Despite Gibb's first-career double-double, Cougars fall to Sun Devils 85-73

PROVO, Utah – BYU fell to Arizona State 85-73 in its first overtime game of the season on Saturday evening at the Marriott Center.

"Nothing pretty about that one," head coach Amber Whiting said. "Our defense — we let their best two players go off and turnovers continue to be a problem. I'm going to sound like a broken record but every day in practice we are going to keep running it for them."

The Sun Devils tied the game late in the fourth quarter after going on a 5-0 run to force overtime and dominated the overtime period, putting up 14 points while holding BYU to just two points.

The Cougars shot 35.3 percent from the field compared to ASU’s 47.1 percent. BYU out-rebounded Arizona State 43 to 42 and recorded 17 assists to the Sun Devils' 15.

Delaney Gibb led BYU in points, rebounds, assists and steals as the freshman recorded her first-career double-double in the loss. Gibb scored 25 points on 8-of-19 from the floor while tallying 11 rebounds for BYU's seventh double-double of the season. The freshman also tallied seven assists, three steals and a block on the night.

Amari Whiting and Emma Calvert each finished in double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively. BYU had three players finish in double figures for the first time since the Feb. 5 win over UCF.

First Quarter

The Sun Devils scored the first two buckets, going up four points early. Whiting tied it up with four-straight points of her own, a layup and two made free throws.

With 7:20 remaining in the first, Calvert hit a jumper off an assist from Gibb to put the Cougars down one. After nearly one minute without points from either side of the court, Whiting sunk two more free throws to help the Cougars take their first lead of the game.

In just over one minute, ASU was able to kick-start a 7-2 run to regain a four-point lead. After two and a half minutes without points, the Sun Devils closed the quarter on a 5-0 run to lead 19-12 after the first.

Second Quarter

Calvert opened the quarter with a hook shot from inside the paint off an assist from Brinley Cannon. From 8:32 to 7:28, the Sun Devils scored six-consecutive points to extend their lead to 25-14.

Gibb drained a three from the right wing to ignite a 9-0 run for the Cougars. Just a minute later, Gibb grabbed an offensive rebound and sunk another triple before Whiting followed suit just 26 seconds later, forcing an ASU timeout and trimming the deficit to 25-23.

With the clock at 3:22, Kemery Congdon knocked down a 3-pointer of her own to continue BYU’s second-quarter success from deep. Gibb drilled her third triple of the quarter to knot the game at 29.

With the half coming to a close, Cannon made a buzzer-beater three from the right corner to put the Cougars up 34-31 going into the locker room.

After being unable to find success from behind the arc in the first quarter, the Cougars nailed six threes in the second quarter.

Third Quarter

ASU opened the quarter with a layup, but Gibb quickly answered with one of her own from a Cannon assist. Despite a 5-0 run from the Sun Devils, a Congdon steal led to fast break points for Gibb to maintain the Cougar lead. Heather Hamson made a layup to cap a 6-0 BYU run with 6:46 remaining.

Three scoreless minutes for the Cougars and six-straight ASU points gave the Sun Devils the lead at 44-42. After being down four, Calvert made two free throws and one possession later, sprinted up the court to score in transition.

From the corner, Gibb made another triple with 1:57 remaining, pulling BYU within one at 49-48. After an ASU run, Cannon made another 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to close the quarter down one,  53-52.

Fourth Quarter

The Sun Devils opened the quarter with a triple and the Cougars were unable to score until the 8:26 mark when Gibb raced down the court for a layup.

Hamson broke a 4-0 ASU run with a layup and two made free throws to again pull the Cougars within two at 60-58. Halfway through the final quarter, Congdon tied it up at 62 with her fast break jumper.

Cougar pressure from the defensive end resulted in an ASU turnover and a BYU score to take a 63-62 lead after a Gibb free throw. Gibb extended the Cougar lead by finding Lauren Davenport for a layup to put BYU up five with 2:21 remaining.

A late 3-ball for the Sun Devils sparked a run to tie the game at 71 with 12 seconds to go. BYU was unable to score in the waning seconds, leading to the Cougars’ second overtime game of the season.

Overtime

ASU opened the overtime period with a 9-0 run fueled by missed shots and turnovers by BYU. The Cougars were unable to respond with a run of their own, falling to Arizona State 85-73.

Up Next

The Cougars will return to the Marriott Center on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks. Listen to play-by-play with Jason Shepherd on BYU Radio or watch on ESPN+.