BYU comeback falls short in 76-69 loss to No. 23 West Virginia

PROVO, Utah — Despite a furious second-half comeback, BYU women’s basketball was unable to overcome a 17-point deficit and fell to No. 23 West Virginia 76-69 on Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center. 

“I feel like every time we step on the court we get better, but we can’t start like that," said BYU head coach Amber Whiting. "We cannot start the game with all those turnovers. It just doesn’t work. We have to minimize that. I was pretty hard on the team in the locker room, so hopefully they respond.”

The Cougar comeback efforts were powered by a 47 percent second-half shooting performance that included a 6-of-10 showing from beyond the arc. Lauren Davenport and Lauren Gustin roared to life for BYU in the half as each scored in double-figures with Davenport draining multiple momentum-shifting 3-pointers.

Twenty-three turnovers, 14 of which came in the first half, defined the game and proved too much for the Cougars as West Virginia capitalized with 29 points the other way. The Mountaineers lead the nation in turnover margin. 

BYU shot 44 percent from the floor for the game while West Virginia shot 52 percent. The Cougars knocked down 11 of 22 3-pointers while the Mountaineers made 7-of-16.

BYU outrebounded West Virginia 37-25 but was outscored 38-22 in the paint. The Cougar bench outscored the Mountaineers 25-9 and BYU assisted on 16 of 24 made field goals.

Gustin scored a team-high 16 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field while adding yet another double-double to her career tally with 14 boards. Davenport’s 13 points came on 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from deep. Emma Calvert and Kailey Woolston added 12 and 10 points, respectively.

First Quarter

Four early turnovers hampered the BYU offense and helped West Virginia jump out to a 7-0 lead. The Cougars responded with consecutive buckets as Amari Whiting drained a 3-pointer from the left wing and Kaylee Smiler drove baseline to score. Giveaways continued to plague BYU through the rest of the quarter and West Virginia took advantage on its way to a 22-9 lead.

Two free-throw makes from Woolston, a pair of buckets from Gustin and a Calvert 3-pointer brought BYU within 10 at quarter’s end 24-14. BYU shot 50 percent from the floor in the opening period but struggled to contain the Mountaineers’ 69 percent start.

Second Quarter

BYU found its first momentum of the game with a 7-0 run to start the second quarter. Woolston cut the West Virginia lead to single digits at 26-17 with a corner triple. A Gustin score in the paint and a 2-for-2 trip to the free throw line from Smiler put BYU within five at 26-21. 

The Mountaineers fired back with a 12-0 run over the next three minutes. Lauren Davenport took the lid off the bucket for BYU with a mid-range floater that cut the deficit to 15. Consecutive corner 3-pointers from Woolston and Rose Bubakar helped the Cougars pull within 14 at the half. 

Turnovers defined BYU’s 43-29 halftime deficit. West Virginia turned 14 BYU turnovers into 16 points the other way while allowing no points on its own five giveaways. The Mountaineers shot 58 percent in the half to BYU’s 42. The Cougars controlled the glass in the first half 17-13.

Through two quarters’ play, Woolston and Gustin led BYU with eight and six points, respectively.

Third Quarter

The opening minutes of the second half saw BYU gradually make its way back into the game until a transition triple from Davenport filled the Cougars’ tank with some much-needed momentum at the 5:45 mark.

Davenport’s 3-pointer cut the Mountaineer lead to single-digits at 47-38. Sound defense from Gustin and Calvert kept West Virginia off the board over a three-minute stretch and put BYU in a position to draw closer.

Smiler and Davenport knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to pull BYU within five at 49-44. West Virginia responded to take a seven-point lead but the Cougars fought back on the ensuing possession with Woolston saving a ball inbounds to Gustin who laid it off the glass for the score. 

BYU kept it a five-point game on its next trip down the floor with Gustin feeding Calvert for a bucket in the post. A pair of free throws from Whiting brought BYU within four before a Mountaineer 3-pointer put the visitors up 58-50 at quarter’s end. 

Fourth Quarter

The Cougars drew within four in the final period’s opening moments. Woolston drove through contact and cut West Virginia’s lead to 58-52 then stole the ball on the ensuing Mountaineer possession. Gustin made the most of the steal with a score in the paint that cut West Virginia’s lead to 58-54.

The Cougars and Mountaineers traded buckets midway through the quarter with 3-pointers from Whiting and Calvert that kept it a two-possession game with six minutes to play. Strong defense from Gustin and Calvert, along with a baseline jumper from Davenport made it a 68-62 game with three minutes remaining. West Virginia put the game out of reach with a momentum-draining 3-pointer to go up 71-62 with 2:15 to go.

BYU continued to fight until the final buzzer but ultimately fell to the Mountaineers 76-69.

Up Next

BYU stays at home where it will face Baylor on Wednesday at 7 p.m. MST. Watch the Cougars battle the Bears on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ or tune-in to live play-by-play on BYU Radio 107.9FM/BYURadio.org/BYU Radio App.