PROVO, Utah — Double-doubles from Lexi Eaton Rydalch and Kalani Purcell led BYU to its seventh win in a row with a 75-61 victory over Loyola Marymount at the Marriott Center on Thursday night for its seventh-consecutive win.
"It was a great win tonight," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. "I thought we played really well and got good leads not once, not twice, but three times. You've got to give Loyola Marymount a lot of credit for not backing down."
BYU (15-4, 7-1 West Coast Conference) beat Loyola Marymount (7-12, 3-5 WCC) in second chance points 14 to eight and in fast break points, 12 to four.
Rydalch scored 28 points and grabbed 11 boards for her second double-double of the year. She also dished out four assists. Purcell had 18 points and 16 rebounds, good for her ninth double-double. Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher also scored in double digits this game with 15 points.
Purcell got the scoring started for BYU in the first period, scoring in the opening minute. She connected on a shot again to make it 6-5 at the 6:52 mark. With 3:49 left in the period, Rydalch broke a tie to take the 13-11 lead after fighting for the offensive board and putting it back up for a layup. BYU had a 20-13 lead after the first 10 minutes. Rydalch and Purcell combined for 18 of the Cougars 20 first-period points.
The second period saw more fight from the Lions. BYU worked to extend its lead early on in the period, making its way to the charity stripe multiple times. Both Rydalch and Pulsipher both completed consecutive three-point plays to push the lead to 33-19 with 4:08 until the break.
Loyola Marymount then went on to score nine unanswered points to close out the half, holding BYU scoreless for the final four minutes. The Cougars had a 33-29 lead at the break led by double-digit scoring from Rydalch and Purcell with 15 and 13, respectively.
A three from Rydalch pushed the lead back to double digits, 40-29, with 7:12 to go in the third period. The Cougars went on a 7-0 run over two minutes to keep the Lions at a distance. A jump shot from Pulsipher with 1:30 on the clock capped off the run, making the lead 49-33. BYU had a 51-36 lead to end the third period.
Cassie Broadhead scored the first four points of the fourth period for BYU, the last bucket coming from a breakaway layup to push the lead to 58-38 with 7:50 remaining in the game. LMU made two 3-pointers in a row, but Pulsipher made a quick layup to stop the run, getting the lead back up to 62-46 with 5:50 to play.
A couple of treys from Pulsipher in the last three minutes, including one with 54 seconds to play, sealed the 75-61 win for BYU.
The Cougars will finish their four-game home stand on Saturday against Pepperdine at 2 p.m. MST. The game will be televised live on BYUtv and will be broadcast on BYU Radio on Sirius XM 143. Live stats will be available on the BYU women's basketball schedule page.
Postgame Notes
The Cougars took a four-point lead, 33-29, into halftime. BYU shot 33.3 percent from the field to LMU's 40.6 percent. Through 20 minutes of action, the Cougars went 9 for 12 from the charity stripe while the Lions went 2 for 3 from the line.
BYU finished the game winning the rebound battle 51 to 40 while also dishing out 19 assists to LMU's 11. With their 51 rebounds, the Cougars recorded a new season-high. The Lions ended the contest shooting 36.4 percent from the field to the Cougars' 35.7 percent. BYU turned the ball over 18 times while LMU gave away the ball 21 times and the Cougars scored 18 points off of turnovers to the Lions 15.
Through 40 minutes of play, BYU scored 34 points in the paint, while LMU had 30 points in the paint. The Cougars scored 14 second chance points and 12 fast break points while LMU scored eight and four, respectively. The Cougars finished the game shooting 20 for 25 from the line while the Lions shot 8 for 10. BYU led for 34:36 minutes of the game.
For the ninth time this season, three players scored in double figures: Rydalch (28), Purcell (18), Pulsipher (15).
The Cougars are now 13-0 on the year when leading at halftime and 12-0 when they dish out more assists than their opponent. BYU is currently 6-0 in January, and has won seven straight contests. The Cougars have not lost at home this season.
Player Notes
Lexi Eaton Rydalch had eight first period points. Rydalch went into halftime with a game-high 15 points, going 5 for 10 from the field. She ended the contest with a game-high 28 points and tied her season best in rebounds with 11 to record her second double-double of the season. She also tied for a game-high four assists and three steals. With her 28 points, Rydalch has now scored 20+ points in 14 games this season. Rydalch currently ranks ninth in the points per game category in the NCAA and needs eight more points to tie Jackie Beene McBride for third place in most points scored in BYU history.
Kalani Purcell started the game strong scoring 10 first period points and recording three rebounds. Purcell finished the half with 13 points and seven rebounds. Finishing the game with a new career-high 18 points and a game-high 16 rebounds, Purcell recorded her ninth double-double of the year. She also tied for game highs in assists with four and had two steals in the game.
Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher scored in double figures for the 12th time this season with 15 points. Pulsipher also recorded one rebound, assist and steal.
Amanda Wayment finished the game with eight rebounds. Her fourth game with eight or more rebounds this season.
Cassie Broadhead scored four points against the Lions, had two rebounds and recorded a game-high four assists.