Cougars fall to Jayhawks, 81-60

LAWRENCE, Kans. — BYU women’s basketball fell to the Kansas Jayhawks 81-60 Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas outshot BYU 48.2 to 30.2 percent from the field, outrebounded them 49 to 31 and 11 to nine on the offensive glass. After the Cougars and Jayhawks were deadlocked at 32 entering halftime, BYU was outscored 49-28 in the second half, the most points in a half given up by the Cougars this season.

Brinley Cannon led BYU with 13 points on a 4-of-7 clip, knocking down three triples for the second-consecutive game. The sophomore also turned in four rebounds and a block in the loss. Sydney Benally scored 11, also with three 3-pointers made, to go along with two assists and a rebound.

Bolanle Yussuf and Delaney Gibb each finished with 10 points. Yussuf was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe, with three rebounds, two assists and a block. Gibb was held to 1-of-13 shooting, four rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Kansas’ Jaliyah Davis, the five-time Big 12 Freshman of the Week, turned in 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting, 12 rebounds, five offensive boards, an assist and a steal. S’Mya Nichols also contributed 17 points, five rebounds and four assists toward the Jayhawk cause.

First Quarter

Marya Hudgins got the scoring started for the Cougars with a step-through score off the window. A pair of free throws from Gibb and a push shot from the middle of the key by Hudgins gave BYU a 6-3 lead early in the first.  The Cougars pushed the first-quarter advantage to 11-6 with a Bolanle Yussuf layup followed by a triple from Brinley Cannon with 4:39 remaining.

The Jayhawks scored six-straight points to take a one-point lead with 2:26 to go in the opening frame before a jumper by Gibb snapped a 2:39 scoring drought. Kansas scored the final three points, all from the charity stripe, to take a 15-13 lead into the second period.

Second Quarter

BYU and Kansas traded baskets over the first two minutes of the quarter with back-to-back triples from Sydney Benally, followed by a Yussuf layup, assisted by Benally, with the home team leading 22-21. With 7:39 remaining in the half, Olivia Hamlin kicked to Hudgins on the wing for three, followed by a 2-for-2 trip to the line for Hamlin to give BYU a 26-22 advantage.

The Jayhawks scored consecutive buckets to knot the game at 26 before a jumper in the paint by Benally retook the lead for the Cougars. A layup by Cannon, assisted by Yussuf, followed by a score off the glass by Yussuf, gave the Cougars a 32-30 lead with 2:14 left. A pair of Kansas free throws knotted the game at 32 heading to the break. This marked the second time this season that BYU has entered the half tied.

Third Quarter

Kansas opened the third quarter with seven-straight points to go up 39-32 with 7:16 left, forcing a BYU timeout. Following the break, they rattled off a 5-1 run to push the lead to 12 at 45-33, leading to a media timeout.

Out of the timeout, Hamlin forced a steal, kicked to Hudgins, who threw the extra pass to Cannon in the corner for BYU’s first field goal of the second half with 4:34 remaining. After Barber drew an offensive foul, Gibb was fouled on a triple and cashed in on all three freebies to bring the Cougars within six at 45-39.

A 9-2 spurt for the Jayhawks again pushed the lead to 13 at 55-42 before a right-wing triple from Benally, her third of the game, cut the deficit to 10.  A Kansas tip-in at the buzzer put the Cougars down 57-45 entering the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter

The home team held the momentum with a 9-3 run to open the final 10 minutes, the lone Cougar bucket coming from Hattie Ogden. With the Cougars down 18, four-straight points from Yussuf, followed by a Hamlin triple, brought BYU within 12. After a pair of Kansas free throws, a three-pointer by Cannon cut the deficit to 11.

BYU was held without a field goal for the final 4:24, with just a single make at the foul line. In that time, the Jayhawks finished the game on a 13-3 run to hand the Cougars their seventh loss of the season, 81-60.

Up Next

BYU stays in the Sunflower State for a matchup with the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday, Feb. 7. Tip is scheduled for 3 p.m. MT with the game streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast live on BYU Radio, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App with Jason Shepherd on the call.