• Richie Saunders scored 23 points, including crucial free throws, securing BYU’s 96-95 victory over No. 19 Arizona.
• BYU’s win marks their fourth consecutive victory and first back-to-back Top 25 wins since 1988.
• Controversial officiating was criticized, but Arizona’s coach emphasized defensive shortcomings as the main issue.

PROVO — Richie Saunders pulled out the flamethrower Saturday night at No. 19 Arizona, but no shot of his was bigger than the two free throws he calmly knocked down in front of a berzerk Wildcat fan base in the closing seconds.

The junior from Riverton poured in 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including the game-winning free throws with less than three seconds left, to lift BYU to a stunning 96-95 win over No. 19 Arizona at the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona.

Kanon Catchings added 14 points for the Cougars (19-8, 10-6 Big 12), who beat back-to-back Associated Press Top 25 opponents for the first time since 1988 — and could move into a position for their own ranking for the first time since March after a fourth consecutive win.

BYU already moved up four spots to No. 26 at KenPom.com after Saturday’s results. The Big 12 has seven teams in the top 30 of the predictive rankings, including Arizona, which dropped to No. 12.

“We just talked about stacking days, stacking wins,” BYU graduate senior Trevin Knell told BYU Radio after scoring 9 points with a pair of rebounds and assists. “We’ve been on this roller coaster, and I feel like we’re hitting our stride at the right time.

“This is a huge statement win for us.”

Egor Demin supplied 13 points and eight assists for BYU, and Mawot Mag scored 11 for the 7.5-point underdogs just four days removed from a home win over then-No. 23 Kansas.

In this one, the Cougars shot 55% from the field, including 14-of-31 from 3-point range, while adding 22 points off 14 Arizona turnovers.

Sure, there was the call by the crew of Tony Padilla, Antonio Petty and Justin Shamion that injected itself into the final seconds — and ultimately the final points — of Saturday’s game between two of the top-six teams in the Big 12.

And it was a bad call, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said after the game. The former Gonzaga assistant didn’t shy away from criticizing the call, adding that “you hate for a game to be decided” by that call.

But he also said the Wildcats shouldn’t have been in the position to make it matter.

Undoubtedly, that included scoring just 10 points off BYU’s nine turnovers, out-performing the Cougars just 40-36 in the paint despite a significantly large lineup, and allowing the game to come down to the final possession despite five double-figure scorers led by Caleb Love and Tobe Awake, who had 14 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a block.

And the defense? BYU’s 96 points Saturday night were the most by a visiting team at the McKale Center since Dec. 28, 2009, according to ESPN — the last time the Cougars played in Tucson, when Jimmer Fredette poured in 49 points in a 99-69 win.

Some 258 games later, history (kind of) repeated itself.

“It’s the Big 12; that’s what I’m told,” Lloyd said. “And the guy who called it is one of the best refs, so we’ve got to live with it.

“But step back: They scored (94 other) points on our home court; that’s the problem. Me and my staff, my players, that’s the problem; not the officials. It would’ve been great to steal a victory if they don’t call that. But still, don’t put yourself in that position; that’s the problem.”

Love did all he could down the stretch for the Wildcats (18-9, 12-4 Big 12), finishing with a game-high 27 points and five assists.

That included calling his own number on back-to-back possessions, taking it to the rack to give Arizona an 83-82 lead with 4:18 to go.

But BYU didn’t wilt, keeping the lead into the final three minutes. Catchings had four 3-pointers, Denim found a couple of lobs to Keba Keita, who finished with 8 points, and Knell had a deep 3-pointer that stretched the lead to 4 late.

Four nights after a 34-point victory over the Jayhawks, BYU was staring down the barrel of another top-25 upset in a game that featured 11 ties, 20 lead changes and 24 minutes, 38 seconds of the visitors in front.

“If you were at home watching that one on TV, it was probably good entertainment,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “Big shot after big shot, big play after big play. I’m just happy that we could get out of here on the winning side.”

Arizona went scoreless from the field for more than three minutes but pulled within 92-90 when Love made a pair of foul shots and refused to let the Wildcats go away.

Another moment followed, when Love rushed down court for a 3-pointer with 33 seconds to go. The senior who started his collegiate career at North Carolina took over down the stretch — even when his shots were waved off.

That was the case with 13 seconds to go, when Love’s go-ahead drive to the rim was waved off with a foul before Love put Arizona ahead with a pair of free throws.

He left just enough time for Saunders, who found space on the baseline and drove to the rim — only to hear a referee’s whistle against Trey Townsend that set up the game-winning free throws with three seconds to go under a cloud of controversy and a raucous crowd that spilled over into a mid-court altercation after the final buzzer.

“I give him two thumbs up,” Knell said of Saunders. “Richie’s just a solid competitor. He brings it every single day, and it’s awesome to see his hard work paying off.”

The Cougars stay on the road to face Arizona State at 7:30 p.m. MST Wednesday night, when Arizona hosts Utah.

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