POCATELLO, Idaho – BYU women’s basketball gutted out a 77-68 win over the Idaho State Bengals in front of a sellout crowd at Reed Gym on Saturday night.
Despite being outshot from the field and from three, the Cougars grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, scored 19 second-chance points and 13 points off turnovers to seal a dramatic win to move to 4-0 on the season. BYU also had four players finish in double figures for the second time this season, including the BYU backcourt of Delaney Gibb and Amari Whiting, who combined for 33 points and 16 rebounds in the nine-point win over the Bengals.
The Big 12 Freshman of the Week notched her second 20-point performance of her young career on 8-of-15 shooting, going 4-for-9 from behind the arc. Gibb also recorded six rebounds, two assists and a steal. Whiting recorded her second-career double-double, both against Idaho State, with 11 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals in her first return to Idaho as a BYU Cougar.
Emma Calvert was key for the Cougars as she poured in 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds on the night. Kemery Congdon kept the BYU offense moving in the opening half as she scored all 11 of her points before halftime on 4-of-6 shooting and a perfect 2-for-2 from downtown.
First Quarter
After a Bengal miss on the first possession, the Cougars ran the floor and scored in transition with Gibb finding Emma Calvert for the deuce to take a 2-0 lead.
Idaho State countered with five-straight points before Kemery Congdon found a cutting Gibb for the layup before setting up Calvert for a second-consecutive BYU bucket. Congdon then hit a long two followed by an Amari Whiting driving layup to cap an 8-0 run and give the Cougars a 10-5 lead with 5:50 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Bengals scored six of the next nine points to knot the score at 13 with 3:10 to play, but BYU flipped the scripts finishing the first on a 6-3 run to take a 20-16 lead.
Second Quarter
Early in the second, the Cougars extended the lead to six with a transition triple from Gibb and a Heather Hamson fast-break layup. With 6:02 remaining in the half, Congdon hit her first three of the game to end an ISU run that trimmed the lead to two. A 7-0 run by the Bengals put Idaho State in front by two with 4:26 left.
BYU retook a five-point advantage with 1:01 to play with a jumper by Gibb, Congdon’s second three of the night and a tip-in by Whiting. ISU pulled within two at the break with a buzzer-beating triple at the halftime buzzer.
Third Quarter
Idaho State and BYU traded baskets during the first four minutes of the third quarter with ISU holding a 39-38 lead before Gibb knocked down her second three of the game and Lauren Davenport hit a baseline floater to give the Cougars a 43-39 lead with 5:46 left in the third.
Four-straight points by Idaho State knotted the game at 43 before a 6-0 Cougar run with Cannon and Gibb each accounting for three points gave the team from Provo a 49-43 lead.
After pushing the lead to a game-high eight, the Bengals went on a 7-0 lead to cut the lead to one with 1:09 left in the third. After a layup by Gibb, an ISU three again drew the home team even going to the final period.
Fourth Quarter
The Cougars held the Bengals without a field goal for the first three minutes of the fourth and stretched the lead to five. After an ISU layup to pull within three, the Cougars scored five-straight to take an 8-point lead with 6:02 to play.
Idaho State pulled within two with 1:53 to play after a 10-4 run. With 1:16 left, Idaho native Brinley Cannon rebounded a Gibb missed three and made the putback to give BYU a four-point advantage.
Up Next
The Cougars return to the comfortable confines of the Marriott Center on Tuesday to host the McNeese Cowgirls. Tip is set for 7 p.m. MT with the game broadcast on ESPN+. 7 p.m. MST. Fans can also tune in to BYU Radio, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App for live-play-by-play with Jason Shepherd.