The No. 16 BYU Cougars extended their season-long slide Saturday in Provo with a 77-66 loss to the No.8  University of Houston Cougars.

Houston came out on a quick 7-2 run, with BYU unable to penetrate through the physical pressure from Houston.

BYU’s early struggles with the ball were lessened when they let freshman AJ Dybantsa handle the ball and be a playmaker.

Late in the first half, Dybantsa hit a pair of free throws to give him 13. However, BYU gave up a deflating tip-in to junior Joseph Tugler with two seconds to go.

After 20 minutes, Houston led BYU 37-31.

Freshman Chris Cenac Jr. had a big first half for Houston, pouring in 12 points on 62 percent shooting.

BYU cut into that deficit, even grabbing a 48-46 lead midway through the half when sophomore Robert Wright III hit a contested layup.

Freshman Kingston Flemings proceeded to turn it on down the stretch for Houston, refusing to allow his team to lose.

In their time of greatest need Saturday night, Houston turned to their freshman duo of Cenac Jr. and Flemings. Much like BYU does with its star freshman Dybantsa.

With just under six minutes to play, BYU gave up another second-chance bucket off an offensive rebound. The inability to rebound plagued several offensive possessions for BYU.

With Houston clinging to a single-digit lead late, Flemings and senior Emanuel Sharp maintained great composure. 

This composure really displayed itself on the free-throw line as Houston made seven of their last nine from the line to ice the game. 

One of the many marks of a good team is free-throw efficiency. 

Houston shot 12-15 on the night, good for an 80 percent average. BYU, on the other hand, was 16-28 from the line, giving them an average of 57 percent.

BYU got within four points several times in the final minutes. However, Houston hit high-pressure shots and grabbed key offensive rebounds to make sure BYU got no closer than four.

In the end, Houston picked up a huge road win over BYU by a final score of 77-66. Dybantsa led all scorers in this game with 28 points, while Flemings had a team-high 19 for Houston.

BYU fought hard Saturday night. They did not back down from Houston, despite BYU only leading for 2:05 of the game time. 

BYU Head Coach Kevin Young doesn’t know why his team is struggling to finish games recently. 

“You know, we had another great opportunity that we let go, which is unfortunately for us, has been too many against the highest of caliber teams in the country,” Young said. “We can't seem to finish the job, and that's disappointing.”

With that in mind, here are a few of the biggest takeaways moving forward for BYU.

Proactive, not reactive

Houston was able to be the first to the ball on rebounds, both offensively and defensively, all night. It seemed every 50/50 ball went the way of Houston.

BYU gave a valiant effort, but it is hard to win when they give up those untimely offensive rebounds.

Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson spoke about his guys being just a step faster Saturday night. 

“I think our being proactive and getting to our spots early and then reacting on the ball when it was thrown out,” Sampson said. 

That proactivity will give fits to any team Houston plays going forward. 

For BYU, learning to play proactively will go a long way in getting them out of this rut they are in.

Taking the challenge

In closely contested games between two top teams, like Saturday was, the games are often decided by the thinnest of margins.

Rebounding, contested shot-making, and free throws are three of those areas that came back to bite BYU lately. 

“One-on-one, battles is what it looked like from the sideline… It felt like, you know, we had our chances and didn't capitalize,” said Young.

In the final seven minutes, BYU gave up six offensive rebounds, leading to seven second-chance points for Houston. 

Time and time again in the closing minutes, Dybantsa knocked down a miraculous shot for BYU, only to have it answered by Sharp or Flemings.

So much of late-game execution is stringing together consecutive buckets and defensive stops, a combination that eluded BYU Saturday night.

Lack of help for stars

Where Houston pulled away from BYU Saturday was their scoring depth. 

Houston had four of their five starters score in double figures, while BYU saw just Dybantsa and Wright go over the 10-point mark.

Specifically, Dybantsa had a remarkably efficient night from the floor, going 9-14 from the field, including 75 percent from beyond the arc.

Coach Sampson mentioned postgame that much of Houston’s gameplan was focused on containing BYU senior Richie Saunders.

Saunders was off all night, going just 1-8 from the field and 1-6 from deep. On the night, Saunders was a -18. 

Adding to that, senior Keba Keita and sophomore Abdullah Ahmed were a combined 3-10 from the field, meaning the two big men missed seven layups or dunks. 

Between the seven misses at the rim and 12 missed free throws, BYU left 26 free points on the floor Saturday. Against a stingy defensive team like Houston, taking advantage of every opportunity is crucial. 

Looking forward, BYU now must find a way to move past its struggles as they fly to Waco, Texas, for a matchup against a desperate Baylor University Bears team. 

That game is Tuesday at 5 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.