Robert Wright III Scores 21 as No. 23 BYU Beats Queens 98-82

PROVO, Utah. Robert Wright III scored 21 points with six assists, and No. 23 BYU beat Queens 98-82 on Tuesday night at the Marriott Center. The Cougars improved to 3-0. The Royals fell to 2-2. The game tipped at 7 p.m. MT (9 p.m. ET) and was streamed on ESPN+ in front of 16,963.

Wright III went 9 of 19 from the field and 2 of 6 from 3-point range in 32 minutes, with four rebounds and one turnover. Jaxon Kohler had 15 points and eight rebounds, going 5 of 8 from the field and 3 of 3 from 3-point range. Bruce Branch III scored 15 points with six rebounds, and Nate Pickens added 15 points off the bench on 4 of 6 shooting, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range. Collin Chandler scored 12 points and had four steals. Jake Wahlin had seven points and six rebounds off the bench.

Rickey Ballard and Caleb Jones each scored 18 points for Queens. Ballard made 6 of 12 from 3-point range, and Jones went 4 of 8 from 3 off the bench. Avantae Parker had 16 points and eight rebounds, and Nasir Mann scored 14 points with seven assists. Jordan Watford finished with one point and seven assists. The Royals shot 41 percent from the field, 14 of 34 from 3-point range and 12 of 14 at the line.

Queens led twice in the opening minutes. After Branch opened with a dunk, Parker scored back-to-back layups for a 4-2 Royals lead, and Ballard's 24-foot 3 made it 9-7. BYU answered with a 10-0 run. Branch hit a 25-foot 3, Chandler dunked, Wright finished a driving layup, and Kohler knocked down a 22-foot 3 from Wright to make it 17-9.

The Cougars kept coming from deep. Wahlin and Brooks Bahr hit 3s, Betsey added a 26-foot 3, and Chandler and Kohler connected from 25 and 26 feet as BYU stretched the lead to 41-24. A closing burst made it 52-30: Wright hit a 24-foot 3, Pickens made two more from 23 feet, and Wright scored on a drive. That 22-point margin was the largest of the night. Queens scored the last six points of the half at the line, and BYU took a 54-42 lead into the break.

BYU shot 54 percent from the field, going 35 of 65, and made 17 of 37 from 3-point range. The Cougars scored 36 points in the paint, 18 on the fast break and 15 off turnovers, and they blocked eight shots. Queens had 24 points in the paint and 14 fast-break points. There were six lead changes. BYU led for 92 percent of the game, and Queens' largest lead was two.

The Royals cut it to 54-48 in the first 68 seconds of the second half on 3s from Ballard and Mann, and they were still within six at 59-53 after a Parker layup. BYU then scored 11 straight. Kohler had back-to-back tip-ins, Branch finished an and-1, Pickens added another, and Wahlin's 28-foot 3 made it 70-53. Queens kept making 3s, including three from Ballard in the second half alone, but the Cougars had an answer each time.

Wright scored on a driving layup and a 24-foot 3 to make it 82-65, and Betsey added a 23-foot 3 for an 85-65 lead. Mann and Ballard chipped away, and Isaiah Henry dunked to make it 92-78 with 3:41 left. Wright closed it with a driving layup at the 0:08 mark for the 98-82 final. BYU outscored Queens 44-40 after halftime.

The win kept BYU undefeated. BYU entered 2-0 after a 94-83 win over Ohio State at the Delta Center, where Wright III scored 35 points, and a 108-67 home win over Omaha in which he had 19. The Cougars moved up two spots to No. 23 in the AP poll on Monday, according to BYU's official release. Kevin Young's club, in his third season as head coach, entered 31-1 under him when shooting 50 percent or better from the field and 8-0 when making 15 or more 3-pointers, according to BYU's official preview. Tuesday's 54 percent night and 17 made 3s added to both marks. Wright III was named Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 27.0 points in the first two wins.

Queens entered 2-1 after a 103-98 win over Winthrop, a win at Loyola Marymount and a road loss at Oklahoma State. Grant Leonard's club was wrapping up a three-game road trip and was picked first in the preseason Atlantic Sun coaches' poll, according to Queens' official preview. Mann was named the ASUN Player of the Week on Monday.

Tuesday was the second meeting in the series. BYU won the first, 99-55, on Nov. 13, 2024, at the Marriott Center, according to both official previews. The Cougars now lead the series 2-0.

Tuesday was the third game of a four-game homestand. BYU hosts Montana State on Thursday at 7 p.m. MST (9 p.m. ET) at the Marriott Center. Queens hosts Wofford on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET at Curry Arena.

For the full numbers, see the ESPN box score (opens in a new tab) and play-by-play (opens in a new tab), plus BYU's game preview (opens in a new tab) and Queens' preview of the trip to Provo (opens in a new tab). Official recaps had not been posted at the time this story was published.

Sources: ESPN, BYU Athletics, Queens Athletics. More men's college basketball coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: BYU Photo / BYU Athletics (file photo from Nov. 6, 2026, vs. Omaha)