BYU Cougars || 15-6, 4-5 || Big 12 Conference
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
With a win, BYU would snap a four-game skid against the Utes dating to 2021 and earn its first victory over Utah as a conference foe since Feb. 12, 2011, when both schools were members of the Mountain West. The Cougars would also match their highest win total since going 26-4 and reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2021-22. A victory would move coach Lee Cummard into a tie with Amber Whiting for the third-most wins by a first-year head coach in program history, with 16.
CUMMARD VS. THE UTES
Cummard holds a 6-3 record as a player against Utah. The two-time AP All-America Honorable Mention averaged 18 points on 48.1 percent shooting from the floor and 50 percent from deep while recording 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals and a block in rivalry games during his junior and senior seasons.
"IT'S ABOUT HOW HARD YOU CAN GET HIT, AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD"
BYU is 4-1 this season in games immediately following a loss and has three players averaging 14.0 or more points in such games. (Gibb, 16.5; Hamlin, 14.0; Mackey-Williams 14.0) The Cougars have surrendered just 60.3 points to opponents on 36.1 percent from the field and 25.3 percent from deep. BYU has also swiped 10.0 steals per game and forced opponents into 18.5 turnovers per game that turn into 20.3 points off opponent giveaways. The Cougars have also grabbed 16.5 offensive boards per game, which they have converted into 14.0 second-chance points.
NAVAJO DIME DROPPER
Sydney Benally is one of the top guards in the country at getting her teammates in positions to score, as she assists on 26 percent of all made baskets when she is on the floor, which ranks in the 95th percentile nationally. Benally is second in the Big 12 and fifth nationally among freshmen with 95 assists. She is also third in the conference and seventh nationally among freshmen with 4.5 assists per game.
Her 4.6 assists per game and 92 total assists rank first and seventh in the BYU freshman record book, respectively. BYU is 13-4 when Benally records at least three assists, and is 10-0 when the freshman drops five dimes or more.
HARD TO HEAT UP IN PROVO
BYU ranks 21st in the country and 3rd in the Big 12 for opponent 3-point percentage, surrendering just 26.5 percent shooting and just 5.8 makes from deep. The Cougars also sit 25th nationally and 4th in the Big 12 in opponent field goal percentage, with opponents shooting 36.1 percent from the field.
In games at the Marriott Center, the Cougars hold opponents to 35.4 percent shooting on the season and 25.2 percent from behind the arc, making just 5.2 triples per contest. BYU has also forced seven of its 12 foes into 20 or more turnovers per game in Provo, with all 12 coughing it up at least 15 times. Cummard’s squad has seven players who average over a steal per game: Hamlin (2.0), Traore (2.0), Cannon (1.9), Gibb (1.9), Benally (1.7), Hudgins (1.2) and Rohkohl (1.1).
MIGHTY IN THE MIDDLE
Lara Rohkohl and Bolanle Yussuf have dominated the paint, combining for 15.6 points, 13.6 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.9 steals per game. Rohkohl ranks in the 99th percentile nationally with a field goal percentage of 67 percent, while Yussuf sits in the 83rd percentile at 53.4 percent on the season. Of the duos’ 13.6 boards, 5.4 per game come on the offensive glass in wins. Rohkohl ranks in the 95th percentile nationally as she grabs 15.4 percent of all available offensive boards while she is on the floor.
SCORING COMES AT A PREMIUM
Cummard’s squad prides itself on its ability to defend. BYU has held 17 of 21 opponents under the 70-point threshold and is 15-2 in such games, with their only losses to No. 18 Baylor and at Oklahoma State. BYU has kept nine of its foes under 60 points this season, and the Cougars are 23-2 over the past three seasons when doing so. In losses to No. 8 TCU, No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 18 Baylor and Oklahoma State, BYU held each opponent under their season scoring average: Vanderbilt 3.1 points under, TCU 15.5 points under its 87.5 points per game and Oklahoma State 19.8 points under its 86.8 average. The lone team to outscore their average against the Cougs was No. 22 West Virginia, which put up 91 points, the most BYU has surrendered this season.
LIV'N IN FAST FORWARD
Olivia Hamlin was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week on Dec. 15, the second weekly award for BYU this season (Sydney Benally, Dec. 1). The freshman averages 12.4 points per game, off the bench, and the Cougars are 13-2 when Hamlin finishes in double figures. The Cougars are also 3-0 when Hamlin scores 20 or more points, and 9-2 when Hamlin records multiple steals.
Hamlin is one of the top players in the country at playing in transition. The freshman scores 4.5 points per game, and 36.4 percent of her points come from transition buckets, which rank in the 99th and 98th percentile nationally. Hamlin also scores 5.9 points per game in the paint, which ranks in the 91st percentile nationally.
The Santa Clara, Utah, product also leads all Big 12 freshmen and is 13th nationally with 42 steals. She is also first in the conference and 16th nationally in steals per game with 2.0 per contest. Her 2.0 steals per game and 41 total also rank 4th and 11th steals per game and total steals and fourth in the BYU freshman record book.
THERE'S A MONSTER IN THE CLOSET
The Cougars’ Achilles heel this season has been the turnover monster. BYU averages 18.4 turnovers per game and has recorded 20 or more on seven occasions with a 5-2 record in such games. In losses this season, BYU has recorded 20.2 turnovers and 19.5 points off giveaways to opponents.
YOUNG GUNS, BIG BUCKETS
BYU’s freshmen have made huge contributions to the Cougars’ offensive success. Olivia Hamlin, Sydney Benally, Bolanle Yussuf and Braeden Gunlock have combined for 40 percent of all points scored by BYU this season. With sophomores Delaney Gibb, Brinley Cannon and Kambree Barber added to the mix, the underclassmen account for 68.8 percent of all BYU scoring. In Big 12 play, underclassmen have combined for 52.1 of BYU’s 66.7 points per game (78.1 percent). In the win over No. 22 Texas Tech, Hamlin led BYU with 20 points, Benally hit three triples for nine points and Yussuf contributed six to the cause.
BUILT ON BOARDS
BYU leads the Big 12 with 14.5 offensive rebounds per game and averages 42.43 total boards per game, which ranks second in the conference and 21st nationally. The Cougars have recorded 135 offensive rebounds since the beginning of conference play, leading to 109 second-chance points, 15.4 and 12.1 per game, respectively. The Cougars grabbed 26 offensive boards in their win over Arizona State, the fifth-most in a game in BYU history and scored 20 second-chance points.
Despite the strong rebounding averages, BYU has been outrebounded 83-68 over its last two games, and is now 2-2 when being outrebounded. The Cougars, who have thrived off second-chance points this season, have grabbed just 18 offensive boards and scored 18 second-chance points in their two-consecutive losses.
PERPETUAL PERIMETER PRECISION
BYU currently holds the second-longest active and the third-longest all-time streak of games with a made 3-point field goal in NCAA women’s basketball. The Cougars have connected on at least one triple in each of the previous 815 games. The streak began on March 2, 2000, in an 86-69 win over Air Force. The last team to hold BYU without a make from deep was Utah on Feb. 6, 2000, at the Huntsman Center. The only team with more is Chattanooga, with 826 consecutive games with a made three-pointer.
Head Coach – Lee Cummard
- Alma Mater: BYU, 2009
- Division I Career Record: 15-6 || 1st Season
