MORAGA, Calif. — BYU women’s basketball fell to Saint Mary’s 57-49 on Saturday afternoon at McKeon Pavilion despite double-digit points from senior guard Cassie Broadhead Devashrayee.
"We didn't come out in the first half ready to play," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. "I thought we found back and played much better in the second half. Sara (Hamson) gave us a good lift in the second half with her inside presence. We played solid but we need to learn not to foul so much."
Devashrayee led the Cougars with a team-high 12 points, scoring 10 points in the second half. Brenna Chase, Malia Nawahine and Sara Hamson each chipped in seven points apiece.
Chase and Nawahine hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the game and give BYU (6-7, 1-1 WCC) the early 6-4 lead. After Saint Mary’s (8-5, 1-1 WCC) pulled ahead by one, Devashrayee made a runner in the lane to give the Cougars the slight 10-9 edge with 4:23 to go in the first quarter.
The Gaels then scored seven-straight points before Liz Eaton stopped the run, draining BYU’s third 3-point field goal of the game. Saint Mary’s took the narrow 16-13 lead into the second quarter.
After Saint Mary’s opened the second quarter on a 5-0 run, Amanda Wayment scored on the block to bring BYU within six, 21-15. Both teams struggled to find their rhythm offensively throughout the middle of the second quarter, with SMC leading 27-18 with 2:38 to go in the half. The Gaels took the 32-21 lead into halftime.
Chase opened the second half with her second 3-pointer of the game and closed the gap to eight, 32-24. After back-to-back scores by Devashrayee and Wayment, Hamson scored a layup to bring BYU within two, 34-32.
Saint Mary’s extended its lead to eight out of the media timeout, but Devashrayee knocked down a 3 to keep the Cougars within five, 42-37, as the third quarter came to a close.
After the Gaels opened the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run, Paisley Johnson responded scoring five-straight points for the Cougars. With 2:43 left in the game, Devashrayee knocked down a floater to put BYU within four, 52-48, and force a Saint Mary’s timeout.
With 29 seconds to go, Stella Beck went 2 of 2 from the foul line to increase the Gaels’ lead to six, 55-49. BYU wasn’t able to convert on the offensive end late to cut into Saint Mary's lead.
The Cougars return to Provo on Jan. 4, 2018, to take on San Francisco in a 7 p.m. MT tip. The game will be broadcast on BYUtv and simulcast on BYU Radio - Sirius XM 143.
Postgame Notes at Saint Mary’s – 12/30/17
Team
BYU was down by 11, 32-21 at the break and ended the game with an eight-point, 57-49 loss. The Cougars are now 6-7, 1-1 on the season.
For the game, BYU shot 30.5 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from the free-throw line. From behind the 3-point line, they shot 30.0 percent.
The Cougars had three steals heading into the locker room, while the Gaels had two. In that category, BYU finished with the advantage, 6 to 2.
The Gaels had the advantage in rebounds in the first half of play with 25 to the Cougars 18. Saint Mary’s outrebounded BYU 46 to 31.
Saint Mary’s had tallied 12 points in the paint compared with four for BYU in the first half of play. For the game, the Gaels had 24 points inside the paint while the Cougars had 18.
Player
At halftime, Sara Hamson led in blocks with five and in rebounds with four. She ended the game with a game-best seven blocks while tying for team highs in rebounds with six. Hamson also contributed seven points in the contest.
Malia Nawahine had seven points to lead BYU after two quarters. For the game, she finished with the seven points along with three rebounds, one bock and one steal.
Cassie Broadhead Devashrayee dished out a game-high six assists while leading the team in scoring with 12 points. She also pulled down six rebounds, which tied for team bests in 36 minutes of playing time.
Brenna Chase had a game-high three steals along with seven points, three rebounds and three assists.