20 point nights from Whiting and Calvert earn BYU's first Big 12 win

PROVO, Utah – Multiple career highs for BYU power an 89-75 win over the Houston Cougars at the Marriott Center on Wednesday night. 

“I’m super proud of my women," said head coach Amber Whiting. "We’ve been through it lately. It was tough to go out on the road for a week and drop two games. I’ve never doubted them. They’ve always been locked in, ready to go. They’re competitive kids and you saw that out of them tonight.”

The Cougars from Provo outshot the Cougars from Houston 54.1 to 43.3 percent, grabbed 39 rebounds to Houston’s 27 and scored 48 points in the paint compared to Houston’s 26. 

Emma Calvert led BYU with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting and three assists. The senior forward also contributed on the defense end with seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

Tabbing her career high, Amari Whiting scored 20 points on an efficient 7-of-14 shooting, going 2-for-4 from behind the arc. The sophomore from Boise also grabbed seven rebounds and dished five assists on the night.

Freshman Delaney Gibb also scored in double figures with 16 points, while going 7-for-7 from the foul line. This marked the 12th game this season in which Gibb has finished with double-digit points. The three-time Big 12 Freshman of the Week also grabbed four boards and dished three assists in the win. 

First Quarter

Led by Kemery Congdon and Whiting, BYU started off hot with two straight 3-pointers, taking a 6-2 lead over Houston. On Houston’s next possession, Calvert snatched the rebound and scored a layup on the other end, helping BYU extend their lead with 7:21 remaining in the quarter.

Just over halfway through the quarter, Gibb sunk a triple, helping spark a run for the Cougars in blue. Kendra Gillespie and Whiting each followed Gibb’s lead and capped a 9-0 run for BYU, taking the scoreboard to 19-7.

More pressure from Gillespie sealed the opening quarter at 21-11.

Second Quarter

The Cougars in red opened the second quarter with a three, but BYU immediately responded with the help of Calvert’s driving layup and Brinley Cannon’s jumper. Cannon sank her free throw to take BYU to 26-14 just over a minute into the quarter. 

With 5:56 remaining, Houston’s Eylia Love made two free throws, kick-starting a 7-0 run for the Cougars in red, cutting BYU’s lead to five. 

Cannon continued her dominant offense with a shot from behind the arc and a driving layup off a Whiting assist. On Houston’s next possession, Whiting jumped to get the defensive rebound and raced down the court to get a layup of her own, taking the BYU lead to 41-32.

Lauren Davenport made her presence known after she drilled a contested shot from deep as the first-half clock expired. BYU took a 44-33 lead into the locker room, its largest halftime lead since playing Idaho in mid-November. 

Buzzer beater into halftime👊💥

📺 https://t.co/EsqZwgQ8EN pic.twitter.com/edjycq0a4Q

— BYU Women's Hoops (@byuwbb) January 9, 2025

Third Quarter

After closing the first half with style, Davenport started the second half the same way with a 3-pointer. Houston quickly responded as Peyton McFarland and Kierra Merchant led a 6-0 run.

Calvert scored on consecutive possessions, extending BYU’s lead to 51-39. With 6:35 left in the third, Houston found its rhythm with a 10-1 run, cutting the blue Cougar lead to three. 

In less than a minute, Houston committed two fouls, sending Calvert and Gibb to the line for two free throws each, all of which were made.

Another Calvert assist set up Kambree Barber for a layup, and another Houston foul granted Gibb two more free throws. After a Houston shot-clock violation and with two seconds remaining, Whiting was fouled from behind the arc. She made two of three free throws and the quarter closed with a 10-point lead for BYU.

Fourth Quarter

Houston claimed the opening points of the final quarter, but Gibb, Whiting and Calvert all helped answer with a 6-2 run, putting BYU ahead 70-59 with 6:49 remaining in the game.

With 4:59 on the clock, Barber scored a second-chance layup after setting a career-high with eight rebounds to press the Cougar lead to 74-62.

Despite five consecutive points from Houston in under a minute, Congdon answered with a deep triple to keep the blue Cougar advantage in double digits. 

Whiting went on a personal 5-0 run to keep the BYU pressure high, and Cannon closed the game with a driving layup, sealing a 14-point, 89-75 win for the Cougars in blue.

Up Next

BYU returns to the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 11 to take on the Kansas State Wildcats at 4 p.m. MST. Watch on ESPN+ or listen to live play-by-play with Jason Shepherd via BYU Radio.