PROVO, Utah – Makenzi Pulsipher's season-high 22 points led BYU over Weber State 73-64 at the Marriott Center on Wednesday.
"You have to give Weber State a lot of credit," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. "They played their guts out, they really executed well and they played with a lot of confidence. I'll give our team a lot of credit -- we have not worked on a 3:2 zone all year. This was the first time and I thought they did a really good job."
Pulsipher led the team with a season-high 22 points and six 3-pointers while Kalani Purcell recorded her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Cassie Broadhead contributed 12 points and eight assists as Kristine Nielson added 11 points and four rebounds. BYU (5-3) shot 47 percent from the field while outshooting Weber State (6-2) 22-10 in the paint.
Weber State scored the first basket of the game before Nielson landed a 3-pointer for the Cougars. Freshman Shalae Salmon scored from under the basket for a 7-6 lead with 6:58 to go in the first quarter. BYU continued to pick up the pace as a Broadhead shot from the corner extended the Cougars’ advantage 10-6 with 6:08 left. The Wildcats quickly tied up the game and the opponents traded shots from 3-point range. Wayment scored on a jumper to help BYU take the first quarter 21-19.
Purcell hit a layup to give the Cougars a four-point advantage at the beginning of the second quarter as the Wildcats countered back to keep the game within reach. A Purcell jumper put BYU up 29-23 with 6:25 on the clock. The Cougars held the Wildcats to a six-minute scoring drought as Salmon hit a layup to give BYU a double-digit, 33-23 lead with 2:15 to go. Weber State rallied to keep up with the Cougars' pace but it wasn't enough as BYU went into halftime with a 38-31 advantage.
The Wildcats hit a 3-pointer out of the locker room before Broadhead answered with a layup for a 40-34 lead with eight minutes to go. A Pulsipher shot from the arc put the Cougars up by nine before the Wildcats fought back to cut the deficit to four. Purcell hit a 3-pointer as BYU rebuilt a 51-43 lead with 3:42 to go in the third quarter. A Broadhead steal and fast-break pass to Brenna Chase gave BYU a layup and free throw for a 57-48 advantage at the end of the third.
Purcell opened the fourth quarter with a layup as the Cougars led by 11. The Wildcats turned up defensive pressure and prevented BYU from scoring for over four and a half minutes. Broadhead threw in a layup to put the Cougars back in action with 4:58 to go in the game. BYU maintained a seven-point margin and led by as many as 10 before the Weber State offense took off with back-to-back 3-pointers to bring the game within four, 65-61 with 2:18 left on the clock. Wayment nailed a layup and Broadhead and Nielson combined for a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe as the Cougars won the game 73-64.
Next up for BYU is a game against in-state rival Utah at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 5:30 p.m. The game will be carried live on the Pac-12 Network and simulcast on BYU Radio – Sirius XM 143.
Postgame Notes
Team
Wednesday’s win over Weber State, 73-64, drew the second largest crowd in BYU women’s basketball history with 5,046 in attendance at the Marriott Center. The Cougars’ game against Utah in 2008 attracted the most fans with 6,206 attending the game.
For the second time this season, four players finished with double digits in points. Pulsipher (22), Broadhead (12), Purcell (11) and Nielson (11).
In the first half, BYU pulled down 15 rebounds to Weber State’s 18. At the conclusion of the game, the Cougars finished with 33 total boards. The Wildcats pulled down 40 rebounds.
The Cougars had the advantage in assists with 13 to 8 after the first two periods of action. They finished with 23 total assists compared with 17 for the Wildcats.
BYU led in steals at the half with four to Weber’s three steals. The Cougars finished on top with 10 steals to the Wildcats’ nine steals.
The Cougars scored 22 points in the paint, 20 points off of turnovers and 11 points from the bench. BYU and Weber both had nine second chance points and two points from fast breaks.
In the win over the Wildcats, the Cougars shot 46.6 percent from the field and 64.3 from the free-throw line. The team finished with a season-high 3-pointers with 10 while shooting 40 percent from the arc.
Player
Makenzi Pulsipher finished in double digits for the seventh time this season. She led the team with 13 points at the half and ended with 22 points for season bests. Pulsipher chipped in four assists and two rebounds in the win. She recorded her season-high shooting percentage as she shot 6-of-13 from the 3-point line.
Kalani Purcell had the most rebounds with seven in the first half of action. She also tallied six points and two assists. Purcell recorded her third and second-straight double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. She also chipped in six assists and two steals in the win over the Wildcats.
Cassie Broadhead notched a career-high in assists with eight as she finished in double figures in points with 12. She also grabbed three rebounds and tied for game highs in steals with three.
Kristine Nielson scored 11 points for the team as she grabbed four rebounds and had two assists and two steals. She shot 2-of -3 from the arc and 3-of-4 from the line.
Shalae Salmon made her first career start as a Cougar. She pulled down four rebounds, six points, one assist and shot 3-of-6 from the field.