NCAA POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT HISTORY
1983-84 First Round
The BYU Cougars received a bid for the first time in history during the 1983-84 season, drawing the University of Southern California in the first round. On March 16 BYU lost 97-72 and finished 17th in the tournament.
1984-85 First Round
BYU made its second-straight appearance to the NCAA Tournament in 1985, facing Long Beach State on March 16. Playing in front of a large 49ers crowd, the Cougars lost 112-85 and finished 17th in the tournament.
1992-93 First Round
After a seven-year absence from the NCAA Tournament, the Cougars went to the Big Dance in 1993, losing to UC Santa Barbara, 88-19. The March 17 loss gave BYU a 33rd-place finish in the tournament.
1999-00 First Round
Despite a strong, hard-fought effort and 13 three-pointers, BYU suffered a disappointing 86-81 loss to 18th ranked Oklahoma on March 18 in the first round of the tournament. Senior Cady Williams led the BYU effort with 27 points and a career-high six treys. The Cougars took a one-point, 33-32, lead at half time, but an early run by the Sooners at the start of the second half gave them a 12-point lead with 13 minutes to go in the game and was the key to their victory.
2001-02 Sweet Sixteen
This was the Cougars' year. They had their best finish in school history at that time, going to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time.
All-American Erin Thorn's 28-point stellar performance lifted BYU to a huge 90-52 upset victory, and its first NCAA Tournament win, over No. 6 seed Florida on March 16. The Cougars offensive play and tough defense smothered the Florida team who only scored 18 points in the first half and were held to just 15 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes of play. Just five minutes into the second half, BYU had extended its lead 31, 52-21.
Two days later BYU overcame a 13-point deficit to pull off its second-straight upset, beating the No. 3 seed Iowa State Cyclones, 75-69, to earn its first trip to the Sweet 16. Iowa State built a 13-point lead eight minutes into the second half, but the Cougars turned up the defensive pressure to draw even with 5:12 remaining. The second half featured three ties and six lead changes, most coming in the final five minutes as the Cougars and Cyclones traded shots and free throws.
On March 23, the Cougars put a scare into the Tennessee Volunteers through most of the first half but couldn't hold on as Tennessee won, 68-57. BYU dominated the first half, leading by as many as nine points before the Volunteer offense came alive. The Cougars kept fighting and were within six points with 3:05 left in the game, but the Vols proved too tough, hitting six free throws in the closing minutes.
2002-03 First Round
The Cougars were no match for the Buffalos on March 22, who cruised by shooting 60 percent from behind the arc and 50 percent from the field on their way to an 84-45 rout over BYU. Four minutes passed in the game before Erin Thorn put BYU on the scoreboard with a jumper. The Cougars were outscored 26-10 in the first 10 minutes of the game.
2005-06 Second Round
During the 2005-06 season BYU compiling a 26-6 overall record making it the best finish in the program's history at that time. They also garnered their highest ranking in the polls at No. 16 during the week of Feb. 27 by the USA Today/ ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll. The team also won its first MWC regulars season crown since the 1992-93 season.
BYU was the No. 7 seed the highest ever for the program at that time. In first round action at the Pepsi Center in Denver, the Cougars squeaked by a feisty Iowa team 67-62. Ambrosia Anderson led the way with a team-high 20 points. Anderson and Dani Kubik tied for team bests in rebounds with nine each.
A second-half three-point barrage was too much for No. 19 BYU as No. 2 seed Oklahoma overwhelmed the Cougars with a 16-point victory 86-70. Despite six steals in the first half, the Cougars went into halftime with a nine-point deficit.
The Sooners were on fire in the second half as C. Paris and other Oklahoma guards started raining threes. Oklahoma outscored BYU 6-1 in the first three minutes off three layups from C. Paris, widening Oklahoma's lead to 14, 44-30.
Ambrosia Anderson and Mallary Gillespie led the Cougars with 16 points, while Dani Kubik added 13. Anderson also led BYU with eight boards.
2006-07 First Round
With an impressive 23-9 record and a second consecutive MWC regular-season title, BYU women’s basketball team made its eighth NCAA tournament and second straight in 2007. The Cougars were the No. 11 seed in the tournament and played the No. 6 seed Louisville team that had a 26-7 overall record. The first round game was played at the Galen Center and hosted by the University of Southern California.
MWC Co-Player of the Year Dani Wright led the Cougar effort with 12 points, but it would not be enough as the team fell to the Cardinals 80-54. Mallary Gillespie contributed with 10 points. BYU finished the season with a 23-10 record.
2011-12 First Round
BYU women’s basketball wins its first WCC tournament championship with a 78-66 win over Gonzaga to earn the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. That season the Cougars finished with 12-4 league record. BYU earned the No. 10 seed and played its first round game against the No. 7 seed DePaul. In the contest, the Cougars fell 59-55 to the Blue Demons and concluded the season with a 26-7 record.
2013-14 NCAA Sweet 16
Making its 10th appearance in the NCAA tournament, the sixth under head coach Jeff Judkins and the second in three years, No. 12 seed BYU had upset on its mind, recording upset wins over No. 5 seed North Carolina State and No. 4 seed Nebraska to advance to the Sweet 16.
Lexi Eaton led BYU with 25 points and eight rebounds while tying the game-high in assists with four against NC State. Jennifer Hamson collected a career-high tying 19 boards and nine blocks to go along with 12 points for a near triple-double. Morgan Bailey added a double-double of her own with 13 points and 12 boards and Kylie Maeda added 14 points to tie her career high. BYU outshot the Wolfpack 45 to 27 and pulled down 52 boards to NC State’s 37.
Jennifer Hamson led BYU with 15 points and 14 rebounds to go along with four blocks in the victory over Nebraska. Three other Cougars scored in double figures led by Morgan Bailey (18), Lexi Eaton (15) and Xojian Harry (11). Kim Beeston had a game-high eight assists in the victory.
BYU had 17 second-chance points compared to Nebraska’s three. The Cougars also had an advantage in bench points, 17-0.
In the Sweet 16 from Lincoln, Nebraska, the Cougars battled No. 1 Connecticut, giving the Huskies all it could handle, down by just one, 30-29 at the break. In the second half, BYU continued its impressive showing by tying the game at 37 with 16:47 remaining in the contest. UConn had a narrow nine-point, 55-46 advantage with 9:40 left before eventually picking up the 70-51 victory. The Huskies would go on to win the 2014 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. BYU’s appearance in the Sweet 16 was the second in the program’s history.
2014-15 NCAA First Round
The Cougars made their second-straight appearance in the NCAA tournament, the third in the last four years, the seventh under coach Judkins and the 11th overall as a No. 14 seed. BYU received the automatic bid with a 76-65 win over San Francisco in the WCC tournament title game.
In the first round game, the Cougars battled No. 3 seed Louisville in Tampa at the Sun Dome. Turnovers plagued BYU as they fell 86-53 to the Cardinal. BYU shot 44 percent from the field and turned the ball over 30 times.
The 2015 WCC Player of the Year, Morgan Bailey led the team with a double-double from a team-best 15 points and 10 rebounds. Lexi Eaton scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds. With the only trey of the game for the Cougars, Makenzi Morrison had nine points. Cassie Broadhead topped the leaderboard in assists with four while contributing four points.
2015-16 NCAA First Round
BYU made its 12th appearance in the NCAA tournament after winning its first-ever West Coast Conference regular-season crown. The Cougars were the No. 7 seed and competed in the first round against Missouri in Austin, Texas. The Cougars fell to the No. 10 seed Tigers 79-69.
Three players had double-figure performances in the game led by a game-high 22 points from Lexi Eaton Rydalch. Kalani Purcell had 19 points and added nine rebounds and four assists. Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher finished the game with 13 points and four rebounds. BYU shot 47.3 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line.
2018-19 NCAA Second Round
BYU women’s basketball made its 13th appearance in the NCAA Championships receiving a No. 7 seed. The Cougars played No. 10 seed Auburn at Maples Pavilion on the Stanford campus. For the third time in program history, BYU received a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Entering the contest on a six-game win streak, the Cougars picked up the 73-64 victory over Auburn to advance to the second round. Brenna Chase led the way with 19 points, seven assists, four rebounds, three blocks and one steal. The 2019 WCC Newcomer of the Year, Shaylee Gonzales contributed 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals. Caitlyn Alldredge added 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal. BYU shot 47.5 percent from the field, 26.3 percent from 3 and 60.0 percent from the free-throw line. The Tigers recorded 32.0 percent from the field, 14.8 percent from beyond the arc and 66.7 percent from the charity stripe.
For the fourth time in program history, the Cougars advanced into the second round where they battled host and No. 2 seed Stanford. The No. 7 seed BYU team fell 72-63 to Stanford.
Shaylee Gonzales had a career-best 32 points in the game while also contributing five rebounds, two steals and one assist. Paisley Johnson, the MVP of the WCC tournament, tallied 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. The Cougars pulled down 26 rebounds in the first half to the Cardinal’s 25. For the game, Stanford got the advantage grabbing 43 to BYU’s 40.
The Cougars shot 38.5 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from 3-point range and 62.5 percent from the free-throw line. The Cardinal recorded 41.3 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from beyond the arc and 42.1 percent from the charity stripe.
2020-21 NCAA Second Round
No. 11 seed BYU upset No. 6 Rutgers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and then took Arizona down to the wire in the second game before falling.
Led by Paisley Johnson Harding's team-high 28 points, BYU beat Rutgers 69-66.
The Cougars had three different players finish in double figures, including Harding with 28 points and five rebounds. Shaylee Gonzales added 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Lauren Gustin contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds for her 15th double-double of the season. Tegan Graham added nine points, going 3 of 4 from deep.
BYU shot 37% from the field, 39% from 3-point range and 87% from the free throw line to Rutgers’ (14-5, 10-3) 47% from the field, 42% from beyond the arc and 74% from the free throw line. Down seven after three, the Cougars erupted for 26 points in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
No. 11 seed BYU women’s basketball saw its season come to an end in a 52-46 loss to No. 3 seed Arizona in the second round. The Cougars stayed in it from start to finish but ultimately couldn’t overcome a 13-3 Wildcat run in the fourth quarter.
Shaylee Gonzales led the way for with 16 points on 5 of 13 shooting from the field. Gonzales also pulled down a season-high nine rebounds and had a block. Tegan Graham provided a much-needed spark off the bench and was responsible for three of BYU’s five made 3-point field goals. Graham finished with 13 points, three assists and five boards in 31 minutes of action. Lauren Gustin added eight points, one steal, two assists and led the team in rebounds with 11.
Paisley Johnson Harding battled through an injury to her shooting hand that she sustained in the Cougars' first round game against Rutgers on Monday. She tallied two points and four rebounds in 22 minutes of action. Hamson added five boards and two blocks on the night for BYU.
2021-22 NCAA First Round
No. 11 seed Villanova made just a few more plays and hung on to beat No. 6 seed BYU 61-57 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Senior Paisley Harding was the top scorer for BYU in her final game as a Cougar with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists. Fellow senior Tegan Graham had 11 points and eight rebounds in her final game as a Cougar.
The Cougars led by one point at halftime but a 15-11 advantage for Villanova in the third quarter proved to be just enough to stay in control the rest of the way.
| Year | Record | Result | Teams Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-84 | 18-8 | 0-1 | Lost to USC 72-97 at USC on 3/16/84 |
| 1984-85 | 19-9 | 0-1 | Lost to Long Beach St. 85-112 |
| 1992-93 | 24-5 | 0-1 | Lost to UCSB 79-88 at UCSB on 3/17/93 |
| 1999-00 | 22-9 | 0-1 | Lost to Oklahoma 81-86 at Purdue on 3/18/00 |
| 2001-02 | 24-9 | 2-1 |
Beat Florida 90-52 at Iowa State on 3/16/02 Beat Iowa State 75-69 at Iowa State on 3/18/02 Lost to Tennessee 57-68 at Iowa Ste on 3/23/02 |
| 2002-03 | 19-12 | 0-1 | Lost at Colorado 45-84 in Boulder on 3/22/03 |
| 2005-06 | 26-6 | 1-1 |
Beat Iowa 67-62 in Denver on 3/18/06 Lost to Oklahoma 70-86 in Denver on 3/20/06 |
| 2006-07 | 23-9 | 0-1 | Lost to Louisville 54-80 at USC on 3/17/07 |
| 2011-12 | 26-7 | 0-1 | Lost to DePaul 55-59 at Allstate Arena, 3/17/12 |
| 2013-14 | 28-7 | 2-1 |
Beat NCST 72-57 in LA, Calif. at Pauley Pavilion, 3/22/14 Beat Nebraska 80-76 in LA, Calif. at Pauley Pavilion Lost to UConn 51-70 in Lincoln at Pinnacle Bank Arena, 3/29/14 |
| 2014-15 | 23-10 | 0-1 | Lost to Louisville 53-86 at Sun Dome, 3/21/15 |
| 2015-16 | 26-7 | 0-1 | Lost to Missouri 69-78 at Frank Erwin Center, 3/19/16 |
| 2018-19 | 26-7 | 1-1 |
Beat Auburn 73-64 at Maples Pavilion, 3/23/19 Lost to Stanford 63-72 at Maples Pavilion 3/25/19 |
| 2020-21 | 19-6 | 1-1 | Beat Rutgers 69-66 at Strahan Arena, 3/22/21 Lost to Arizona 52-46 at Convocation Center, 3/24/21 |
| 2021-22 | 26-4 | 0-1 | Lost to Villanova at Crisler Center, 3/19/22 |
| Overall Rec: | 7-15 |
WNIT POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT HISTORY
1981-82 Third Round
In Amarillo, Texas for the 1982 postseason WNIT, BYU battled DePaul in a closely contested game and captured a 72-69 victory over the Blue Demons in the first round. Senior Jeanette Weston led the Cougar effort with 33 points, her 23rd double-figure contest of the season. Cindy Battistone topped the list in the rebound category in the game grabbing nine. Jackie Beene McBride and Lori Vreeken also recorded double-figure points with 13 and 12 respectively.
In its second round game, BYU lost a hard-fought game by four points, 71-75 to Florida State. For the second straight time, three Cougar players scored in double digits led by Beene McBride’s 22 points and three rebounds. Valerie Cravens followed with 16 points and team-high six rebounds. Vreeken recorded her 28th double-figure contest with 15 points.
BYU would go on to play one more game in the postseason WNIT battling Illinois State to a 78-73 victory giving the Cougars a third-place finish in the tournament. BYU had four players in double figures. Picking up her 34th double-digit outing, Beene McBride, who was playing in her final collegiate game of her career, led the team effort with 23 points and seven rebounds. Cravens chipped in 18 points and a team-high 11 boards. Weston tallied 16 points while Vreeken contributed 12 points in the victory. Beene McBride and Cravens were named to the All-Tournament team.
1998-99 First Round
Playing in the postseason for the first time since 1993, BYU fell to Colorado 53-70 in Boulder, in the first round of the WNIT.
The Buffaloes only held a one-point advantage, 32-31 at the half, but shot 50 percent in the second half compared to 24.2 percent for the Cougars. Junior center Jill Adams scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds for BYU. Adams averaged 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game during the season.
2000-01 Third Round
Sophomore All-American Erin Thorn scored 21 points and junior point guard Stacy Jensen added 19 as BYU beat Oregon State, 78-63, to advance to the second round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament. The victory also marked coach Trent Shippen’s first postseason win in his four years at the helm of the women’s program.
Jennifer Leitner's season- and career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds was not quite enough as the Cougar women fell four points short 73-77 to Hawai`i in overtime in a hard-fought hoops battle in the second round of postseason WNIT in Honolulu.
With two seconds left in regulation, the MWC’s Newcomer of the Year, Julie Whetten took the ball down the court, stopped just behind the 3-point arc and makes the bucket as the buzzer sounded, sending the game into overtime tied at 61-61.
Hawai`i got off to a quick start in the overtime period leading 67-61 with just under three minutes left and was up 71-65 with 43 seconds showing on the clock. Hawaii was up 75-70 with 19 seconds remaining when All-American Erin Thorn made her second three-pointer of the game and cut the lead to 75-73 with seven seconds to go. BYU is forced to foul the Rainbow Wahine sending them to the line where they recorded the four-point, 77-73 win.
2004-05 First Round
In the first round of the 2005 Women's National Invitational Tournament, BYU fought hard but was overpowered in the end by Gonzaga, losing 57-71 in front of a rowdy crowd at the McCarthey Athletic Center, in Spokane.
In a first half that saw the score tied five different times and had five lead changes, Gonzaga went on an 11-2 run over 4:17, extending the lead to 27-18.
BYU came out roaring in the second half as it cut an early 11-point deficit to five following two free throws by sophomore Melinda Johnson, with 16:27 left in the game.
Gonzaga responded with a 15-6 run over the next seven minutes, extending the Bulldog lead to 14 points with 9:30 remaining, 55-41.
2009-10 Quarterfinals
As the automatic qualifier from the MWC in the 2010 postseason WNIT, the team had an impressive showing by advancing to the quarterfinal round (Elite Eight). After a 62-58 home victory over Pepperdine, BYU embarked on a six-day, three-game schedule.
They went to Tempe, Arizona where they defeated ASU, 61-53 led by 17 points from guard Jazmine Foreman. Haley Hall and Kristen Riley also contributed in double digits by scoring 14 and 13, respectively.
Up next for the Cougars was a second trip to Laramie, to battle MWC foe Wyoming. In a very close, hard-fought battle, BYU came up victorious, capturing a 67-63 win in front of over 7,100 Cowgirl fans. Coriann Wood led the Cougar effort in scoring with 18 points followed by 12 from Foreman with 11 points coming from guard Mindy Bonham.
The BYU team continued its road trip, traveling to Berkeley, California, for a matchup against the Golden Bears. In that game, Alexis Kaufusi led the way with 14 points with Hall contributing 12, but it wasn’t enough as BYU’s run in the WNIT ended with a 50-76 loss to California, who went on to win the 2010 postseason tournament.
2010-11 Third Round
In their sixth time and second straight appearance in the postseason WNIT and as the automatic qualifier from the MWC, the Cougars hosted a first round contest against the University of Denver. BYU picked up a 75-60 win over the Pioneers.
Senior Mindy Bonham led the way for the Cougars with a season-best 23 points while also grabbing five rebounds. Three other BYU players scored in double digits, with Coriann Fraughton contributing 18 while Kristen Riley and Jennifer Hamson contributing 11 points each. The Pioneers had three players put up double figures in points. BYU shot 44.4 percent from the field and 69.5 percent from the charity stripe.
In the second round, the Cougars hosted in-state rival Utah State where BYU recorded a season-high 102 points on its way to a 102-63 win.
The Cougars finished with six players in double figures with Hailey Hall and Kim Parker leading the way on 19 points apiece. Hall also recorded her first career double-double with 11 assists. With the win over the Aggies, BYU advanced to the third round where it hosted a game with USC.
Playing with the season on the line for the third time in six days, the BYU women’s basketball team fell to the USC Trojans in the third round of the WNIT 50-62.
Mindy Bonham, playing in her final collegiate game, tied her season-high with 21 points on 9 of 16 shooting. Bonham also grabbed six boards, dished out two assists and had two steals. The points were team and game highs.
Senior Coriann Fraughton made her way into the BYU history books early in the game, draining two free throws at the 17:47 mark in the game to become the 21st Cougar to reach 1,000 career points. Fraughton finished the game with four points.
Junior Kristen Riley concluded the game with 11 points and 10 rebounds for her fourth career double-double.
2012-13 Third Round
For the seventh time in school history, the BYU women’s basketball team competed in the postseason WNIT advancing to the Third Round with wins over Idaho State and San Diego State. The Cougars ended the season with a 59-55 loss to West Coast Conference foe St. Mary’s.
In the 69-54 home win over the Bengals, Jennifer Hamson paced BYU with a career-high 25 points. She also contributed 12 rebounds and five blocks for her fifth double-double of the year and eighth of her career. Haley Steed followed Hamson’s performance with 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Six other Cougars scored throughout the game.
BYU beat visiting San Diego State, 69-58 and kept their season alive. The Cougars’ Kim Parker Beeston led the way with 17 points. Haley Steed, Stephanie Vermunt Seaborn and Jennifer Hamson also scored in double digits with 13, 12 and 10, respectively. Hamson added a team-high and career-high 17 rebounds.
In the Third Round, BYU fell to WCC foe St. Mary’s 59-55. The Cougars had a 55-50 lead with 4:39 remaining but were unable to score in the last four minutes. BYU shot just 33.3 percent in the game to Saint Mary’s 37.3 percent.
Jennifer Hamson led the team with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, alongside 12 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season. Kim Parker Beeston and Xojian Harry scored 10 points each. Haley Steed had a team-high nine assists along with seven points.
2016-17
For the eighth time in the program’s history, the BYU women’s basketball team participated in the postseason WNIT, hosting a first round game against Pac-12 foe Washington State.
Costly turnovers proved the difference as BYU women’s basketball fell to Washington State 72-64. Despite BYU outshooting Washington State 57 percent to 42 percent from the field, the visiting Cougars scored 26 points off of turnovers. Makenzi Pulsipher led the homestanding Cougars with 23 points, followed by Cassie Broadhead’s 14. Kalani Purcell scored eight points, pulled down nine boards and recorded seven assists.
| Year | Record | Result | Teams Played | ||||||||||||||||
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| 1981-82 | 24-13 | 2-1 |
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| 1998-99 | 16-13 | 0-1 |
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| 2000-01 | 19-13 | 1-1 |
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| 2004-05 | 19-11 | 0-1 |
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| 2009-10 | 23-10 | 3-1 |
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| 2010-11 | 25-9 | 2-1 |
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| 2012-13 | 23-11 | 2-1 |
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| 2016-17 | 20-12 | 0-1 |
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| Overall Record: | 10-8 | ||||||||||||||||||
BYU in WNIT Tournament Year-by-Year