Richie Saunders scored 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help No. 9 BYU earn an 83-79 win over Dayton in the ESPN Events Invitational championship in Kissimmee, Fla., on Friday.

Robert Wright III added 23 points and six assists while freshman AJ Dybantsa scored 18 for the Cougars (6-1), who overcame a 10-point first-half deficit.

Javon Bennett led Dayton (6-2) with 22 points, while Bryce Heard followed with a career-high 16 points off the bench and Amael L'Etang scored 13. De'Shayne Montgomery totaled 11 points and eight rebounds in the loss.

Montgomery's 3-pointer on Dayton's first possession of the second half gave Dayton a 39-30 lead but BYU answered with a 15-0 run, capped by Keba Keita's three-point play. Montgomery's jumper stopped the bleeding, but Kennard Davis Jr.'s layup

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