KISSIMMEE, Fla. — It’s become a recurring theme of sorts for BYU thus far in the young season.

The Cougars appear underwhelming to start the night, going into halftime trailing by a few points. They then open the second half on a heater, swiping the lead back and securing a victory.

Such was the case Friday night, as No. 9-ranked BYU rallied out of halftime and withstood late drama to defeat Dayton 83-79 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Florida, capturing the ESPN Events Invitational championship in the process.

After Dayton went into intermission with a 4-point advantage and hit a 3-pointer immediately out of halftime, the Cougars then orchestrated a 15-0 stretch to begin a 26-4 run.

It was the second such development in as many days for BYU, who fell b

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