PROVO, Utah — Kailey Woolston and Lauren Gustin each recorded double-doubles as the tandem led BYU women’s basketball to a 59-44 win over Utah Valley on Tuesday night at the Marriott Center.
Woolston’s double-double came with 19 points and 10 rebounds while Gustin posted 13 points and 21 rebounds. Woolston shot 7-of-11 from the field including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. Gustin shared the ball to the tune of six assists.
Amari Whiting came up just shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds to go along with two steals. Emma Calvert brought valuable minutes off the bench for BYU with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting. The junior forward also added five rebounds and four blocks.
BYU shot 41 percent from the field as a team while holding the Wolverines to 29 percent. The Cougars knocked down seven of 20 triples and allowed just three from Utah Valley. BYU outrebounded its crosstown foe 55-27 including 18-5 on the offensive glass leading to a 13-2 advantage in second-chance points. The Cougars’ offensive production came in spite of 20 turnovers on the night.
First Quarter
BYU doubled-up Utah Valley 8-4 to start the game with Gustin and Woolston playing complementary basketball. Woolston buried a 3-pointer for the Cougars’ first field goal of the game. Gustin began her night with a score down low then found Woolston cutting baseline to the basket for the running lay-in on BYU’s ensuing possession.
Scores from Gustin and Davenport helped BYU to a 13-7 lead while the Cougar defense kept the Wolverines scoreless from the field for nearly four minutes.
Utah Valley worked its way back into the game over the last half of the quarter with aggressive defense forcing BYU turnovers and a 5-0 run on the offensive end.
Emma Calvert notched the Cougars’ third 3-pointer of the quarter in its waning seconds and gave BYU a 16-13 lead headed into the second.
Second Quarter
Utah Valley began the quarter coming within one of BYU at 16-15 before the Cougars responded with a 10-4 run. Whiting began the scoring surge with a triple followed by back-to-back buckets in the paint from Gustin. BYU extended its lead to 26-19 as Kaylee Smiler forced a Wolverine turnover and Whiting took advantage with the hoop and the harm on the other end.
Whiting’s witty defense put BYU back on the board after it stalled with a two-minute scoring drought halfway through the quarter. The freshman guard took the ball away from Utah Valley on back-to-back possessions and followed each play with scores in transition.
The Cougars continued to build on their 30-19 lead as they shared the ball in the halfcourt and remained stout on defense. Davenport drove to the hoop and passed out to Gustin for a lay-in to put BYU up 32-19. The following possession saw Woolston take a handoff from Gustin, drive and score with the left hand. BYU ended the half with air-tight defense as Emma Calvert blocked a Wolverine shot and the Cougar defense combined to force a shot clock violation.
Whiting and Gustin led BYU in the half with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Whiting complemented her scoring with four rebounds, two assists and two steals while Gustin added eight boards, three assists and a block.
The Cougars shot 47 percent from the field and 50 percent from distance in the half while holding Utah Valley to 35 percent from the field and scoreless from three. Both teams combined for 18 first-half turnovers.
Third Quarter
BYU struggled to regain its offensive footing out of the locker room, but a combination of aggressive defense and 3-point prowess from Woolston helped the Cougars maintain a double-digit lead throughout the period.
Two triples from Woolston and two blocks from Calvert rolled BYU’s lead to 41-25 during a three-minute scoreless stretch for the Wolverines. Calvert then made her presence felt on offense with scores on consecutive Cougar possessions before Woolston finished the quarter with another make from distance. BYU took a 48-32 lead into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
Scores from Woolston and Whiting gave BYU a 20-point lead to begin the quarter. The Cougars extended this to a game-high 23-point lead at 57-34 with scores from Calvert and Gustin while forcing six-straight empty possessions from Utah Valley. BYU iced its 59-44 win by holding the Wolverines under 24 percent from the field over the final two quarters.
BYU will play its next two games at the North Shore Showcase at the Cannon Activities Center in Laie, Hawaii. The Cougars’ first matchup in the multi-team event comes versus Wake Forest on Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. MST. Listen to live play-by-play of BYU and the Demon Deacons on BYU Radio 107.9 FM or BYU Radio.org/BYU Radio app.