BYU Cougars || 15-4, 0-0 || Big 12 Conference
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
With a win, BYU would match its most wins in a season since going 26-4 and reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2021-22. A win would also move Coach Cummard into a tie with Amber Whiting for the third-most wins by a first-year head coach in Cougar history (16).
BYU has faced AP Top 25 teams in consecutive regular-season games on five occasions in program history. A win over the Mountaineers would mark just the second time the Cougars have gone 2-0 in back-to-back games against ranked teams. The other instance came in 2021 as BYU knocked off No. 17 Florida State and No. 22 West Virginia in back-to-back games to win the St. Pete Showcase with Lee Cummard serving as acting head coach in the absence of Jeff Judkins due to COVID-19.
COUGARS VS. THE POLLS
BYU holds a 23-55 all-time record in ranked matchups and is 2-2 against teams ranked 22nd in the AP Poll. The most recent meeting with the No. 22-ranked team in the land came on Nov. 29, 2024, against Iowa at the Cancun Challenge, a game the Hawkeyes won 68-48. The last win against No. 22 came against West Virginia on Nov. 27, 2021, the 58-57 win referenced above.
SCORING COMES AT A PREMIUM
Cummard’s squad prides itself on its ability to defend and hold teams under their season averages. The Cougars have held 16 of 19 opponents under the 70-point threshold and are 15-1 in such games, with their only loss to No. 18 Baylor. BYU has kept nine of its foes under 60 points this season, and the Cougars are 23-2 over the past three seasons in such games. In losses to No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 8 TCU and No. 18 Baylor, BYU held each ranked opponent under their season scoring average: Vanderbilt 3.1 points under and TCU 15.5 points shy of their 87.5 points per game.
LAST YEAR'S BOUT
In last season’s lone matchup between the Cougars and Lady Raiders, Delaney Gibb led the Cougars with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting to go along with three assists, a steal and a rebound. Kambree Barber and Brinley Cannon combined for 12 points, with seven and five, respectively. Barber also contributed four rebounds and two steals, while Cannon grabbed three boards and recorded a steal. Hattie Ogden knocked down a late three as part of the Cougars’ comeback effort.
YOUNG GUNS, BIG BUCKETS
BYU’s freshmen continue to make huge contributions to the Cougars’ success. Olivia Hamlin, Sydney Benally, Bolanle Yussuf and Braeden Gunlock have combined for 40.3 percent of all points scored by the Cougars this season. With sophomores Delaney Gibb, Brinley Cannon and Kambree Barber added to the mix, the underclassmen account for 66.9 percent of all BYU points. In Big 12 play, the underclassmen have combined for 50.7 of BYU’s 66.5 points per game (76.2 percent). In the win over No. 22 Texas Tech, Hamlin led the Cougars with 20 points, with Benally hitting three triples to contribute nine points to the cause.
NAVAJO DIME DROPPER
Olivia Hamlin was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week on Dec. 15, the second weekly award for BYU this season (Sydney Benally, Dec. 1). Since then, the freshman has been on a tear. The freshman averages 12.3 points per game, off the bench, and the Cougars are 13-2 when Hamlin finishes in double figures. The Cougars are also 3-0 when Hamlin scores 20 or more points, and 9-2 when Hamlin records multiple steals.
Hamlin is one of the top players in the country at playing in transition. The freshman scores 4.7 points per game, and 38.5 percent of her points come from transition buckets, which both rank in the 99th percentile nationally.
The Santa Clara, Utah, product also leads all Big 12 freshmen and is 12th nationally with 40 steals. She is also first in the conference and 11th nationally in steals per game with 2.11 per contest. Her 40 steals and 2.11 per game also rank 11th in total steals and fourth in steals per game in the BYU freshman record book.
BUILT ON BOARDS
BYU leads the Big 12 with 43.3 rebounds per game, good for 16th in the country. The Cougars also average 15.1 offensive boards per game, which leads the conference and ranks 29th nationally. BYU has recorded 117 offensive rebounds since the beginning of conference play, leading to 91 second-chance points, 16.7 and 13.0 per game, respectively. The Cougars grabbed 26 offensive boards in their win over Arizona State, the fifth-most in a game in BYU history and scored 20 second-chance points.
The Cougars have five players averaging 5.0 or more rebounds, with eight recording at least 3.0 per contest. Lara Rohkohl leads the way with 7.1. The others: Kambree Barber (6.4), Bola Yussuf (5.9), Brinley Cannon (5.5), and Marya Hudgins (5.0). BYU is 12-3 when outrebounding opponents this season.
MIGHTY IN THE MIDDLE
Lara Rohkohl and Bolanle Yussuf have dominated the paint for the Cougars this season, combining for 14.5 points, 13 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.9 steals per game. Rohkohl ranks in the 99th percentile nationally with a field goal percentage of 67 percent, while Yussuf sits in the 78th percentile at 51.8 percent on the season. Of the duos’ 13 boards, 5.3 per game come on the offensive glass. Rohkohl ranks in the 97th percentile nationally as she grabs 17.7 percent of all available offensive boards while she is on the floor.
NAVAJO DIME DROPPER
Sydney Benally is one of the top guards in the country at getting her teammates in positions to score, as she assists on 29 percent of all made baskets when she is on the floor, which ranks in the 95th percentile nationally. Benally is second in the Big 12 and fifth nationally among freshmen with 90 assists. She is also second in the conference and sixth nationally among freshmen with 4.7 assists per game.
Her 4.7 assists per game and 90 total assists rank first and ninth in the BYU freshman record book, respectively. BYU is 13-3 when Benally records at least three assists, and is 10-0 when the freshman drops five dimes or more.
THIRD-QUARTER TAKEOVER
The third quarter has been especially kind to the Cougars this season as they have outscored opponents in 15 games by an average of 9.4 points. BYU is 13-2 when outscoring its opponent in the third period.
BYU is most certainly a second-half team. The Cougs average 33.3 first-half points on 39.7 percent shooting. In the second half, those numbers jump to 39.1 points and 43.8 percent shooting. BYU has outscored opponents in the second half in 13 of 19 games, including besting then-17-2 Arizona State 43-28 (+15), and 17-8 in the third quarter alone.
Contrary to the norm, BYU scored 40 first-half points on 54.2 percent shooting in the first half against No. 19 Texas Tech to lead by six at the break. The Cougars then outscored the Lady Raiders 33-27 in the second to complete their 12-point win.
IT'S HARD TO HEAD UP IN PROVO
BYU ranks 15th in the country and third in the Big 12 for opponent 3-point percentage, surrendering just 25.7 percent shooting and just 5.4 3-point makes per game. The Cougars also sit 16th nationally and fourth in the Big 12 in opponent field goal percentage, holding opponents to 35.4 percent from the field.
In games within the friendly walls of the Marriott Center, the Cougars hold opponents to 33.9 percent shooting on the season and 28.1 percent from behind the arc, making just 5.2 triples per contest. BYU has also forced seven of its 11 foes into 20 or more turnovers per game in Provo, with all 11 turning it over at least 15 times. Cummard’s squad has seven players who average over a steal per game: Hamlin (2.1), Traore (2.0), Cannon (1.9), Benally (1.7), Gibb (1.6), Hudgins (1.2) and Rohkohl (1.2).
BACK LIKE SHE NEVER LEFT
After missing eight non-conference games due to injury, Gibb has continued to show why she was the unanimous Big 12 Freshman of the year a season ago. The sophomore is averaging 17.4 points on 40.6 percent shooting and has knocked down 2.4 triples per game to go along with 4.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest since her return.
Gibb has led BYU to a 6-2 record in games where she leads the Cougars in scoring, a 4-0 record when she leads the team in steals and a 5-2 record when she records five or more assists.
The sophomore standout has recorded four or more assists in 5-of-7 Big 12 games this season. Gibb ranks in the 99th percentile nationally as she assists on 35.7 percent of all Cougar makes while she is on the floor. She also ranks in the 98th percentile with 5.1 assists per game.
PERPETUAL PERIMETER PRECISION
BYU currently holds the second-longest active and the third-longest all-time streak of games with a made 3-point field goal in NCAA women’s basketball. The Cougars have connected on at least one triple in each of the previous 813 games. The streak began on March 2, 2000, in an 86-69 win over Air Force. The only team with more is Chattanooga, with 824 consecutive games with a made three-pointer.
SECOND-CHANCE SPECIALISTS
Since returning from injury, Kambree Barber has been a force on the offensive glass for the Cougars. The sophomore ranks in the 99th percentile for offensive rebounding percentage as Barber grabs 12.8 percent of all available offensive rebounds while she is on the floor.
Barber has recorded 26 offensive boards in 10 games for an average of 2.6 per game. Barber is one of eight players in the Big 12 to average over 2.6 offensive rebounds per game, joining teammate Lara Rohkohl (3.2) on that list. Rohkohl ranks in the 96th percentile nationally as she collects 16.2 of all available offensive boards in her 19.8 minutes per game.
Head Coach – Lee Cummard
- Alma Mater: BYU, 2009
- Division I Career Record: 15-4 || 1st Season
