KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The No. 9-seeded BYU Cougars defeated the No. 8-seeded Utah Utes 70-52 on Thursday afternoon at the T-Mobile Center to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament.
“I thought we started pretty well. We were engaged on both sides of the ball,” said head coach Lee Cummard. “It was tangibly different in the second half. I’m really grateful for this group and how connected they are. They want to do it for each other and for the name on the front of the jersey.”
After trailing at halftime, BYU turned the game in the second half, outscoring Utah 43-16 over the final two quarters. The Cougars held the Utes to just seven third-quarter points before allowing only nine in the fourth to pull away.
Delaney Gibb led the Cougars with 19 points and eight assists, while Brinley Cannon added 12 points on four made 3-pointers. Lara Rohkohl finished with 12 points and eight rebounds as BYU secured its fifth-consecutive victory.
Cannon’s four 3-pointers marked her fifth game this season with three or more made triples, in which games BYU is 4-1. The Cougars knocked down 11 shots from beyond the arc as a team while forcing 19 Ute turnovers and converting them into 18 points.
The defensive effort marked the 10th time this season that BYU has held an opponent under 60 points. Over the past three seasons, the Cougars are now 24-2 when limiting opponents to fewer than 60 points.
First Quarter
Utah opened the game with a 3-pointer after a turnover-heavy start. BYU responded as Gibb found Kambree Barber for a corner three before Barber added two free throws to give the Cougars a 5-3 lead.
Gibb then connected with Cannon for a triple and later knocked down one of her own off a Sydney Benally assist to push BYU ahead 11-6. Cannon added two more 3-pointers late in the first, marking her fifth game this season with three or more made triples, as BYU closed the quarter ahead 22-17.
Second Quarter
The Utes opened the quarter with a jumper, but BYU responded as Gibb split a pair of free throws and Benally found Bolanle Yussuf for a layup to give the Cougars a 25-19 advantage. BYU assisted on seven of its first eight made field goals.
Utah answered with a floater and a 3-pointer before taking the lead at the free-throw line following the media timeout. The Utes used a 13-0 run to build separation before Benally halted the stretch with a driving layup.
Utah added a fast-break score late to send BYU into halftime trailing 36-27 after being outscored 19-5 in the quarter. In the first meeting between the teams this season, BYU erased a 10-point halftime deficit, outscoring the Utes 52-30 in the second half to win 77-65.