The following notes and quotes are from BYU women’s basketball 77-49 win over the Weber State Wildcats on Friday afternoon at the Marriott Center in Provo.
Series Results: BYU leads the series 46-9
Attendance: 5,705
TEAM NOTES
Snatching Boards
The Cougars outrebounded the Wildcats 39-20 almost doubling their opponent on the glass.
Three Point Barrage
BYU shot a blistering 6-8 from three in the first half and finished the game at a 50 percent clip.
First Half Success
The Cougars shot 65.4 percent in the first half and led the Wildcats 45-14 heading into the locker room.
Shooting Success
BYU shot a season-high 56.9 percent from the floor outshooting Weber State’s 32.7 percent throughout the game.
Dominating the Paint
The Cougars scored a season-high 40 points in the paint against the Wildcats, with 20 coming in the first half.
Forcing Turnovers
BYU forced a season-high 15 turnovers, tallying 22 points off the giveaways.
Thanks For The Assists
BYU had a season-high 16 assists in its win over the Wildcats.
Protect This House
With Friday’s win over the Wildcats, BYU improved to 22-1 all-time at home vs. Weber State.
Whiting over .500
Amber Whiting recorded her 18th career victory as head coach of the Cougars improving to an all-time record of 18-17.
PLAYERS NOTES
Amari Whiting
Whiting tied her career high with three steals, while also tallying eight points, five rebounds and four assists in today’s match-up.
Lauren Gustin
Gustin led the Cougars in points (24) and rebounds (12) against the Wildcats, securing her first double-double of the 2023-24 season. Gustin now has 57 career double-doubles.
Kailey Woolston
Woolston set a new career high in points with 16. She also added a steal and a career-high two assists in BYU’s victory over Weber State.
Kaylee Smiler
The Hamilton, New Zealand native had a career-high four blocks against the Wildcats. She also added ten points, a season-high five assists and six rebounds.
BYU CAREER HIGHS
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Points: Kailey Woolson (16)
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Rebounds: McKinley Willardson (1)
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Assists: Kailey Woolston (2)
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Steals:
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Blocks: Kaylee Smiler (4)
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Field Goals:
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3-point Field Goals:
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Free Throws:
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Offensive Rebounds:
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Minutes Played:
BYU SEASON HIGHS
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Points: Lauren Gustin (24), Emma Calvert (7), Rose Bubaker (4), Kailey Woolston (16), McKinley Willardson (2)
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Rebounds: Kaylee Smiler (6), Lauren Gustin (12), McKinley Willardson (1)
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Assists: Kaylee Smiler (5), Kailey Woolston (2)
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Steals: Amari Whiting (3)
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Blocks: Kaylee Smiler (4)
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Field Goals:
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3-point Field Goals:
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Free Throws:
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Offensive Rebounds:
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Minutes Played:
QUOTES
Amber Whiting – BYU Head Coach
Opening Statement
"I'm really happy with the first half and not so much the second," said BYU head coach Amber Whiting. "We've got to put together a whole game. For their defense in the first half, that's what I see them playing like every day in practice. We've got to make sure we're better. They shot really well today and that's something I love. I see good things and things we need to work on. At this time of year, that's about right."
On the team’s defensive effort
“The first half’s defense was why we got the lead. In the second half, I wasn’t impressed with our defense. I felt like we just started playing for our offense and playing to score and if you score we will just try to score more and I don’t play like that. I kind of got after the team a couple of times and there is still some things that we need to clean up. But I told them it’s ok because if we are winning games and have things to work on then that’s a good place to be. But if we are losing and still have things to work on it’s hard to climb out of those types of things. I am happy with how we played in the first half. Second half not so much but we will address that.”
On the importance of defense
“I always tell them that a defense creates offense. When we go on the road, you’re not going to be able to rely on your shooting all the time. But you can always rely on your defense, and defense wins championships. If they can buy into that mentality, that’s a good thing to have and we’ll keep getting better defensively.”
Kailey Woolston
On having the green light shooting as a freshman
“It’s super nice being able to have all the support from the upperclassmen and our coaches just kind of instilling that confidence early.”