Cougars honor five seniors as Kansas visits the Marriott Center

PROVO, Utah — BYU women's basketball will honor its five seniors – Emma Calvert, Kemery Congdon, Kendra Gillispie, Kylie Krebs and Lauren Davenport – as the Kansas Jayhawks visit the Marriott Center in the regular-season home finale. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. MT with the game streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast live with Jason Shepherd on BYU Radio, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App. 

Matchup Breakdown
BYU and Kansas have met just three times in series history with all three meetings coming in the Cougars' inaugural season as a member of the Big 12 Conference last year. The Jayhawks won all three meetings last season, handing BYU losses in Lawrence, Provo and Kansas City.

The most recent bout came on March 8, 2024, as BYU fell to Kansas 77-53 in the second round of the Big 12 Championship in Kansas City, Missouri. Amari Whiting led the Cougars in that game with 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting while grabbing four rebounds, three assists and two steals. 

All-Time: 0-3

At BYU: 0-1

Whiting vs. Kansas: 0-3

BYU Cougars  ||  13-14, 4-12  ||  Big 12 Conference

WHAT'S AT STAKE  ||  With a win, BYU would record its first-ever win over Kansas and draw even with the Jayhawks in the Big 12 standings with one game remaining before the conference tournament.

SENIOR NIGHT  ||  BYU will honor five seniors – Emma Calvert, Kemery Congdon, Kendra Gillispie, Kylie Krebs and Lauren Davenport – following the game against Kansas. Calvert has spent her four-year career with the Cougars while the four other seniors each came to BYU having first played at Cal, Arkansas State, Glendale and Boston, respectively.

A FRESHMAN FOR THE AGES  ||  Delaney Gibb earned her ninth Big 12 Freshman of the Week award on Monday, passing Baylor’s Darianna Littlepage-Buggs for second-most in conference history. The freshman has led BYU in scoring in 18 games this season while scoring 14 or more points in 23-of-27 games this year including nine games of 20 or more. Gibb averages at 17.1 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting and 39.5 percent from deep. The Canada native averages 5.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.5 3-pointers per game.

COUGAR ASSIST CLUB  ||  BYU has assisted on 413-of-681 (.606) field goals this year and has had three or more players finish in double-figures in 16 games. In Big 12 wins, the Cougars have assisted on 70.8 percent of made field goals in contrast to 53.7 percent in losses.

DEFEND, DEFEND,  ||  Coach Whiting calls defense the silver bullet to her team’s success. In BYU’s 13 wins, the Cougars have held opponents to 61.2 points and 36.3 percent from the field. In losses, opponents have shot 42.5 percent from the floor, 36.7 percent from deep and scored 74.9 points. BYU has allowed 70 or more points nine times this season, but all have come in Big 12 play, eight times in losses. The one win when allowing 70 or more points came against Houston.

VALUING THE BASKETBALL  ||  Ball security is crucial for BYU. In Big 12 play, the Cougars have committed 18.9 turnovers and opponents have scored 19.4 points off giveaways per game. In wins this season, BYU only coughs it up 14.8 times and surrenders 12.8 points off turnovers. In losses, BYU averages 19.3 giveaways and 19.3 points given up off of turnovers.

FINISHING POSSESSIONS  ||  Crashing the defensive glass has been a point of emphasis for Whiting’s squad. BYU has given up 11.6 offensive boards and 12.6 second-chance points in Big 12 games. In their four conference wins over Houston, ASU, UCF and Oklahoma State, BYU only surrendered 10.0 O-boards and 9.3 second-chance points.

Head Coach – Amber Whiting

• Alma Mater: BYU, 2001
• Division I Career Record: 45-48  ||  3rd Season
• Record at BYU: 45-48  ||  3rd Season