BYU women’s hoops caps illustrious 2025-26 campaign

The 2025-26 BYU women’s basketball season was the most successful season since 2021-22 and built a solid foundation on which Cummard and Co. look to build upon in 2026-27.

Date April 21, 2026 Author Austin Rustand

BYU women’s hoops caps illustrious 2025-26 campaign

PROVO, Utah — BYU women’s basketball put the finishing touches on a historic 2025-26 campaign that culminated in a 26-12 record, a program-best 11-1 mark in non-conference play and a trip to the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament Championship game, all in the first season under Head Coach Lee Cummard.

Delaney Gibb and Olivia Hamlin each earned All-Big 12 honors, with Gibb being named to the First Team and Hamlin receiving an honorable mention nod and selection to the All-Freshman team.

25-26wBKB Coach Lee Cummard Press Conference 0037

THERE'S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN

Following the departure of former Head Coach Amber Whiting, Cummard was appointed on March 31, 2025, as the eighth head coach in the program's history. During his introductory press conference, BYU Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe praised Cummard's balance of competitiveness and compassion.

“[Lee] is tough. He has the right balance between fire and ice,” said Holmoe. “He can be a listening ear, and it’s just what we need at this point…We’re super stoked to have one of our very own that’s been a champion here at BYU in the past and will be a champion here in the future."

“At BYU, there is a tradition of winning,” Cummard said. “There is a commitment to it…excellence is the expectation, and that is how we do everything. It’s in our mindset. It's in our approach to things. It’s in our preparation. It’s how we work.”

The 2025-26 season became just that, a foundation of excellence for BYU women’s basketball to build on. The Cougars’ goal was to play hard, play together and play to win. That they did.

THE OPENING ACT

Even before the season began, BYU had multiple players named to award watch lists. Delaney Gibb received nods to the Naismith Women’s Player of the Year watch list, the Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Top 20, and the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Year watch list. Lara Rohkohl also received a spot on the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Top 20 watch list.

Gibb also received Preseason All-Big 12 honors with the Cougars picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 Conference by both the coaches and the media.

After a summer of preparation, BYU earned its first win under the new head man, taking down the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 91-57 in the season opener. Freshman Sydney Benally dished a career-high 11 assists, and senior forward Rohkohl posted a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double in the win.

The Cougars then took down the San Jose State Spartans and the Omaha Mavericks to improve to 3-0 on the young season. Gibb scored 21 points, while Olivia Hamlin added 18 as BYU defeated San José State 70-51, a duo the Cougars would rely on frequently during the season in the scoring department.

In the 104-47 win over Omaha, seven players finished in double figures with Gibb and Hamlin scoring 16 apiece. Brinley Cannon turned in 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks, while freshman Bolanle Yussuf recorded her first-career double-double. Yussuf finished with 13 points and 12 boards. Junior Marya Hudgins, Benally and Rohkohl added 12, 10 and 10 points, respectively, to complete the 57-point drumming of Omaha, the sixth-largest margin of victory in program history.

The Cougars’ three-straight wins to open the season marked the most by a first-year head coach in program history. With wins at home over Fresno State and Weber State, on the road against Montana and Virginia Tech, Cummard led his squad to a 7-0 start, the best start for a BYU team since 2021.

Gibb recorded a career-high eight assists as she and Hamlin combined for 30 points in the 20-point win over the Bulldogs. Hudgins then scored a career-best 23 points to go along with 12 from Hamlin and 10 from Rohkohl in a road victory over Montana. Redshirt junior Arielle Mackey-Williams, after missing the last two seasons due to back-to-back knee injuries, played 27 minutes and contributed a crucial eight points, including a left-corner triple to knot the game at 69 with 2:03 remaining in the fourth quarter.

After returning home, Benally and Rohkohl lifted the Cougars to their sixth-straight win, a 79-62 victory over in-state rival Weber State. The freshman dished nine assists to go along with nine points and four rebounds, while the senior went for 18 points, five boards, two steals and a block.

In the first game at the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, Benally scored a career-high 18 points, 15 of which came in BYU’s second-half comeback win over Virginia Tech, leading to her being named Big 12 Freshman of the Week. The win over the Hokies capped the Cougars’ 7-0 start to the season, before suffering their first setback against then-No. 17 Vanderbilt.

Lee Cummard celebrates his first career win as BYU women's basketball's head coach.

Head coach Lee Cummard gives his team instructions during BYU's women's basketball game against San Jose State.

Olivia Hamlin, Braeden Gunlock, Bolanle Yussuf and Lara Rohkohl celebrate a 104-57 win over Omaha.

BYU returned home from the Virgin Islands and got back on track with a nail-biting win over Washington State at Delta Center, the team’s first game at the home of the Utah Jazz since 2013. After Washington State tied it up with three seconds remaining, Olivia Hamlin knocked down a step-back jumper from the left elbow as time expired to get the Cougs back in the win column.

That started a run of four-straight wins, beating Portland on the road and Idaho State and UTEP at the Marriott Center. Hudgins and Cannon combined for 39 of BYU’s 87 points in the win over Portland.

Hamlin poured in a career-high 22 points in the win over Idaho State and followed that up with 20 points in an 81-46 win over UTEP, en route to earning her first Big 12 Freshman of the Week honor. Mariam Traore also saw her first-career minutes and scored her first-career bucket against the Miners.

BYU closed non-conference play with a record of 11-1, which marked BYU’s highest non-conference winning percentage in program history. The Cougars also went 7-1 in the absence of Delaney Gibb, which provided meaningful minutes and reps for backcourt mates Benally, Hamlin and Mackey-Williams, who proved crucial throughout the season.

Sydney Benally drives to the basket during BYU's women's basketball game against Weber State.

BIG 12 BREAKTHROUGHS

The Big 12 slate began with a trip to Orlando, in which BYU took down the UCF Knights 71-50 to win their conference opener for the first time since entering the league in 2023. The game also featured the return of Gibb after she missed eight games due to injury, and the sophomore picked up right where she left off with 12 points, two assists, two steals, and a block in limited minutes.

After taking down UCF, the Cougs dropped their home conference opener to No. 8 TCU before handing Arizona State its first loss of the season, snapping the Sun Devils’ 15-0 start to the season. The backcourt of Gibb, Benally and Hamlin combined for 45 of BYU’s 71 points, while the Cougars outrebounded ASU 54-25 and snatched 26 offensive rebounds, the fifth-most o-boards in a game in program history.

Following a loss to Arizona in the Old Pueblo, BYU finished the road trip with a 79-62 win over Houston. Five Cougars scored in double figures as Rohkohl and Yussuf combined for 20 points on 8-of-13 from the floor, with Yussuf scoring 13 and Rohkohl turning in seven. The forwards for BYU also had 16 rebounds, six blocks and a steal in the win.

No. 18 Baylor handed BYU its fourth loss of the year before the Cougars bounced back, earning the first-ranked win of Coach Cummard’s career by knocking off No. 19 Texas Tech. Hamlin led the way with 20 points, followed by Gibb with 18. Rohkohl also finished in double figures with 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds. The 73 points scored by the Cougars were the most surrendered by the Lady Raiders to that point of the season.

WEATHERING THE STORM

Following the big win, BYU fell into a rough patch, dropping four of the next five games. The Cougars fell to No. 22 West Virginia at home, before a cold shooting night in Stillwater led to a second-straight defeat for the first time all season.

The bright spot amidst the struggles was a rivalry matchup with Utah, and it was a great success. After trailing by 10 at halftime, the Cougars roared back with a 52-point second half, the seventh-most points ever scored after halftime by BYU, to snap a four-game skid to the Utes. Cannon led the way with a career-high 21-point performance that included six made triples, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals in the 77-65 win.

Hamlin, Hudgins and Rohkohl finished in double figures with 16, 14 and 11 points, respectively. Rohkohl also contributed 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the win. Gibb, despite just eight points, stuffed the stat sheet with a season-high eight boards, three on the offensive glass, seven assists and a then career-high four steals.

With the 12-point win over Utah, BYU snapped a four-game skid and earned its first win over the Utes since the 2021-22 season.

The Cougars, while battling a bout of the flu, then dropped back-to-back games in Kansas before knocking off Iowa State at home by 14. A fruitless trip to Colorado was followed by a head-scratching loss to Cincinnati at home, which galvanized BYU to make a late-season push.

WINNING TIME

Next was a trip to the Huntsman Center that proved to be a historic night for Gibb and BYU. For the second-straight year, the Cougars’ stellar sophomore produced a career-defining performance against the Utes.

Utah cut a once 21-point lead to 10 with 7:47 to play in the fourth. Gibb scored 18 points in the last 7:31 to hold off the Utes’ comeback attempt. She finished with a career-high 37 points, topping her previous best of 36 on the road against Utah a year before. The native of Raymond, Alberta, Canada, went 13-of-21 from the field, 5-for-8 from deep with five assists, five rebounds, two steals and two blocks to sweep the season series against the Utes.

That sparked a four-game winning streak that extended into the Big 12 Tournament. BYU first spoiled the senior night festivities at Arizona State, overcoming a 13-point halftime deficit to win 66-61. Gibb led with a 24-point effort, with Rohkohl turning in an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double and Hamlin going for 16 points with four bombs from deep.

Despite sweeping the season series against the Sun Devils, the most impactful performance came off the court as Benally was greeted, cheered on and heralded by nearly a thousand Native American fans from around the American southwest as their Navajo hero. The freshman was greeted at nearly every home and road contest by a large group of supporters, including many young girls who now play basketball because they “want to be like Sydney.”

The Cougars returned home for a senior-night matchup with the Colorado Buffaloes and avenged a 30-point defeat by knocking off the Buffs 75-62. BYU held the visitors to just 2-of-15 shooting and 0-for-8 from deep in the fourth to outscore Colorado 27-6 and earn the 13-point win.

Gibb led the way with 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Yussuf tied her career-high of 13 points with five boards and two blocks. Hamlin and Cannon turned in 13 and 10 points, respectively. Coach Cummard made some history of his own as he became just the third coach in BYU history to win 20 or more games in their first season at the helm.

KANSAS CITY COMEBACKS

With an overall record of 20-10 and a conference mark of 9-9, the Cougars earned their best finish since entering the Big 12 in 2023, receiving the No. 9 seed in the Big 12 Tournament.

Their first opponent was Houston, whom the Cougs took down 76-66 behind 16 points from Hamlin, 15 apiece from Gibb and Rohkohl and 14 from Benally. BYU outscored Houston 47-37 in the second half to win by 10 and set up a date with rival Utah, the third meeting this season.

Despite a five-point second quarter that allowed the Utes to take a 36-27 lead into the break, Gibb and Rohkohl contributed 24 second-half points to the 43-16 onslaught after halftime. Gibb finished with 19 points and eight assists, while Cannon scored 12 points, all from behind the arc. Rohkohl turned in a 12-point, eight-rebound performance to help the Cougars to their fifth-consecutive win.

With BYU's 3-0 win over Utah in the Big 12 Tournament, the Cougars swept the season series 3-0 for just the third time in the 54-year history of the rivalry.

The run in the Big 12 Tournament ended in the quarterfinal as BYU fell to top-seeded TCU.

THE FINAL PUSH

Despite a record of 22-11 and finishing the season with five-straight wins, BYU was the first team out when the selection committee released the NCAA Tournament bracket on Selection Sunday. However, the Cougars’ season would continue as they received the No. 1 overall seed in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament.

As the top seed, BYU hosted Alabama A&M in the opening round of the 32-team tournament and advanced with a 72-47 win. Benally led the Cougars in scoring with a career-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and four made threes. She also set the all-time freshman assists record in the game, finishing the season with 148 dimes and passing two-time WCC Player of the Year Shaylee Gonzales in the process.

In the Round of 16, the Cougs handed the No. 4 seed Missouri Tigers a 93-75 defeat to advance to the quarterfinals. BYU led by 31 in the third quarter before calling off the dogs, finishing with 93 points, the most scored against a Power 4 team since 2021.

Gibb led the charge with 29 points, her 10th game of 20 or more this season. With a free-throw line jumper in the second half, Gibb eclipsed 1,000 career points in just her 57th game to become the third-fastest player in program history to join the 1,000-point club.

Hamlin also had herself a night, tying her career-high of 23 points, the fifth 20-point performance of her young career. Kambree Barber notched her second double-double of the year, as she finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.

The final game at the Marriott Center saw BYU earn a 76-61 win over the No. 2 seed Stanford Cardinal in front of 3,541 fans, the 11th largest crowd in program history. In the win, Gibb (27) and Cannon (15) combined for 42 points to lift the Cougars to a 25-win season, the eighth in program history, and punch their ticket to the WBIT Final Four in Wichita, Kansas.

With the win, Cummard passed his mentor and former boss, Jeff Judkins, as the all-time winningest first-year head coach in program history.

_BL10737 25-26wBKB WBIT vs Missouri BYU Won: 93-75 March 23, 2026 Photo by Ellie Alder/BYU photo.byu.edu

_BL11970 25-26wBKB WBIT vs Missouri BYU Won: 93-75 March 23, 2026 Photo by Ellie Alder/BYU photo.byu.edu

25-26wBKB WBIT vs Stanford 261 25-26wBKB WBIT vs Stanford Quarterfinals of the Womenâs Basketball Invitation Tournament. BYU - 76 Stanford - 61 March 26, 2026 Photo by Abby Shelton/BYU photo.byu.edu

25-26wBKB WBIT vs Stanford 137 25-26wBKB WBIT vs Stanford Quarterfinals of the Womenâs Basketball Invitation Tournament. BYU - 76 Stanford - 61 March 26, 2026 Photo by Abby Shelton/BYU photo.byu.edu

THE ROAD ENDS HERE

In Wichita, BYU earned a rematch with the No. 2 seed Kansas Jayhawks, a team that BYU had never beaten since entering the Big 12 in 2023. The Cougars trailed 31-28 entering the locker room, but outscored Kansas 24-16 in the fourth to earn a 3-point victory and advance to the program’s first postseason tournament championship game.

The freshman phenoms played with poise well beyond their years as Hamlin and Benally combined for 38 points, with 24 coming as part of BYU’s second-half comeback. Hamlin went for 23 points on 8-for-12 from the floor and 4-of-7 from deep, while Benally tallied 15 points and knocked down four triples to go along with three assists and a steal.

The Cougars fell to the No. 4 seed Columbia Lions in the WBIT Championship game, despite 24 points from Gibb and 17 from Hamlin. BYU experienced shooting woes in the opening half, posting its lowest first-half field goal percentage of the season. Despite trailing by as many as 27, the Cougars would not quit, a hallmark of the 2025-26 team.

Cummard’s squad forced 11 fourth-quarter Columbia turnovers and cut the deficit to nine, but ran out of time, ending their season as the WBIT runner-up.

The Cougars finished the year with 26 wins, the second-most wins in a season in program history, the most by a first-year head coach. They also posted a 9-9 record in the Big 12, the best record and best finish since entering the league. Gibb and Hamlin each earned All-Big 12 honors, with Gibb being named to the First Team and Hamlin receiving an honorable mention nod and selection to the All-Freshman team.

The 2025-26 BYU women’s basketball season was the most successful season since 2021-22 and built a solid foundation on which Cummard and Co. look to build upon in 2026-27.