Gibb, Hamlin power Cougars past Cyclones, 83–69

PROVO, Utah — Behind a pair of 20-point outings from Delaney Gibb and Olivia Hamlin, BYU women's basketball took down Iowa State 83-69 on Tuesday night at the Marriott Center. 

“Tremendous effort and execution by our group,” said head coach Lee Cummard. “It was fun to watch them compete tonight as a united group and get the bad taste out of our mouths from the Kansas and Kansas State road swing. Everybody played with poise, composure and great rhythm in what we were doing.”

The Cougars and Cyclones traded buckets the whole first half, as shown by the 12 lead changes during the opening 20 minutes. BYU scored 43 points first-half points, the most points before halftime this season, including a 17-point second quarter from Hamlin.

The home team opened the third with a 10-2 run, before a 14-3 run later in the quarter on the way to a 20-point lead, their largest lead of the night. BYU did not give up much ground from that point forward, earning a 14-point victory over Iowa State. 

Hamlin’s career night included 23 points on 9-of-18 from the field and three made triples. The freshman also contributed three rebounds and a steal off the bench, providing a significant lift for the Cougars. Most of the freshman’s scoring surge came when she racked up 17 of BYU’s 23 second-quarter points.

Gibb broke out of her shooting slump for her fifth 20-point game of the season on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting. The sophomore also connected on 5-of-7 offerings from three, tying a career-high in made three-pointers. To go along with her 21 points, the sophomore collected four boards and distributed three assists. 

Lara Rohkohl’s nine boards, two swipes, one block, and interior presence on Iowa State’s star center, Audi Crooks was key to the Cougar defense Tuesday night. In addition, the Hanover, Germany native gave BYU an additional scoring boost with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting.

First Quarter

A connection was made on the first Cougar possession with a Rohkohl layup on a pick-and-roll with Marya Hudgins. Brinley Cannon responded with a lefty layup after a Cyclone three. From there, both teams would see-saw back and forth until the media timeout. Three Iowa State made shots were countered by another Hudgins-Rohkohl connection, a Gibb trailing three and a Bolanle Yussuf putback. BYU led 11-10 midway through the first.

The Cyclone and Cougar attacks continued exchanging with one another. Although Iowa State hit back-to-back three-pointers, BYU answered with a Gibb lefty layup in the lane, a forced 5-second violation on the ensuing inbound, leading to a Kambree Barber corner three from a Gibb kick out. Even with the Cyclones retaking the lead on a trio of free throws and a layup, Gibb capped the first with a contested floater to make the deficit 21-20. 

The first quarter alone had seven lead changes amidst the back-and-forth battle.

Second Quarter

Olivia Hamlin became the main headline of the second-quarter scoring for the Cougar offense. The freshman scored seven in the first minute on a baseline floater, a layup off a Barber inbound steal, and a three. After a Cyclone 8-0 run, Gibb stopped the bleeding with a midrange floater, leading to an Iowa State timeout. The game was knotted at 31 apiece halfway through the quarter. 

Hamlin continued her scoring spree with another floater and her third three-pointer of the evening. The Cougars countered a pair of Cyclone free throws and a three with an Arielle Mackey-Williams driving layup to give BYU a 43-42 lead going into the locker room. 

A 43-point first half made it the most points BYU has scored in any first half this season, and gave the Cougars the lead at the half for the first time in six games. 

Third Quarter

BYU began the half on a 10-2 run. That run was highlighted by a Sydney Benally dime to Rohkohl, a Gibb corner three and a converted and-1 by Rohkohl. The Cougars continued to expand their lead with two straight Hudgins lefty layups and a Yussuf drop-step finish. With 4:30 to go, the Cougars led 61-46.

BYU was not done as its lead grew to 20, its biggest lead of the game, during a 14-3 run. Gibb connected on back-to-back shots from beyond the arc with a left-corner three before a transition triple in that span. A Barber dump off to Hamlin inside concluded the third quarter barrage at 69-52 in favor of the Cougars.

Fourth Quarter

A Gibb-Rohkohl pick-and-roll connection ended a minute and a half scoring drought for both teams to start the quarter. A Hamlin finish in the lane after a Cyclone layup kept the Cougar lead at 19 with 7:48 left. A Rohkohl layup and a Bennally pull-up midrange made it 80-62 at the 4:11 mark. 

Although Iowa State made a final push, Gibb's fifth triple of the night slammed the door, snapping BYU's 2-game losing streak with an 83-69 victory. 

Up Next

The Cougars travel to Boulder for a Valentine’s Day matchup against Colorado on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the CU Events Center.