Whiting notches career high as BYU falls to Kansas, 71-66 on Senior Night

PROVO, Utah — Despite a career night for Amari Whiting, BYU women's basketball fell to Kansas on Senior Night at the Marriott Center, 71-66.

"I’m sad for our seniors that we couldn’t finish it at home for them, but I thought they battled and stayed right in it," said head coach Amber Whiting. "We took care of turnovers that we wanted to take care of, so hats off to Kansas, they shot it well."

Whiting led the Cougars with a career-high 24 points on 10-of-11 from the field and 2-of-2 from three. The sophomore also added seven rebounds, five assists and a team-high three steals. 

Seniors Emma Calvert and Kemery Congdon joined Whiting in double figures adding 12 and 11 points, respectively. Calvert finished 6-of-13 from the floor with four rebounds, two assists and a block in her final game at the Marriott Center. 

Freshman Delaney Gibb led the Cougars with eight rebounds and six assists to pair with eight points. 

As a team, BYU shot 40.9 percent from the floor and 32.3 percent from deep. Kansas shot 49 percent from the floor and 46.2 percent from range. 

Despite recording five more assists and four more rebounds than the Jayhawks, BYU committed 21 fouls to Kansas' 14, was outscored 30-8 in bench points and held the lead for just 54 seconds in the loss. 

First Quarter

The Jayhawks scored the first bucket of the game before Whiting and Calvert each found an open lane for a layup. Kansas went on a 6-0 scoring run before the Cougars’ full-court pressure turned into four-straight BYU points. Lauren Davenport nailed a 3-pointer in the corner and Kansas cashed in on a jumper and layup ahead of the first media timeout. The Jayhawks led 12-11.

The teams exchanged points in the paint before both squads went scoreless for nearly three minutes. Whiting broke the ice for the Cougars, making one of two free throws to tie the game at 14 with 57 seconds left in the quarter. 

Kansas sank four free throws in the final seconds of the quarter and led 18-14 at the end of the first period. BYU has trailed after the opening frame in eight consecutive games. Fouls plagued the Cougars in the first quarter as the team recorded eight. Brinley Cannon was called for three fouls and Gibb picked up two quick ones. 

Second Quarter

Kansas opened up the second period with a 3-pointer before Whiting responded with her own shot from deep. A couple of possessions later, Congdon entered the scoring column with a step-back triple. A minute and a half later, Congdon again cashed in from three to pull the Cougars within two. The Jayhawks made a pair of free throws and BYU trailed 27-23 with five minutes remaining.

Whiting found a wide-open Gibb for her first three points of the game before Gibb found Congdon open in the corner for her third triple of the quarter. Kansas held a narrow 32-29 lead with just under two minutes left of the half. 

The Jayhawks connected from deep and Calvert scored on a move in the paint. Kansas made a jumper for the final score of the half and led 37-31 at the break. 

Third Quarter 

A Whiting floater in the key kicked off second-half scoring before two Kansas threes increased the visitors’ lead to double digits. Gibb earned two points on a behind-the-back dribble-drive to the rim and Calvert found Whiting open on the wing for three.  The next possession, Calvert found Gibb for three. Halfway through the quarter, the Jayhawks led 47-41.

The Cougars cut Kansas’ lead to five on their third 3-pointer in less than two minutes, this time from Cannon. The Jayhawks responded with a triple of their own. Whiting and Davenport each scored in the paint and Kansas converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play. 

The Jayhawks outscored the Cougars by three in the third and led 57-48 heading to the final 10 minutes. 

Fourth Quarter 

Whiting scored the first four points for BYU before finding Davenport for a 3-pointer on the wing. The Jayhawks answered each time with buckets of their own. Halfway through the period, Kansas continued to lead 63-57. 

Gibb was called for back-to-back fouls, fouling out with just over four minutes remaining in the game. Whiting continued to lead the Cougar offense with another finish in the paint, but Kansas strung together a 4-0 run to push the lead to eight at 67-59 with just over two minutes left. 

A Whiting score and assist to Calvert on consecutive possessions brought the Cougars within five with just under a minute remaining. The BYU full-court pressure forced a 10-second violation on the Jayhawks and Whiting spun and scored another bucket in the paint on the ensuing possession. BYU trailed 67-64 with 37 seconds left and Kansas called timeout.

The Jayhawks burned 25 seconds off the clock and scored on a drive to the rim with 12 seconds left. On the next possession, Whiting found a streaking Calvert to again bring BYU within three. The Cougars fouled the Jayhawks and Kansas made both free throws. BYU was unable to score on its next possession and Kansas won 71-66. 

Up Next

The Cougars finish the regular season with a trip to Salt Lake City for a rivalry matchup against the Utah Utes on March 1. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. MT with the game streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on BYU Radio with Jason Shepherd on the call.