BYU's second-half rally fuels 77-65 rivalry win over Utah

PROVO, Utah — BYU women’s basketball’s 22-point second-half turnaround powered a 77-65 comeback win over rival Utah on Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center. 

“Tremendous game, just fun to be a part of,” said head coach Lee Cummard. “I’ve been a part of many of these, and it felt just like all of them. It’s back and forth, there's emotion and energy that’s different from other games. It’s so fun to be a part of this rivalry. I shared this with the girls; it’s the same game, and you approach it the same way. You have to execute and impose our game plan on them. When you win in the rivalry, it just tastes sweeter than most wins. We did that today.”

Aside from holding the lead for 25 seconds in the first, the Cougars trailed for 30:24 before retaking the lead at the 8:45 mark in the fourth quarter. BYU was down by 10 points at halftime, then gradually chipped into the Ute lead. The Cougars 52 second-half points, the ninth most in a second half in program history, gave them enough momentum to overtake Utah at home.

Brinley Cannon stuffed the stat sheet on both ends of the floor in the triumph over BYU’s rival. The sophomore scored a career-high 21 points to go along with four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. Cannon also knocked down 6-of-9 offerings from beyond the arc in the win, also a career high.

“I think every game is different, every day is different," Cannon said. "I’m just trying to stay consistent. I’m grateful to be at a place that has a lot of confidence in me, even when shots aren’t going in. I’m just grateful for my coaches and teammates for staying confident and expressing that to me, even when things aren’t going well. It feels good, and I’m just grateful to be here.”

Including Cannon, the Cougars had four double-figure scorers in the victory. Olivia Hamlin provided 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting off the bench, including two momentum-filled triples in the third quarter.

Marya Hudins and Lara Rohkohl also gave the BYU a scoring boost with 14 and 11, respectively. Hudgins tallied 14 points on 4-of-8 from the field, with two triples and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. The junior also grabbed two rebounds, a steal and two blocks. Rohkohl put up 11 points and six boards, two coming on the offensive glass. Rohkohl's rim protection was also key, as shown by her three blocks in the afternoon.

Despite a meager eight points, Delaney Gibb gave the Cougars key contributions in other areas of the stat sheet. Gibb collected eight rebounds, tying her season high, including three key offensive rebounds in the BYU comeback. The sophomore also tallied four steals, tying her career high and seven assists in the win. 

First Quarter

Sydney Bennally got the scoring started for the Cougars with a pull-up jumper in the lane on the first play. After Utah pulled ahead by five with a three-pointer and a layup, Cannon dished a bounce pass inside to Rohkohl for a reverse layup. At the media timeout with 4:42 remaining, BYU trailed 11-6.

The Cougar offensive attack came alive out of the timeout thanks to a Hamlin fastbreak layup off a Gibb steal, then a Cannon right-wing triple on the next possession. After a Ute bucket, Cannon knocked down another three to give BYU its first lead, 14-13, with two minutes left. Utah went on to retake the lead to end the quarter as the Cougars fell behind 18-14 after one.

Second Quarter

Both sides traded baskets, which resulted in a six-point deficit for BYU after three minutes of action. The Cougars chipped into the Utes’ lead with a Hudgins three off a Gibb drive and kick, followed by a Hamlin floater in the lane. At the 4:24 mark, BYU trailed Utah 28-25.

The Cougars failed to score the rest of the half as the deficit grew to 10 after a Utah three, midrange jumper and layup. BYU found itself down 35-25 at halftime. 

Third Quarter

Cannon knocked down her third triple of the game in the corner off of Bennally’s fourth assist of the afternoon on the first Cougar possession. On the next time down the floor, a Cannon steal led to a contested free-throw-line jumper by Bennally to bring it to a five-point game. After both teams exchanged free throws and a Ute and-one, Hamlin hit a back-to-back threes, one on each wing, with both being assisted by Gibb. With 2:52 left, BYU trailed 47-41.

Off a Gibb steal, Cannon drove and dished it to the trailing Hudgins for a wing three. A pair of Cannon free throws and a Gibb driving layup to close the third brought the deficit to four. With one quarter to go, the Cougars trailed 52-48. 

Fourth Quarter

Cannon continued her hot shooting day by hitting her career-high fourth and fifth threes in back-to-back possessions to begin the fourth. BYU took a 54-52 lead for its first lead since leading 14-13 with 1:35 left in the first. From there, the Cougars gradually built upon their lead.

A Gibb steal and score with 7:02 to go, and an assist to Cannon for her sixth three-pointer of the game kept the momentum going. Those three gave Cannon 20 points, a new career-high. Back-to-back buckets in the paint from a Hudgins-Rohkohl pick-and-roll and a Hudgins up-and-under layup gave BYU a four-point cushion with 3:19 to go at 65-61.

Rohkohl kept the surge alive with an and-one putback out of the timeout. Braeden Gunlock came off the bench to put the game away with an offensive rebound and a putback layup. She immediately followed the score by picking off a Ute pass for a steal to seal the deal. Free throws at the end solidified the win for BYU over Utah, 77-65.

Up Next

BYU hits the road for a pair of games in the Sunflower State next week, first visiting Allen Fieldhouse for a date with the Kansas Jayhawks on Wednesday, Feb. 4. The game will tip at 5:30 p.m. MT with streaming available on ESPN+ and live play-by-play with Jason Shepherd on BYU Radio 107.9, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App.