BYU falls to Arizona 57-53 in Big 12 opener

PROVO, Utah – BYU women’s basketball fell to the Arizona Wildcats 57-53 in the Cougars' Big 12 opener on Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center.

“This is a learning experience type of game, we can’t start soft,” Head Coach Amber Whiting said. “I don’t think it comes down to those last two plays, it comes down to the whole game, we can’t start like that and that’s our given.”

Delaney Gibb led all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, going 5-for-7 from downtown. The freshman also grabbed eight rebounds to lead BYU, as well as three steals and an assist. Amari Whiting was the team leader in assists with five while contributing seven points. 

The Cougars got a lift from their bench as Kambree Barber, Kendra Gillispie and Brinley Cannon each scored five or more points and recorded six, five and two rebounds, respectively.

BYU outrebounded Arizona 38 to 36 but turned the ball over 18 times to the Wildcats' 15. The visiting Cats scored 19 points off the home team's turnovers and poured in 38 points in the paint to the home team's 22.

Box Score

First Quarter

Arizona grabbed the early lead, jumping out to a 7-2 advantage in the first three minutes. As Gillispie checked in, she was able to provide a spark, scoring four straight for the Cougars, shrinking the lead to 6-9. 

The Wildcats then responded immediately with three to kick-start their run. They went on a 7-0 spurt extending the lead to 12. Whiting ended this run as she hit a floater in the lane with just two seconds left in the quarter. BYU ended the first down ten, 18-8.

Second Quarter

After being held scoreless in the first quarter, Gibb scored a quick bucket to spark a personal 5-0 run. 

The Cougars were down nine 25-16 with 3:16 left in the quarter before Gibb took over again and went on an 8-0 run by herself including two threes.

The team followed this with two more threes, from Kemery Congdon and Cannon. This stretched the BYU run to 14 as they took a 4-point lead into the half.

Third Quarter

Gibb got the team going again in the second half as she got a back-cut pass from Lauren Davenport stretching the run to 16-0. Arizona then responded by ending the run and going on a 4-0 stretch of their own that brought the Cougar lead to just one 32-31.

Gibb hit two more threes in the quarter and scored 23 points in the game. Despite this the teams traded buckets back and forth; with neither team able to shrink or grow the lead. The Wildcats went on a 6-0 run late in the quarter to take a one-point lead 41-40. The Cougars finished the quarter with a last-second layup from Barber to retake the lead going into the final quarter of play at 42-41.

Fourth Quarter

Arizona opened the quarter taking the lead back from the Cougars. After the Wildcats stretched their lead to four, Gillispie got an offensive rebound and a second-chance bucket.

After trading baskets, BYU was able to find Barber wide open in the corner for a three to take a one-point lead with 5:39 left in the game. Whiting then found her way to the free-throw line and converted on both shots to put BYU up 51-48.

After the teams went a couple of minutes without a score the Wildcats scored 5-straight points to take a 53-51 lead. With 32.3 seconds remaining on the clock, Whiting hit a mid-range shot to tie the game up for the Cougars.

On the ensuing possession, Arizona drove the lane and missed the layup but was able to get the rebound for the second-chance points and the lead. With 21.1 seconds left, BYU inbounded the ball and missed a potential game-winning three-pointer. The Cougars forced a jump ball on the rebound opportunity and had another look this time on a floater that missed to the left.

BYU was forced to foul with only 2.8 seconds left. The Wildcats missed both their free throw attempts and the Cougars got the timeout off the rebound with 1.5 left on the clock. BYU turned the ball over on their inbound pass which ended the game with Arizona winning 57-53.

Up Next

The Cougars will be back in action on New Year’s Day as they take on the Cincinnati Bearcats. The game will tip at noon MT and will be broadcast on BYU Radio and streamed on ESPN+.