PROVO, Utah — Cassie Broadhead’s 23 points propelled BYU women’s basketball past Pacific 68-50 at the Marriott Center Saturday afternoon.
"I'm really happy with our team,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “Right now the season is in our hands and that's all you want as a coach is to have the games in your hands.”
The Cougars (12-7, 6-2 West Coast Conference) shot 51 percent from the field behind Broadhead’s 23 points. Kalani Purcell was just shy of a triple-double, recording 10 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. Kristine Nielson added nine first-half points, including three 3-pointers.
Following a 4-4 tie three minutes into the game, BYU went on an 8-0 run to take the lead, 12-4, with 5:08 left in the first quarter. Purcell hit a jumper and Nielson made back-to-back 3-pointers in the run. Pacific (8-11, 4-4 WCC) then went on a 9-0 run of its own to take the lead 13-12, at the end of the quarter.
The teams traded buckets in the second quarter before another 3-pointer from Nielson sparked a 9-0 run for the Cougars, going up 22-15 with 4:30 on the clock. Broadhead’s perfect trip to the charity stripe and two consecutive layups from Makenzi Pulsipher rounded out the run.
BYU led by as many as 10 points in the first half before taking a nine-point advantage, 28-19, heading into the break.
The Cougars maintained their lead in the third quarter and extended it to 17 points, 48-31. Broadhead scored nine third-quarter points, including a jumper with two seconds left in the period.
In the final quarter, BYU added 20 points en route to a 68-50 victory.
The Cougars host Santa Clara Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. MST. The game will be televised live on BYUtv and broadcast on BYU Radio. Links to live stats can be found on the BYU women's schedule page.
Postgame Notes
Team
BYU took the 28-19 lead into the break. With the win, the Cougars improve to 11-3 on the year when leading at halftime. BYU held Pacific to just six points in the second quarter.
For the seventh time this season, two Cougars finished the game in double figures—Broadhead (23), Purcell (10).
With 18 steals in today’s game, BYU recorded a new season-best.
The Cougars logged 24 points in the paint to the Tigers eight. BYU also had six fast break points in comparison to Pacific’s two.
BYU is now 6-3 throughout the 2016-17 season when playing on Saturday.
Notes
For the 12th time this season, Cassie Broadhead was the game’s leading scorer. Broadhead’s 23 made for her 18th time in double figures during the 2016-17 campaign. The junior has now scored more than 20 points in 10 games this season. Broadhead also tallied four assists, three rebounds and three steals.
Senior Kalani Purcell dished out a game-high five first half assists. Purcell finished the contest with 10 points, a game-high 10 assists and a team-high eight rebounds. Her double-double makes for her 11th of the year and 29th of her career. The senior also tied for a game-high four steals.
Kristine Nielson led BYU with nine points going into halftime. The senior guard made three treys in the first half, tying her season-high in makes.
Senior guard Makenzi Pulsipher finished the contest with eight points, four assists and three rebounds. Pulsipher also tied for a game-high four steals.
Amanda Wayment totaled seven points in the win. She also tied a career-best seven rebounds, all coming in the first half. Wayment left the game in the fourth quarter with an injury.