BYU Cougars
Overall: 1-0 ⋅ Big 12: 0-0 ⋅ Last 5: 0-0
THE OPENING TIP
After defeating Idaho State 67-50 on Tuesday, the Cougars return to the Marriott Center to host the Portland Pilots on Thursday night.
Thursday’s game marks the 37th meeting between BYU and Portland. The Cougars picked up an 87-53 win at the Chiles Center on Dec. 6, 2025, to move to 28-8 all-time against the Pilots. BYU holds a 12-4 advantage in games played in Provo, though Portland won the last meeting at the Marriott Center (61-49) when both were WCC opponents.
BYU played without star sophomore Delaney Gibb in last year’s matchup as she recovered from a lower-leg injury. However, three Cougars finished in double figures, led by Marya Hudgins (20), Brinley Cannon (19) and Olivia Hamlin (12). BYU led 33-32 at halftime before outscoring Portland 54-21 in the second half. The Cougars shot 64.5 percent from the floor (20 of 31) and 6-for-10 from beyond the arc while forcing 15 turnovers that led to 22 points.
STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
The Cougars won their fourth consecutive season opener on Tuesday and their second straight under head coach Lee Cummard. Eleven of the 12 players who saw action scored in Tuesday night’s win, with Gibb leading all scorers with 17 points. Six players finished with seven or more points: Gibb (17), Hamlin (9), Benally (8), Traore (8), Woolston (7) and Yussuf (7).
Seven Cougars recorded an assist, paced by Gibb (four) and Brinley Cannon (five). BYU assisted on 17 of 25 made field goals for a 68 percent assist rate.
HEAT FLASHES FROM BEHIND THE ARC
Despite defeating Idaho State 67-50 on Tuesday, the Cougars’ perimeter shooting left room for improvement early on. Gibb knocked down BYU’s first 3-pointer just 45 seconds into the game, but the team then went 0-for-19 from deep over the next two-plus quarters, trailing 30-27 with 6:39 left in the third.
Gibb sparked a turnaround with a triple at the 6:28 mark, igniting a surge where Sydney Benally hit back-to-back triples and Kambree Taylor, Kailey Woolston and Hamlin each connected from deep. BYU went 6 of 9 from beyond the arc during that stretch to build a 53-37 lead.
WISE BEYOND THEIR YEARS
Despite having no seniors or fifth-year players on its roster, BYU returns a wealth of experience. The Cougars feature four players who rank among the top six in all-time freshman minutes played: Sydney Benally checks in at No. 2 (1,108), Olivia Hamlin at No. 3 (1,097), Kailey Woolston at No. 4 (1,067) and Delaney Gibb at No. 6 (1,013).
Three of those players also rank in the top five in all-time freshman scoring: Delaney Gibb is No. 2 with 522 points (while ranking first in points per game), Olivia Hamlin sits at No. 3 with 490 points and Kailey Woolston is No. 5 with 425 points. Woolston was also the second-ranked 3-point shooter in the NCAA during her 2023–24 freshman season at 46.6 percent.
THE GIBB EFFECT
In 2025–26, Gibb earned All-Big 12 First Team honors and a spot on the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Midseason Top-10 list while leading the Cougars in scoring, assists and steals per game. The junior was one of just three NCAA Division I players to average 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals per game, joining Liv McGill (then of Florida, now at Oklahoma State) and Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame). She also became the 34th member of BYU Women’s Hoops’ 1,000-point club, reaching the milestone in just 57 games—the third-fastest in program history.
Her 37-point performance at Utah, alongside four straight 20-point games, earned Gibb a Big 12 Starting Five nod in back-to-back weeks (Feb. 23 and March 2, 2026). She also became just the third Cougar to score 35-plus points in a game over the last decade—joining WCC Players of the Year Shaylee Gonzales and Cassie Broadhead Devashrayee—and the only one to do so more than once (36 at Utah on March 1, 2025).
Over the past two seasons, Gibb was one of four Division I players to accumulate at least 1,000 points, 300 rebounds, 200 assists and 100 steals as an underclassman, joining Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge, Oklahoma State’s Liv McGill and UConn’s Sarah Strong.
Gibb currently sits sixth on the all-time BYU scoring list at 17.82 points per game, just ahead of two-time WCC Player of the Year Shaylee Gonzales. She is second in 3-point field goals per game (2.48), fifth in career assists per game (4.38), fifth in minutes per game (33:17), 12th in 3-point field goals made (151) and 12th in 3-point field goal percentage (.362).
Gibb was one of four unanimous selections to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, joining Baylor’s Talia Scott, Kansas’ S’Mya Nichols and Oklahoma State’s Audi Crooks. The junior was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List for the second consecutive season—one of three Big 12 players selected—and earned a spot on the Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year Watch List.
70: THE COUGARS' MAGIC NUMBER
The Cougars posted a 21-3 record when eclipsing 70 points on offense in 2025–26. Their only losses came against No. 17 Vanderbilt (without Delaney Gibb), Arizona and No. 22 West Virginia.
Defense remains a cornerstone of Lee Cummard’s program. His team held 27 of 38 opponents under 70 points and went 24-3 in those contests, with their only losses coming against No. 10 TCU, No. 18 Baylor and Oklahoma State. The Cougars held 11 foes under 60 points in 2025–26 and went 25-2 over the past three seasons when doing so.
PERPETUAL PERIMETER PRECISION
BYU holds the second-longest active and third-longest all-time NCAA Division I streak of games with a made 3-pointer at 833 consecutive games. The streak began on March 2, 2000, in an 86-69 win over Air Force. Chattanooga holds the longest active streak at 838 games.
