Cougar freshmen combine for 40 points in 73-66 win over UCF

PROVO, Utah — A career night from Kambree Barber and Brinley Cannon helped BYU earn its second-consecutive win by beating the UCF Knights 73-67 at the Marriott Center on Wednesday.

“I’m going to sound like a broken record, but I’m really proud of these girls,” said head coach Amber Whiting. “We had a lot of people that came to the table and contributed. I know it was a career-high night for Brinley and another 11-plus rebound night for Kambree. These are freshmen. I love when I look out there and I have three freshmen and a sophomore closing out the game. That's a good feeling because that means our program is headed in the right direction.”

With 29 minutes played, three blocks and one made 3-pointer tonight, Barber attained three career highs. Cannon also notched three career highs with 13 points, five field goals and three assists.

Tonight’s victory, paired with the 77-67 win against Arizona State, marks the Cougars’ first back-to-back wins since December when they defeated Utah Valley and Washington State. BYU now holds a 2-0 all-time record against UCF.

The Cougars outrebounded the Knights 44 to 38 with 11 boards coming from the freshman Barber, her second-straight game with 11 or more rebounds. BYU also recorded nine blocks in the win, the most blocks by a single team nationally in games played today. 

First Quarter

BYU won the tip-off, but UCF put the first points on the board with a jumper and a layup. Two made free throws gave the Knights a 6-0 lead, but Amari Whiting finally broke the Cougars’ scoreless streak with a layup.

Barber and Delaney Gibb added seven points to the board, but UCF stayed ahead 13-9. With a 3-point jumper in the last ten seconds of the first, Brinley Cannon brought the Cougars within three points of the Knights, who kept a 17-14 lead at the end of the quarter.

BYU shot 31.6 percent from the field, recording 14 rebounds, three assists and one block in the frame.

Second Quarter

The Cougars went on a 5-0 run at the start of the second quarter, giving them the lead for the first time tonight. The teams traded shots, wrestling for the lead, as Lauren Davenport contributed her first points of the night with a layup and a 3-pointer. The Knights took a 30-27 lead with 20 seconds to go, but Heather Hamson hit a layup to put BYU within one point going into the second half.

The Cougars put up ten rebounds, five assists and two blocks in the second quarter, shooting 46.2 percent from the field while limiting UCF to 25 percent.

Third Quarter

Gibb retook the lead for BYU with a consecutive 3-pointer and layup, followed by a free throw from Whiting. With another jumper and pair of free throws, the Cougars led 39-37 going into the Knights’ first timeout. Kemery Congdon and Emma Calvert hit back-to-back 3-pointers following the timeout, giving BYU its largest lead of the game. Whiting forced a UCF turnover and scored off the window on the fast break, followed by another layup from Cannon. The Cougars left the court leading 52-47 after three.

BYU had nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks in the third quarter, with a game-high field-goal percentage of 57.1 in the third.

Fourth Quarter

Calvert and Cannon continued the Cougars’ second-half comeback with a jumper, layup and free throw in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Whiting hit another jumper to put BYU up 62-54, and the Knights took their second timeout of the game. After two more layups from Cannon for an 11-point Cougars lead, UCF took another timeout. Following their timeout, the Knights went on an 8-0 run despite a timeout called by BYU.

The Cougars came out of their timeout with the ball, but a foul was called on Gibb, turning possession over to UCF. The Knights had a chance to get within a point of BYU but missed both free throw attempts. The Cougars regained possession, and Gibb was quickly fouled, making both shots to give BYU a 69-64 lead. After four more free throws by Gibb and Barber, the Cougars defeated the Knights 73-66.

Up Next

The Cougars look to extend their win streak against the Baylor Bears on Saturday, Feb. 8 in Waco, Texas, at 6 p.m. MST. Follow the game on ESPN+, BYU Radio, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App.