Congdon and Calvert notch career milestones in loss to No. 22 Iowa

Kemery Congdon eclipsed 1,000 career points and Emma Calvert notched 100 career blocks in loss to Iowa.

Author Austin Rustand
Congdon and Calvert notch career milestones in loss to No. 22 IowaCongdon and Calvert notch career milestones in loss to No. 22 Iowa

CANCUN, Mexico — BYU women’s basketball fell to No. 22 Iowa 68-48 on Friday night in the final game of the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.

“I’m really proud of my women and the physicality they played with against a really good Iowa team,” said head coach Amber Whiting. “We were right there in the first half because of the fight my women showed and the defensive pressure we put on them. Unfortunately, the shots weren’t falling and we got a little sloppy with our defensive principles in the second half, but there is a lot to learn from this game that can make us better going forward.”

Kemery Congdon led the Cougars with 13 points, going 3-for-4 from downtown en route to eclipsing 1,000 career points. The senior also recorded three steals, a block, an assist and a rebound.

Emma Calvert also notched a career milestone in Cancun as she became the seventh player in BYU history to record 100 career blocks with a rejection of Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke. Amari Whiting finished with 11 points on 4-of-10 from the field, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in the loss.

The Cougars held Iowa to their lowest point total of the season by forcing 23 Hawkeye turnovers that led to 17 Cougar points. The 22nd-ranked team in the land shot 47.1 percent from the field and 47.8 percent from three to BYU’s 30.2 percent from the floor and 30.4 percent from downtown.

BOX SCORE

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First Quarter
The Cougars forced three straight Iowa turnovers before Hannah Stuelke hit a three to open the scoring. Delaney Gibb got BYU on the board with two free throws before an Amari Whiting floater gave the Cougars an early 4-3 lead with 7:38 to go in the first.

Lauren Davenport extended the BYU lead to 6-3 with a floater in the lane with 6:45 to play in the quarter. The Hawkeyes countered with an 11-0 run to take a 14-6 lead before Whiting knocked down two free throws to end the 5:04 scoring drought.

With 1:07 left in the first, Kambree Barber went to the line and made both to pull the Cougars within four at 14-10. Stuelke hit a jumper at the buzzer to give Iowa a 16-10 lead after one.

Second Quarter
Gibb scored the first points of the quarter to pull BYU within four just 20 seconds into the period. After a Hawkeye bucket, Congdon found Davenport for a kick-out three with 7:35 left to cut the defevit to three.

Following an Iowa score, Gibb went a perfect 2-for-2 from the stripe to again cut it to a one-possession game. The Cougars went 5:16 scoreless while Iowa scored five-straight points to open a 25-17 lead before Whiting snapped the scoring drought with a floater in the lane. A defensive stop with the clock winding down concluded the half with BYU trailing Iowa 25-19.

Third Quarter
The Hawkeyes scored five-straight points to open the second half and push the lead to 11 just 1:30 into the third. With 7:46 left, Davenport got BYU on the board with a right-wing triple to cut the lead to eight.

Another 5-0 run by Iowa pushed the lead to 13 at 35-22 before an Emma Calvert free throw and jumper on back-to-back possessions to end a 3:11 scoring drought. The Cougars finished the quarter on a 5-3 run with Brinley Cannon finishing at the rim off an assist from Gibb followed by a Whiting three to pull BYU within 15 heading to the final 10 minutes.

Fourth Quarter
Iowa opened the fourth with four consecutive points to push its lead to 19 at 49-30 before Congdon hit back-to-back triples to trim the deficit to 13 with 6:58 to play. After Davenport drew an offensive foul on the defensive end, Calvert stuffed Stoelke at the rim to record her 100th career block and become just the seventh Cougar to ever eclipse the century mark for a career.

With 4:09 to play, Congdon scored five-consecutive points for the BYU but the Hawkeyes finished the game on an 11-7 run to close out the Cougars, 68-48.

Up Next
BYU has a week off before traveling to El Paso, Texas, to take on the UTEP Miners on Thursday, Dec. 5. Tip-off against the Miners is set for 7 p.m. MT a the Don Haskins Center with the game broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can also tune into live play-by-play of the game with Jason Shepherd on BYU Radio 107.9FM/BYURadio.org/BYU Radio App.