LOS ANGELES —Despite 20+ points from Cassie Broadhead and Makenzi Pulsipher, BYU fell to LMU 77-74 in overtime on Saturday at the Gersten Pavilion.
"We lost the game tonight in the first half," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. "We didn't come out with the intensity we needed. We needed to execute better. There are some things we need to work on to get better offensively and defensively."
With 4.1 seconds to go in regulation, Broadhead hit two free throws to tie the game at 63-all to force overtime.
LMU (10-11, 5-5) opened overtime with a 3-point play by Jackie Johnson, taking the 66-63 lead. Kristine Nielson then answered with a trey to tie the game at 66.
The Lions extended their lead to three, 71-68, with 2:26 left. BYU (13-8, 7-3) then cut the lead to one, 71-70, with 1:58 on the clock.
On the next LMU possession, Andee Velasco drove to the hoop and scored to give the Lions the three-point advantage. With 53 seconds left, Broadhead got fouled on the 3-point attempt. The junior made all three free throws to close the gap to one, 75-74.
LMU then missed four straight free throws, giving BYU the opportunity to take the lead with 18.6 seconds left. A Broadhead layup then was blocked, forcing the Cougars to foul the Tigers with eight seconds to go.
Leslie Lopez-Wood made both free throws to seal the win for the Lions.
Broadhead finished the game with a game-high 25 points, while Pulsipher had 20 points. 15 of Pulsipher’s points came from behind the arc.
The Cougars started the game on a 4-0 run backed by finishes from Broadhead and Nielson. With 4:44 to go in the first quarter, LMU tied the game 6-all.
Teams then traded baskets throughout the final four minutes of the quarter, with BYU going into the second quarter down three, 18-15.
BYU cut into the LMU advantage, 20-18, as Brenna Chase nailed a deep 3-pointer. Broadhead tied the game at 26-all as the New York native drove to the basket and finished in the lane.
Johnson extended the LMU lead to five, 34-29, as she finished in the paint. BYU took the five-point deficit into halftime.
The Lions pulled ahead by nine, 38-29, coming out of the halftime break. On the next Cougars possession, Pulsipher converted the contested 3-pointer and got fouled. The senior made the free throw to cut the LMU lead to six, 38-32.
Pulsipher then made two more consecutive 3-point field goals, cutting the Lion lead to one, 42-41. LMU took the 45-41 lead into the fourth quarter.
Converting the 3-point play, Kalani Purcell brought the Cougars within one, 47-46 with 8:52 to go in the contest. Broadhead then made back-to-back buckets, giving BYU the 50-47 advantage.
LMU retook the lead, 55-53, on a 3-pointer by Velasco. Broadhead then answered back with a trey of her own to put BYU on top 56-55. The Lions then went on a 5-0 run to take the four-point 60-56 lead with 2:46 to go.
The Cougars responded, cutting the lead to two, 63-61, as Pulsipher drained a 3-pointer with 1:27 left.
BYU women’s basketball will travel to Spokane, Washington to take on Gonzaga Thursday. Teams will tip off at 7 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcast on BYU Radio – Sirius XM 143. Viewers can also stream the game on theW.tv. Live links can be found on the BYU women’s basketball schedule page.
Postgame Notes
Team
With the 3-point, 77-74 over time loss at LMU, BYU women’s basketball is now 13-8, 7-3 on the year. BYU was down by five at the break, 34-29. At the end of the third quarter they were down by four, 45-41. Cassie Broadhead made two free throws to send the game into overtime with a 63-63 tie.
Both team had the same number of steals with four heading into the locker room at halftime. The two teams ended the game with nine steals each.
BYU had the slight edge, by one, in the rebound category with 19 to the LMU’s 18 in the first half of play. The Cougars pulled down 36 total rebounds while the Lions grabbed 43 boards in the game.
The Cougars scored 12 of their 29 first half points in the paint, compared with six for the Lions. LMU had 11 of its 34 points off of BYU miscues in the first 20 minutes. For the game, BYU got 18 points in the paint to 16 from LMU. The Lions ended the game with the edge on points from turnovers with 19 to the Cougars 17.
BYU was perfect from the charity stripe in the first half, making all four attempted free throws. For the game, they shot 82.4 percent from the free-throw line, going 14 of 17.
In the blocks category, BYU had the advantage after the first 20 minutes of play with five to LMU’s 3. The Lions won the blocks battle in the game with nine compared with five for the Cougars.
BYU had dished out seven assists at the break to the Lions nine. LMU finished with 19 assists while the Cougars had 16 in the contest.
Player
Kalani Purcell had pulled down 12 rebounds through the first 20 minutes of action. For the game, she finished with a game-high 17 boards while contributing nine points and tying for team bests in both assists and steals with five in each category.
With 10 points in the first half, Cassie Broadhead had her 20th game scoring in double figures. She finished with a game-high 25 points and tied for team highs in assists while going 9 of 10 from the free throw line. The points are the 12th time she’s had a 20-plus point performance.
Makenzi Pulsipher picked up her 15th game and second straight scoring in double figures with 20 total points. She’s scored in double digits in 14 games to date including seven in WCC play. The 20 points mark the sixth game this year that she’s had a 20-plus point outing. Pulsipher went 5 of 11 from behind the arc.