Gibb's career high leads BYU to 72-57 win over Washington State

PULLMAN, Wash. — Delaney Gibb’s career-high 26 points lifts BYU over Washington State in the battle of the Cougars with a 72-57 win at Beasley Coliseum on Friday.

Gibb was an efficient 11-of-18 from the floor and 3-for-6 from deep en route to a career-high 26 points to lead all scorers. The freshman’s career night also included six rebounds and four assists, both the most of any BYU Cougar on the night.

Despite Washington State runs to begin each quarter, BYU dominating the final minutes of each period was the theme of the night. BYU closed the first quarter with a 7-0 run, finished the second with eight consecutive points and the third with a 16-4 run.

Kemery Congdon and Emma Calvert joined Gibb in double figures with 13 and 13 points, respectively. Congdon went 5-for-12 from the field and 2-for-4 from behind the arc. The grad transfer matched Gibb’s six rebounds to lead BYU while also recording an assist and a steal. Calvert was 4-of-12 on the night and knocked down two triples while grabbing four boards, an assist and a steal.

The Cougars from Provo started the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead and never looked back as Gibb scored seven fourth-quarter points to seal the win. With the win over Washington State, the BYU Cougars secured a nine-win non-conference record for just the sixth time in the last 14 seasons.

BOX SCORE

First Quarter

Emma Calvert opened the scoring with a triple on BYU’s first possession before the Cougars missed their last five shots while Washington State scored six-straight points to take a 6-3 lead with 6:43 left in the opening quarter. Kemery Congdon ended the nearly three-minute scoring drought with a 15-foot jumper from the right baseline.

WSU hit a three on the next possession followed by a rim-running layup to take an 11-5 lead with 3:57 left in the opening quarter. Congdon again scored for BYU with a step-back three from straight away to cut the lead in half.

With 28 seconds left in the quarter, Whiting scored off the window to claw within one at 11-10. After forcing a turnover on Washington State’s last possession of the period, Whiting went the length of the floor and hit a turnaround jumper in the lane to cap a 7-0 Cougar run and take a 12-11 lead into the second.

Second Quarter

The Crimson Cougars scored seven-straight points to open the second period before Whiting’s scoop of the glass got BYU on the board. With WSU leading 22-14, Lauren Davenport hit a driving floater to pull the Cougars within six.

On the next possession, Delaney Gibb drove baseline and found Calvert for a push shot in the lane to cut the Wazzu lead to four with 4:51 to go. After a jumper that put Wazzu up six, BYU held the hometown Cougars without a field goal over the final 3:07 while going on an 8-0 run to close the half.

Congdon split a pair at the line before she converted an offensive rebound into a reverse layup to pull BYU within three. On the next possession, Congdon kicked to Gibb in the right corner for her first three of the night to knot the game at 24. After a steal by Calvert, Whiting kicked to a streaking Gibb for a layup with 23 seconds to play in the half to give the team from Provo a two-point lead heading to the locker room.

Third Quarter

The Cougars in red scored the first six points of the second half to retake a four-point lead just two minutes into the third. Gibb then went on a personal 8-2 run to knot the game at 34 with 5:55 left in the third. The freshman hit a free throw, and back-to-back layups assisted by Davenport and Calvert, capped by a step-back triple.

For the third quarter in a row, BYU closed with suffocating defense and efficient offense. The Cougars in blue closed the third with a 16-6 run to give them an 11-point lead heading to the final ten minutes.

Fourth Quarter

Kambree Barber scored the first four points of the fourth for BYU on a jump hook followed by two free throws to push the lead to 13 at 59-46. Calvert extended it to 15 with two freebies of her own before Davenport hit a deep, top-of-the-key three to extend the lead to 16 at 64-48.

Gibb scored seven points in the final five minutes to notch a new career high of 26 points. Brinley Cannon added a layup to cap a 15-point, 72-57 win for the Cougars from Provo.

Up Next

With the conclusion of the non-conference slate, BYU will return to the confines of the Marriott Center on Dec. 21 to host the Arizona Wildcats for the 2024-25 Big 12 Conference opener. The game will tip at 4 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on BYU Radio and streamed on ESPN+.