PROVO, Utah (AP) — AJ Dybantsa scored 43 points to break BYU's freshman scoring record, leading the No. 13 Cougars to a 91-78 victory over Utah on Saturday.
Dybantsa went 15 for 24 from the floor and 9 for 10 from the free throw line for his first 40-point game. He surpassed Danny Ainge's record for points in a game by a BYU freshman and added six rebounds, three assists and blocked a shot.
Rob Wright III finished with 21 points and Richie Saunders added 12 to help the Cougars (17-2, 5-1 Big 12) bounce back from an 84-71 loss to Texas Tech a week earlier. BYU shot 60% in the second half to pull away in its final test before facing No. 1 Arizona on Monday.
Keanu Dawes led Utah with 23 points and six rebounds. Terrence Brown chipped in 22 points and Dom McHenry added 16 for the Utes (9-11, 1-6), who shot 62% from 3-point range.
Dybantsa drove for a layup to cap a 14-3 run that gave BYU a 69-56 lead with 9:56 left. Saunders fueled the run with back-to-back layups and a pair of free throws over three straight possessions.
Dybantsa scored four baskets over five possessions — a dunk and three 3-pointers — to extend the Cougars’ lead to 87-68 with 3:12 left.
McHenry had four baskets to fuel a 16-7 spurt that put Utah up 28-26 with 6:56 left in the first half. The Utes made seven straight baskets to erase a seven-point deficit after starting 0 for 7 from the field.
BYU scored on four of its final six possessions to take a 42-37 halftime lead. Dybantsa started and ended the run with baskets.
Utah: Hosts Oklahoma State on January 31st.
BYU: Hosts No. 1 Arizona on Monday.
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Utah guard Terrence Brown, center left, has his shot blocked by BYU center Keba Keita, center right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)
MILAN (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will have a security role during the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games, according to information shared with local media by sources at the U.S. Embassy in Rome. The Associated Press independently confirmed the information with two sources at the embassy.
The sources who confirmed ICE participation on Tuesday said that federal ICE agents would support diplomatic security details and would not run any immigration enforcement operations.
During previous Olympics, several federal agencies have supported security for U.S. diplomats, including the investigative component of ICE called Homeland Security Investigations, the sources said. They could not be named because they are not authorized to speak publicly.
Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala said that ICE would not be welcome in his city, which is hosting most ice sports during the Feb. 6-22 Winter Games.
"This is a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips. It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt,'' Sala told RTL Radio 102 before ICE's deployment to the Games was confirmed.
ICE's role had been reported over the weekend by the Italian daily il Fatto Quotidiano, prompting conflicting statements from Italian authorities who did not want to appear to confirm the agency's role.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said Saturday he had not received confirmation of ICE's deployment, but added that "I don't see what the problem would be,'' the news agency ANSA reported.
The Interior Ministry on Tuesday repeated that the U.S. has not confirmed the makeup of its security detail but insisted that “at the moment there are no indications that ICE USA will act as an escort to the American delegation."
U.S. Vice President JD Vance will lead a delegation attending the Feb. 6 opening ceremony. The delegation will also include second lady Usha Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the White House announced earlier this month.
The confirmation of ICE's role in Olympic security comes after RAI state TV aired video Sunday of ICE agents threatening to break the glass on the vehicle of a RAI crew reporting in Minneapolis, where ICE operations have sparked mass demonstrations. In the past three weeks, federal officers in Minneapolis have shot and killed two protesters against deportations and immigration enforcement.
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AP writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed.
FILE - Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi waits for U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, at the Viminale Interior Ministry headquarters, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Rome. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool, File)
FILE - This photo shows the snowboarding and freestyle skiing events which will take place during the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti, File)
