PORTLAND — Lexi Eaton Rydalch, Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher and Kalani Purcell scored in double figures, Thursday, to lift No. 22 BYU over Portland, 84-59, for the team's 16th straight win.
"I thought we played a great first half," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. "We moved the ball very well. This was a solid win and a great team effort. I thought Kylie had a great game, offensively and defensively. Our bench players also gave us some good minutes. Cassie, Kristine, Amanda and Micaelee played a great game."
BYU's (24-4, 16-1) 16-game win streak makes for the longest streak in BYU women's basketball history. Rydalch led all scorers with 27 points. She also added six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Pulsipher contributed 13 points, going 4 of 7 from the 3-point line. She also had three rebounds, two steals and one assist.
Purcell chipped in 12 points as well as grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. Kylie Maeda finished the game with nine points, a game-high six assists and three steals, and four rebounds.
The Cougars struck first as Rydalch and Pulsipher hit back-to-back 3-point field goals to give BYU the 6-0 early lead. BYU extended its lead to seven, 11-4, as Rydalch fed Maeda on the break for a layup.
After a Portland (3-25, 1-16) timeout midway through the first period, the Pilots cut the Cougar lead to three, 11-8. BYU closed out the first period on an 11-0 run to take the 25-12 lead into the second 10 minutes of action.
BYU continued its run extending its lead to 22, 34-12, as teams opened the second period. The run was fueled by six straight points from Rydalch and a 3-pointer from Purcell. At the 5:26 mark, Micaelee Orton hit a baseline jumper to increase the Cougar lead to 24, 38-14.
The Cougars continued to push the ball up the court and make shots off the break. Midway through the second, Maeda, Pulsipher and Broadhead all hit 3-point field goals on three straight Cougar possessions to give BYU the 47-18 lead. The Cougars took the 51-20 lead into halftime. BYU’s 51 points is the most points the Cougars have scored in the first half this season.
In the first half, BYU shot 8 of 13 from behind the arc, shooting 61.5 percent from the 3-point line. BYU went into the half shooting a hot 55.3 percent from the field, while Portland shot 36.0 percent. The Cougars led the Pilots in fast break points 10 to 0.
Rydalch led all scorers going into halftime with 16 points, going 7 of 12 from the field. Maeda, who added nine points, led all players with four rebounds and five assists at the break.
Portland opened the second half with a layup by Darian Slaga to make the score 51-22. Rydalch then scored six straight points to give BYU the 59-28 lead, giving her 22 points for the game. Portland then made three straight three’s to cut the score to 63-38. The Pilots outscored the Cougars 18-14 in the third period of play.
A minute into the fourth period, Purcell stole the ball in the Portland backcourt and scored on a fast break layup to give her 10 points for the game. Purcell’s layup put the Cougars up 67-40. At the 7:05 mark, Rydalch then hit her third 3-point field goal of the game to increase the lead to 28, 72-44.
Midway through the fourth, Pulsipher hit her third 3-pointer of the game to give BYU the 78-50 lead. She then hit another 3-point field goal on the next possession.
Eternity Galeai checked in with 4:05 to go in the contest, and hit a 3-pointer to give BYU the 84-53. Galeai’s trey, her first of the year, gave the Cougars 12 3-point field goals for the game.
Through four periods of play, BYU shot 53.1 percent from the field to Portland's 41.8. The Cougars finished the game scoring 26 points off of turnovers to the Pilots 10. BYU dished out 19 assists, while Portland had 13. BYU also led in steals 10 to 6.
BYU women's basketball will continue its road trip to the Pacific Northwest as they travel to Spokane, Wash. to play Gonzaga, Saturday. The game will be the Cougars last conference game of the year. Teams will tip off 2 p.m. PST. The game can be streamed live via the TheW.tv and will also be broadcast on BYU Radio - Sirius XM 143. Live stats will also be provided. Links to media outlets can be found on the BYU women's basketball schedule page.
Postgame Notes
Team
With the 84-59 victory over Portland, BYU extends its winning streak to 16 games, the longest streak in program history. The Cougars improve their record to 24-4, 16-1 on the year.
The 84 points scored in the win over the Pilots are the fourth time this year that the Cougars have recorded 80-plus points in a game and the second time in WCC play.
The 51 points that BYU scored in the first half are the most points scored by BYU in a half.
Through the first 20 minutes of action, the Cougars shot 55.3 percent from the field. BYU finished the game shooting 53.3 percent from the field, the best field goal shooting percentage of the season.
For the 15th time this season at least three players scored in double digits for the Cougars. Rydalch (27), Pulsipher (13) and Purcell (12).
In the game against Portland, all available players on the Cougar roster got playing time.
Player
With 4:42 left in the second period Lexi Eaton Rydalch led all scorers with 14 points, which totaled all points scored by Portland to that point in the game. At halftime she had 16. Rydalch recorded her 22nd game with 20-plus points with a game-best 27. She also grabbed six rebounds, dished out two assists and had two steals.
Kalani Purcell grabbed a game-high seven rebounds and also contributed 12 points in the win. She dished out four assists, had the team’s only block and got two steals.
Kylie Maeda finished the contest with game highs in assists with six and in steals with three. She also tallied nine points and pulled down four rebounds.
Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher scored 13 points in the game, 12 were from 3-point range. The points mark the 20th time this season that she’s recorded double figures in points. She also had three rebounds, two steals and one assist.
Kristine Fuller Nielson came off the bench contributing nine points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal. The points are the second-most she’s scored in WCC play.
Cassie Broadhead also came off the bench tallying five points, four rebounds and four assists in 20 minutes of action.