LAIE, Hawaii — BYU women’s basketball shot 60 percent from behind the arc as the Cougars knocked off the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 67-44 in the Hawaii North Shore Showcase at the George Q. Cannon Activities Center on Saturday evening.
Amari Whiting, Kaylee Smiler and Lauren Gustin combined for 41 of the Cougars’ 67 points in the 23-point win. The trio shot a blistering 64 percent while contributing 29 of 50 rebounds, six of 14 assists and three of eight steals to BYU’s cause.
Woolston led BYU for the second-straight game with 18 points, going 7-for-10 from the field and 4-for-6 from behind the loop. Her team-high 51.9 percent from three-point land ranks as the 78th-best three-point percentage in the country.
Gustin notched her third double-double of the season and 59th of her career with 13 points and 22 rebounds on the night. She was also efficient from the field, going 6-of-12 from the floor with two assists and a steal to help the Cougars earn a win on Coach Whiting’s birthday for the second straight season.
First Quarter
Gustin opened the scoring for the Cougars with 7:42 left in the first with a free throw before Woolston scooped and scored for two to give BYU an early 3-2 lead.
After two minutes of scoreless play, Lauren Davenport found Smiler for two left-corner triples on back-to-back possessions to stretch the lead to 9-2 with 3:53 left in the period. With 2:27 left, Gustin went to work in the post, scoring over her left shoulder before Whiting again found Smiler for three to take a 14-2 lead.
The Cougar defense held the Demon Deacons scoreless from the 7:00 mark until the 1:09 mark when Madisyn Jordan found range from behind the arc for Wake Forest’s second field goal of the game. Gustin again scored in the paint to help the Cougars take a 16-5 lead into the second quarter.
Second Quarter
The Cougars continued to push the pace in the second frame, with Davenport finding Gustin on a pick-and-roll to extend the BYU lead to 13 with 8:12 to go in the half. Two straight buckets from Calvert and Whiting helped open a 16-point cushion with 6:13 to play, leading to a Wake Forest timeout.
Out of the break, the Demon Deacons scored six of the next nine to climb within 13, but a floater from Gustin and a transition triple from Davenport again gave the Cougars an 18-point advantage, 30-12 with a minute left. BYU took a 33-15 lead into the halftime intermission.
Third Quarter
The Demon Deacons scored the first six points of the half to trim the Cougar lead to 12 before Woolston hit a floater in the lane to settle the Cougar offense.
With 6:10 to play in the third, Whiting weaved through the lane and found Gustin who finished with a kiss off the glass. With the basket, Gustin notched her third double-double of the year and the 59th of her career.
Woolston’s floater sparked a 12-point Cougar run to open a 45-21 lead with 3:40 to go in the third. After a Wake Forest layup, BYU knocked down two free throws to go into the final 10 minutes with a 24-point, 47-23 lead.
Fourth Quarter
Ali’a Matavao opened the fourth with a free throw followed by a mir-range line jumper from Woolston to double up the Demon Deacons, 50-25. BYU and Wake Forest traded baskets over the next five minutes.
An 8-1 run by the Demon Deacons cut the Cougar lead to 20 before Woolston cashed in on her fourth three of the game to sink any chance of a comeback and complete the 67-44 win.
BYU will be back in action on Tuesday in the final game of the Hawaii North Shore Classic at the George Q. Cannon Activities Center as the Cougars take on the Saint Louis Billikens at 3 p.m. HT/6 p.m. MT.