Benally, Cougars top Western Colorado 86-50 in exhibition match

PROVO, Utah - BYU opened the Lee Cummard era by defeating Western Colorado 86-50 in the first-ever matchup between the two schools on Tuesday night at the Marriott Center.

“The energy was a little bit higher than we expected early in the game, but we settled in and started making some shots in the second half”, head coach Lee Cummard said. “The energy that was pumping through the body was making us a little slow. It was good to see that dissipate over the course of the game, not just on the offensive side but the defensive side, where you got to see a little bit about who these players are on both sides of the ball.”

The Cougars forced 19 turnovers and converted them into 25 points while outscoring the Mountaineers 34–16 in the paint.

True freshman Sydney Benally led BYU with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go along with three rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block in her exhibition debut. 

“This experience was just really fun,” Benally said, “just getting out the first game jitters and playing under the lights in front of a crowd. I felt better in that second half, but I know what this team can bring, so I'm excited for the future.”

Olivia Hamlin added 12 points off the bench on 5-of-13 from the field. Benally's fellow freshman grabbed six boards, dished three assists and recorded a block and a steal in the win.

Lara Rohkohl recorded five of the team’s 18 offensive rebounds in her first action at the Marriott Center. Marya Hudgins, Brinley Cannon, Bolanle Yussuf and Hamlin each contributed two offensive rebounds for 20 BYU second-chance points. The Cougars finished with eight blocks and eleven steals in the win. 

Ariele Mackey-Williams saw her first action since the 2022-2023 season after suffering two ACL tears in back-to-back seasons. Of that she said,

“It’s been a journey full of ups and downs. It was really fun to see these younger girls play today and see what we’ve been working on through summer and fall.”

First Quarter

Marya Hudgins opened the scoring for the Cougs with an and-one layup, but Western Colorado quickly answered to even it at 2–2. Delany Gibb followed with a three-pointer, and Rohkohl added a layup off an inlet pass to extend the lead to 7–2. BYU capped the 9–0 run, started by Gibb, when Brinley Cannon cleaned up a missed three from Hudgins, dropping it through the cylinder off the rebound. The run forced a timeout from the Mountaineers with BYU leading 11–2.

Out of the break, Western Colorado responded with a 5–0 run that included an and-one pull-up midrange jumper. Hudgins then intercepted a pass and pushed the ball up the floor, dishing it to Hamlin for a layup. The Mountaineers answered again with a three to close the gap to 15–10.

Sydney Benally ended the quarter with a near-buzzer-beater from deep, giving the Cougs a 19–16 lead after one.

Second Quarter

Western Colorado came out of the break fast, stealing a pass in the paint and pushing it the other way. Hamlin then took a charge inside to force a Mountaineer turnover. Western Colorado responded by blocking a shot from Hamlin to keep the quarter scoreless through the first 2:30 with both teams missing each of their first three field-goal attempts of the quarter.

Mackey-Williams ended the drought with a three-pointer to put BYU up 22–16. The Mountaineers responded with a 6–0 run to tie the game at 22, but Hudgins broke the streak with a driving layup to reclaim the lead.

After a timeout, Hattie Ogden knocked down a top-of-the-key three to extend the lead to five. Following a layup from Hamlin, BYU’s full-court press forced a Western Colorado timeout. Hudgins grabbed a rebound off a Mountaineer miss and drained a step-back three on the other end to make it 32–22.

Rohkohl capped the half with a block and rebound, sending BYU into the locker room leading 33–25.

Third Quarter

BYU opened the half with Rohkohl scoring a layup off an assist from Cannon. The Cougars then stole the ensuing inbound, and Cannon finished at the rim. Moments later, Rohkohl grabbed an offensive rebound off a Hudgins three-point attempt and got the put-back to push the Cougar lead to 11.

Cannon blocked a Western Colorado shot, leading to Gibb being fouled on a fast-break layup attempt. She sank both free throws to extend the lead to 41–30. The Mountaineers went nearly three minutes without a basket before hitting a pull-up jumper to cut the deficit back to 11.

BYU answered with a 9–4 run capped by Bolanle Youssuf, who made one of two free throws after drawing contact. Western Colorado countered with a 6–2 spurt, but Mackey-Williams closed the quarter with a three-pointer to give BYU a 55–42 lead heading into the fourth.

It was a foul-heavy quarter, with the Cougars whistled for eight fouls and the Mountaineers for nine.

Fourth Quarter

Sydney Benally opened the final ten minutes by stealing a Mountaineer pass on the perimeter, taking it coast-to-coast and laying it in off the glass to push the lead to 15.

Moments later, Benally got a hand on a Western Colorado three-point attempt, forcing an airball and setting up Cannon, who was fouled on a fast-break layup attempt. She converted both free throws before the Mountaineers answered with a pull-up jumper.

Gibb hit her second three of the night off an inbound pass from Rohkohl. After the BYU defense forced a bad pass out of bounds, Benally drained another three to make it 67–46. Gibb then capped a 17–4 BYU run with a driving layup, prompting a Mountaineer timeout with 5:50 remaining.

Out of the timeout, Benally stole another pass, once again taking it coast-to-coast for a layup. The Cougars forced another turnover on the next possession, ending with Benally hitting a shot from behind the arc.

Hamlin added another three-pointer before Benally came up with her third steal of the quarter, dishing it ahead to Hamlin for a layup that stretched the lead to 31 at 79–48.

Braden Gunlock scored her first points as a Cougar, hitting a three with 37 seconds left to close the game at 86–50.

The Cougars outscored the Moutainteers in the final period 31-8, finishing with five steals—three of them from Benally.

Up Next

BYU faces Coastal Carolina at the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. MDT with the game streamed on ESPN+. Fans can also tune in to the game on BYU Radio 107.9, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App.