BYU women's basketball completes 3-0 sweep of Italian Tour

ROME, Italy — BYU women’s basketball concluded its 10-day tour of Italy on Thursday after going 3-0 in exhibition contests against Spain, Iceland and Latvia.

Coach Whiting and her team began the trip with the goals of growing together as a family both on and off the floor; experiencing and gaining an appreciation for a unique place, people and culture while acting as ambassadors for BYU and its sponsoring organization the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and finally, as a means of preparing themselves for their inaugural campaign as members of the Big 12 Conference.

That they did.

Coach Whiting and her family lived in Italy for 11 years between 2001-12 while her husband Trent played professional basketball, which made this trip especially meaningful for her.

“Having the blessing to come back to Italy where it feels like home, and bring my people so they can experience it with me has been a dream come true,” said Whiting. “Having the opportunity for my players and staff to experience the culture and rich history here together has been incredible and has helped build a bond with this team that will help us immensely this season.”

After a long day of travel, including a delay in the Atlanta airport, the Cougars arrived in Italy where they immediately hit the streets of Rome to begin their foreign experience. They began with visits to some of Rome’s most popular sites; the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.

On day two of the trip, the team and travel party made their way to the epicenter of the ancient Roman world, the Colosseum, a 50,000-seat arena that hosted gladiator battles, animal hunts and even reenactments of famous naval engagements. After experiencing this social and economic wonder of the world, the Cougars ventured outside the city limits to a more spiritual wonder, the Rome Italy Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"Being able to attend the temple with my teammates and especially my family was so special," said BYU guard Amari Whiting. "When we lived here, we had to drive several hours just to attend church on Sundays, so to see how much the gospel has spread in Italy and to have a temple be built in a place that means so much to our family was amazing."

That night, the Cougars took on the Spanish All-Stars in Rome for game one of the three-game slate. BYU got off to a slow start in its first exhibition matchup, but 12 first-half points from Emma Calvert gave the Cougars a 28-19 lead at the break.

In the second half, Nani Falatea turned it on scoring 16 of her 19 points in the third quarter, including 14-straight, to open up a healthy lead for BYU. From there, Lauren Gustin helped the team close out a 62-43 win over Spain.

Following their first win, the Cougars had the opportunity to tour the Vatican Museum and witness the magnificent frescas painted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel before taking a train to the city of Florence for games two and three.

On the first night in Florence, the coaching staff and spouses attended a pasta making class in Tuscany while the players had a players only dinner at a local restaurant. The next morning, the group toured the Accademia which was highlighted by viewing Michelangelo’s famous statue of David before taking on Iceland in game two.

In game two of the tour, BYU faced off with a 22U team from Iceland. The Cougars jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as all 11 players scored in the 104-53 win.

Gustin and Calvert led BYU with 17 points apiece while Falatea finished with 16, Kailey Woolston with 14 and Kaylee Smiler with 12. BYU hit 11 threes in the game, and five players scored in double-figures, a feat only accomplished one-time last season.

“This is the type of performance I was hoping to see from these women on this trip,” said Amber Whiting. “In this game, they showed how much they want to play for each other, how hard they can work on both ends of the floor and what is possible when they play connected.”

The following day, the Cougars hosted a basketball skills clinic with local youth before taking on the University of Riga, Latvia in their final contest of the Italian Tour.

Against Latvia, BYU one-upped their performance from the game against Iceland as six Cougars finished in double-figures, led by Gustin who finished with 19 points in only three quarters of play.

Woolston was the second-leading scorer with 13 points followed by Calvert with 12, Arielle Mackey-Williams and Heather Hamson with 11 and Falatea with 10. For the second-straight game, all 11 players found their way into the points column as BYU took care of business in a 99-45 win over Latvia.

On Sunday, the travel party attended church in Florence before traveling through the beautiful Italian countryside to Naples where they spent the next two days. That night, the Cougars participated in a cooking class where they were taught how to make true Italian Pizza.

The following day included a trip to the island of Capri where the team was able to visit the Blue Grotto, a natural sea cave that was the personal swimming hole of the Roman Emperor Tiberius where the sun reflects off the bottom of the ocean into the cave creating a vibrant blue color to the water.

The final two days of the trip were spent on the island of Sicily where the team and travel party enjoyed warm sunny days at the beach, a welcome reward after a tiring three-game tour.

The Cougars now prepare for their inaugural season as members of the Big 12 Conference in which they will play a 31-game slate, 13 non-conference games followed by 18 Big 12 contests, the Big 12 Tournament and hopefully a bid back to the NCAA Tournament. The women’s basketball non-conference schedule will be released in early September.