Cougars top Missouri by 18 to advance to WBIT quarterfinal

PROVO, Utah – Delaney Gibb and Olivia Hamlin combined for 52 points, hitting a combined 10 threes to take down the Missouri Tigers, 93-75, Monday night at the Marriott Center.

In a matchup where the Cougars trailed for 10 seconds early in the first quarter before taking the lead and never looking back, BYU outrebounded its foe 47-33 and hit a season high 14 threes.

"That was a good game for us. It was really fun to see the aggressiveness coming out from the jump, because it was something we emphasized leading into the game," head coach Lee Cummard said. "The crowd was great tonight. Right from the jump, the energy was in the building, and it really played into how our team performed."

The Cougars earned the program's first win over Missouri in the Tigers' first trip to the Marriott Center. The win was fueled by hot shooting in the first half that helped BYU build a 21-point lead before the break. It marked their third halftime lead of 20 or more points this season, and the Cougars extended the margin to as many as 31 late in the third quarter.

Gibb joined BYU's 1,000-point club after dropping 29 in her tenth 20-plus point performance of the season. The sophomore went 11-of-19 from the floor, including a career high 7-of-11 from three. Gibb is the 34th BYU women’s basketball player to eclipse 1,000 career points, and the third fastest to do it in BYU history, achieving the feat in just 57 games. Along with her 29 points, the native of Raymond, Alberta, Canada, added eight rebounds, six assists and three steals in the win.

"I didn’t really want to think about it." Gibb said, "I knew there was a possibility I could break [1,000 points] this game, but today was such an overall success as a team. It’s fun to be able to achieve that on a night where we felt connected together.”

Hamlin followed Gibb, tying a career high with 23 points, her fifth 20-plus point performance this season. The freshman hit three shots from beyond the arc and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. 

Kambree Barber notched her second double-double of the year, as she finished with 12 points and snagged 11 rebounds in the win against Missouri. The sophomore was an efficient 5-of-7 from the field, 2-of-3 from deep and chipped in two blocks on the night.

Lara Rohkohl and Bolanle Yussuf had four and six points, respectively, each hauling in six boards apiece. Brinely Cannon added 10 for the Cougars, grabbing five rebounds and adding six assists. Sydney Benally dropped in six points, dished four dimes and snagged four boards.

First Quarter

The Cougars started out quickly with Gibb hitting a three on their first possession of the game. Missouri answered right back, scoring the next five points to go ahead 3-5 before Gibb put one through the cylinder on a pull-up jumper to knot the game at 5 apiece. Moments later, Barber banked in a triple to give the Cougars a three-point advantage.

Bennally then added to the BYU lead on a pull-up jumpshot to make it 10-5. After a Missouri miss, Cannon dropped in a floater in the lane to go ahead 12-5. The bucket jump-started an 8-2 run that featured scores from Hamlin, Barber and Yussuf, all in the paint, to force a Missouri timeout. Following the run, Missouri would not score again in the quarter.

Out of the break, the Cougars held onto their momentum with Barber scoring again from behind the arc, stretching the lead. Gibb then dropped in a layup and then another three, followed by a Hamlin fastbreak layup to close out the quarter on a 16-0 BYU run up 28-7. 

Over the final 8:21 of the quarter, the Tigers scored two points to BYU’s 25, marking the largest first-quarter lead the Cougars have had this season. Missouri is just 4-16 this season when trailing after one period.

Second Quarter

BYU picked up right where they left off in the first quarter with Benally scoring from just outside the paint and Gibb hitting a three to give the Cougars a 26-point lead, up 33-7. Missouri then ended its nearly 10-minute scoring drought on a three-pointer.

Benally answered by draining a stepback jumper before Missouri hit another three to cut BYU’s lead to 20. 

Missouri looked to grab some momentum by pushing the pace, scoring five straight before BYU again took over with Barber recording a block and Hamlin dropping in a pair from the free throw line. 

The Cougars expanded their lead back to 20 when Gibb hit a corner three to put them up 42-22 with 3:44 left in the half. A defensive battle ensued with Barber and Yussuf each getting blocks before Missori broke the two-minute scoreless stretch on a layup.

The Cougars answered on the next two possessions with Cannon and Gibb hitting shots from behind the arc. Missouri ended the half with a made three, with BYU leading 48-27.

BYU went 8-of-18 from three and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. The Cougars outrebounded the Tigers 29 to 18 in the half after holding Missouri to just 27 percent from the floor.

Third Quarter

BYU opened the second half with a 20-plus point lead for the third time this season, having similar leads against UTEP and Omaha. The Cougars came out of the locker room hot, opening on a 6-2 run with Barber hitting two jumpers and Rohkohl a cutting layup. 

Missouri answered with a three-pointer of their own to cut BYU’s lead to 22 with the Cougars leading 54-32. Rohkohl snagged an offensive board and put it back up before BYU and Mizzou traded threes to push the score to 59-35. 

The home team then sparked another run, this time a 7-0 burst that featured a triple and a layup from Cannon and a floater from Gibb. Missouri answered, scoring the next nine points. Yussuf broke the streak after grabbing a board off the offensive glass and putting it through for two. A Hamlin layup preceded Gibb, who scored her 1,000th career point on a midrange jumpshot with 1:24 remaining in the quarter, putting the Cougars up 72-46.

BYU then scored the final four points of the quarter with Yussuf hitting another layup followed by a Hamlin steal, scoop and score to give BYU a 28-point advantage, leading 76-48 after three.

Fourth Quarter

The Cougars opened the final ten minutes of play on another hot streak, forcing a Missouri ten-second back-court violation before draining back-to-back threes by Hamlin and Gibb. Missouri found some life, scoring the next eight points before Gibb silenced the run on a corner three to restore a 29-point advantage.

Hamlin then hit a shot from behind the arc, followed by a jumper in the lane to give the Cougars a 90-59 lead with 4:46 remaining. Missouri made a late push, going on a 16-3 run, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the over 30-point Cougar lead late in the fourth. The game ended in BYU’s first-ever win over the Tigers, 93-75. 

Up Next

The Cougars host Stanford in the quarterfinals of the WBIT at the Marriott Center on Thursday, March 26, at 7:00 p.m. MST. Streaming will be available on ESPN+, and radio play-by-play is available on BYU Radio 107.9, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App.