Robert Wright III had 23 points and AJ Dybantsa added 20 for BYU. Saunders tied his career high with 14 rebounds as the Cougars (15-1, 3-0 Big 12) won their 12th straight game.

Terence Brown scored 25 points for Utah but turned the ball over in the corner with 8.9 seconds left when his team had a chance to tie. Saunders was fouled and clinched the game with two free throws.

Don McHenry had 21 points for the Utes (8-8, 0-3), who have lost three in a row but never let BYU relax in this rivalry game.

After the Utes drew to 81-80, Wright scored four points and assisted on Keba Keita’s layup — but missed a shot that left it a one-possession game.

The Cougars went on a 12-2 run to start the second half. Saunders had six points during the surge and his reverse layup made it 57-45 with 15:43 to play.

Keanu Dawes’ thunderous dunk gave Utah a 24-20 lead with 9:29 left in the first half. BYU responded with a 9-0 spurt, punctuated by Wright’s 3-pointer, and finished the period ahead 45-43.

The schools are separated by 45 miles and there were almost as many Cougars fans as Utes supporters in the sellout crowd. At halftime, new Utah football coach Morgan Scalley introduced his staff through chants from BYU fans and then said, “This is the best rivalry in the nation” to which all fans could cheer.

The Cougars are 9-0 when Saunders scores 20 or more.

Dybantsa has nine straight 20-point games, second-most for a Big 12 freshman behind former Oklahoma guard Trae Young.

Up next

BYU hosts TCU on Wednesday.

Utah visits No. 14 Texas Tech on Wednesday.