Turnovers | 12 | 12 |
| Steals | 11 | 7 |
| Points in the paint | 46 | 24 |
| Fast-break points | 28 | 4 |
| Points off turnovers | 16 | 9 |
Half scoring, per the ESPN linescores:
| Half | BYU | Montana State |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 43 | 29 |
| 2nd | 43 | 42 |
| Final | 86 | 71 |
Sources:
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