CINCINNATI, Ohio – BYU fights off Bearcats 69-57 for first Big 12 road win at Fifth Third Arena on Saturday afternoon.
"I am super proud of my women today as they really came to fight," said BYU head coach Amber Whiting. "They came together today and when it got tough, when it got hard they turned to each other and I'm proud of them for that."
The win over Cincinnati marks the Cougars’ first back-to-back Big 12 wins, moving them to 4-8 in conference play and earning the season sweep over the Bearcats. BYU outshot UC 47.5 percent to 28.8 percent, converting on nine more field goal attempts and knocking down eight threes in the win. BYU also dominated the glass, outrebounding Cincinnati 45 to 33 and assisted on 16 of 28 made field goals.
The Cougars had three players finish in double figures, led by Lauren Gustin who poured in 21 points while also grabbing 20 rebounds to notch her nation-leading 23rd double-double in 25 games. Her 21-point, 20-rebound performance is the fifth game this season in which Gustin has finished with 20-10 and third with at least 20 points and 20 boards.
Kailey Woolston finished with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting with six assists and five rebounds while her backcourt mate Amari Whiting scored 10 points on a 40-percent clip with seven rebounds, two assists and a block.
First Quarter
The Cougars got off to a slow start, but back-to-back buckets from Woolston and Rose Bubakar on consecutive possessions got the Cougars on track. The Bearcats countered with a 7-0 run of their own to take a 9-4 lead with 4:55 left in the first.
Lauren Davenport would snap the run with a left-corner triple before a driving floater from Whiting pulled BYU within one, 9-10. After trailing again by six, the Cougars scored the final six points of the quarter to knot the game at 15 through ten minutes.
Second Quarter
BYU took an early three-point lead in the second quarter with Davenport’s second three of the game and a three from Emma Calvert. After the lead was cut to two by a UC bucket, Woolston nailed a step-back three to retake a five-point advantage.
Cincinnati would draw within one twice before consecutive scores from Gustin and Woolston gave BYU a half-high lead of six. The Bearcats trimmed the lead to three with a driving layup with 20 seconds left in the half. The Cougars led 33-30 at the break led by Woolston with 12 first-half points.
Third Quarter
BYU came out of the gate red-hot in the third quarter, scoring the first six points of the quarter before UC hit a three to stop the run. Gustin hit a floater, followed by Woolston feeding Gustin for a fast-break layup before Whiting capped the run with a tough score off the glass
The Cougar defense held the Bearcats scoreless for over four minutes, scoring five straight points to take an 11-point lead at 44-33. Cincinnati would trim the lead but a fourth three from Woolston and a deep triple from Kaylee Smiler gave BYU a game-high lead of 13 which the Cougars would take into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Cincinnati would not go quietly as the Bearcats scored 10 of the first 12 points in the fourth to cut the BYU lead to five but the Cougars responded with scores on each of their next four possessions to retake a nine-point advantage.
Lauren Gustin was fouled in the act of shooting with 4:42 to play in the game and split a pair in BYU’s first trip to the free throw line in the game. Despite the late push from Cincinnati, the Cougar defense held UC to just four points in the final 4:58 to close out the 69-57 win.
Up Next:
The road trip continues for the Cougars as they next take on the UCF Knights at Addition Financial Arena on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Fans can also tune in to BYU Radio 107.9, BYURadio.org and the BYU Radio App for live play-by-play with Jason Shepherd.