NEW YORK — The scoreboard at Madison Square Garden looked cruel for most of the night. BYU couldn’t buy a clean look, Clemson couldn’t miss, and the game felt like it was slipping away possession by possession.
Then everything flipped.
Freshman star AJ Dybantsa scored 22 of his season-high 28 points after halftime, and Robert Wright III buried a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lift No. 10 BYU to a 67-64 win over Clemson in the Jimmy V Classic on Dec. 9, 2025.
Clemson led 43-22 at halftime after ripping off a 21-0 run, and BYU later trailed by 22 points in the second half — a hole so deep it usually ends a night like this early. Instead, it became the largest comeback in BYU program history, according to game reports.
For 20 minutes, Clemson controlled the pace and the paint. The Tigers’ defense choked off BYU’s rhythm, and their run came fast: stops, rebounds, quick scores — and suddenly the Cougars were chasing a game that had turned ugly.
BYU went to the locker room down 21, searching for anything steady.
The comeback started with urgency, then grew into belief.
Dybantsa attacked like a player who didn’t care what the deficit said. He pushed the ball, hunted matchups, and finished through traffic. When Clemson sent extra help, he made passes that kept BYU alive long enough for the game to tighten.
Dybantsa finished with 28 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Wright added 17 points, while Keba Keita delivered timely defense with 10 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks.
Clemson, meanwhile, went cold after halftime. The Tigers shot 25.9% in the second half, and the open looks they found early became contested, uncomfortable attempts late.
BYU didn’t just climb back — it arrived at the final possession with a real chance to win.
The ending was frantic, the kind of final minute where every dribble feels too loud. Clemson had opportunities to close it out. BYU had chances to steal it earlier. Neither side landed the clean punch.
Then Wright did.
With the clock expiring, he launched a deep 3 that dropped at the horn. BYU’s bench erupted, the Garden roared, and Clemson was left staring at a comeback that had become a gut-punch.
Clemson was led by Jestin Porter’s 17 points, but the Tigers couldn’t find enough offense late to stop the tide.
Why this game matters for BYU (and for Dybantsa)
Neutral-site wins don’t always carry a lasting feel. This one will.
BYU didn’t win with a perfect plan or a quiet night. It won with resilience, defensive pressure, and a freshman who looked comfortable on the sport’s loudest kind of stage. The Cougars now have a signature result that travels well — a ranked win, on a major floor, under bright lights.
And for Dybantsa, it was a statement performance: not just points, but control. Not just highlights, but leadership when the game was slipping.
The Jimmy V Classic is played as part of a larger week honoring the late coach and broadcaster Jim Valvano and supporting cancer research through the V Foundation. The setting adds weight to the night, even before the ball goes up.
BYU and Clemson did the rest — turning a lopsided game into one of the season’s most memorable finishes.
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