PROVO, Utah – A comeback led by Sara Hamson and Brenna Chase came up short as BYU women’s basketball lost to San Diego 66-60 on Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center.
“Today we did not play like we were capable of playing," said head coach Jeff Judkins. "It seemed like we were going uphill the whole game. We had some opportunities to win, but we didn’t make plays when we had to make them. Hopefully we’ll be able to bounce back Thursday and play well Saturday to go into the tournament with confidence.”
Cassie Broadhead Davshrayee led the Cougars in scoring with 15 points along with a game-high eight assists. Teammates Malia Nawahine and Chase both scored in double digits with 10 each and Hamson grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with a game-high five blocks in the loss.
BYU (15-12, 10-6) came within one, 61-60, with 1:03 left in the game when Chase scored a quick 3-pointer after Hamson blocked a San Diego (15-12, 8-8) shot attempt. The Cougars had a chance to take the lead with under 30 seconds left after another Hamson block but Chase’s 3-point shot from the wing went long.
San Diego made two free throws to extend the lead to 63-60 with 16 seconds left in the game giving BYU an opportunity to tie the game. The Cougars failed to score on the ensuing offensive possession when San Diego stole the ball.
The Cougars were forced to foul again, and the Toreros took a two-score lead with another pair of free throws with 10 seconds left in the game. Devashrayee missed a contested 3-pointer from the corner with eight seconds left as BYU’s comeback fell short. San Diego scored one final free throw in the final seconds to clinch the game 66-60.
The Toreros opened up the game with a jump shot from the top of the key. Nawahine answered with a 3-point shot to score the first points for the Cougars. Devashrayee hit a pull up jumper from the elbow and Amanda Wayment made one free throw to put the Cougars up 6-2.
Chase scored her first points of the game on a 3-pointer from the wing and Nawahine continued the hot shooting from behind the arc with her second 3-pointer to give BYU a 12-6 lead with 4:46 left in the period.
San Diego scored baskets on four consecutive offensive possessions to fuel a 9-0 run to reclaim the lead 15-12. Devashrayee ended the Torero’s run scoring the last basket of the first period from the baseline to make the score 15-14.
San Diego scored the first points of the second period with a long jump shot just inside the 3-point line. Paisley Johnson evened the score at 17 on the Cougars’ next possession with a 3-pointer.
USD pulled away from BYU to take a 24-19 lead early in the period. Devashrayee scored a pair of free throws and a layup from Nawahine closed the Toreros’ lead to one with 4:25 left in the period.
The Cougars struggled to stop the Toreros on defense and gave up four-straight baskets to San Diego to fall behind 32-27. Wayment scored a layup for BYU’s last points of the half to cut into the lead. The Toreros answered on the following possession hitting a 3-pointer to take a 35-29 lead into halftime, after shooting 60 percent from the field in the second period.
Chase scored the first points on a driving layup for the BYU to start the third period. However, the Cougars continued to struggle to keep up with San Diego and fell behind by nine points, 40-31.
Hamson hit a turnaround jumper on the baseline and Devashrayee scored a driving layup to start a BYU run. Wayment capped off the 6-0 run with a layup to cut the San Diego lead to 42-39.
The Toreros answered with two baskets on back-to-back possessions to re-extend their lead to seven points. A jumper from Wayment and two made free throws from Devashrayee cut the lead to three, 46-43.
BYU and San Diego traded baskets with the Toreros eventually retaking a seven-point lead. Devashrayee scored three free throws to close out the period with the Cougars trailing 52-48.
San Diego led BYU by as many as six points early in the fourth period. The Cougars clawed their way back into the game for the final comeback attempt with a 3-pointer scored by Johnson and made layups by Nawahine, Hamson and Chase.
BYU will host Portland in the final home game of the season at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22. The Cougars will honor their three seniors against the Pilots. The game will be broadcast live on BYUtv and live stats can be found on the team's online schedule page.
BYU vs. San Diego Postgame Notes
Team
After trailing the Toreros 35-29 at halftime, the Cougars recorded the 66-60 loss to San Diego. The Toreros victory against BYU is their first-ever win in Provo.
San Diego finished the game shooting 42.6 percent from the field, while BYU shot 33.3 percent.
For the eighth time during the 2017-18 season, three BYU players scored in double figures: Devashrayee (15), Chase (10) and Nawahine (10).
For the second-straight game, the Cougars outscored their opponent in points in the paint. BYU had 28 points in the paint and USD had 20.
The Cougars dished out 19 assists to the Toreros 13. BYU has dished out more assists than its opponent in 12 games this season.
USD had the slight advantage in the rebound category, outrebounding BYU 41 to 40.
Player
Cassie Broadhead Devashrayee scored a team-high 15 points, with seven points coming from the foul line. The senior also had a game-high eight assists and five rebounds.
Malia Nawahine led the Cougars with eight first-half points. She finished with 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. She also logged one steal.
Brenna Chase finished the contest with 10 points, along with four rebounds, four assists and a team-high three steals.
Sara Hamson logged a game-high 13 rebounds. She also had six points and a game-high five blocks.
Amanda Wayment had seven points and seven rebounds in the loss.