Cougars overcome a 13-point deficit to secure the win against Idaho State

PROVO, Utah — BYU women’s basketball overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to defeat Idaho State 79-76 at the Marriott Center on Saturday afternoon, with all five starters scoring in double figures.

A six-minute 21-2 run in the fourth quarter gave the Cougars just enough to head into overtime, where a block from Amari Whiting with time expiring secured the win for BYU.

"I would much rather have this kind of a game than a 20-point win any day of the week," said head coach Amber Whiting. "I don’t know if a lot of people agree with me, but I love when they come back. I love that they have that grit and toughness. They showed a lot of fight, and they fought for each other, so I’m super proud of them. It’s the first time this season that we've had five players in double figures and that just goes to show that we got a group that will share the ball, that will play for each other and that’s what I’m most proud of today.”

Along with Whiting's game-sealing block, the freshman grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds, scored 14 points, dished six assists and swiped four steals en route to her first career double-double. 

Emma Calvert also earned a career-high with five blocks on the night. The 6-foot-4-inch forward added 11 points, three rebounds, and three assists to her blocks. 

Lauren Gustin continues to dominate the boards as she notched her nation-leading ninth double-double of the season and 65th of her career with 18 points and 21 rebounds. She also contributed three assists and three steals in the win.

First Quarter

Whiting opened the Cougar scoring with a step-back three followed by an assist to Emma Calvert for an easy lay-up. Shortly after, the freshman guard threw a pass from halfcourt to a streaking Gustin, who finished for the easy deuce.

Toward the conclusion of the period, the Cougars fell into a scoring drought with three quick turnovers. The Bengals seized the opportunity, going on a 7-0 run to lead 15-12 with three minutes remaining in the period. 

Kailee Woolston flipped the momentum as she drained a pull-up three. BYU was able to secure the defensive rebound on the other end of the court, giving Davenport a fast break three of her own. Continuing the back and forth, the quarter ended with the Cougars leading 22-19. Whiting tallied five points, three assists, and three rebounds in the first period.

Second Quarter

The second quarter started slow with only one field goal and two free throws dropping in the first four minutes between both the Cougars and the Bengals. A deep three from Idaho State’s Nika Lokica tied it up at 24.

Turnovers continued to plague BYU as the Bengals racked up 14 points in the first half off of 12 Cougar errors. Woolston capitalized on ISU turnovers with a make from downtown and two made free throws. Going into the locker room, the Bengals led 37-34. 

Third Quarter

Idaho State started the third with a quick three and two pull-up jumpers in the first two minutes, bringing the score to 44-36. Calvert was able to connect with Kaylee Smiler for driving layups twice to get some points for the Cougars. Gustin went three for three from the field for six points, adding three more rebounds to her total in the third quarter.

Defensively, Whiting was able to force a dead ball steal, which contributed to her three steals in the third quarter. Smiler shut down a driving layup from ISU with a steal as well. A buzzer-beating jumper from the Bengals gave ISU a 10-point lead at 57-47, heading into the final period. 

Fourth Quarter

Ali’a Matavao checked in for the Cougars with eight minutes to play in the final period and hit a quick driving layup to ignite a 21-2 run over the next six minutes. The run helped BYU overcome a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit. Gustin grabbed a layup after Calvert blocked the Bengal shot on the other end of the court. Woolston pushed the ball back on a Bengal foot in a full-court press, giving the Cougars the ball back baseline. The inbound pass went to Calvert, who laid it in, bringing the score to 60-56 for ISU.

Two made free throws from Whiting and a pull-up three from Smiler gave BYU its first lead since the second quarter, 61-60. The senior guard continued to knock down shots for the Cougars with yet another field goal and three.

A fast break layup by Woolston dropped as she drew the foul and drained the and-one, bringing the Cougar lead to one with one minute to go. Another hook shot from Calvert brought the BYU lead to three. With just seconds left on the game clock, Idaho State’s Lokica hit a three-point jumper to knot the game at 70 and send the Cougars into their first overtime game of the season. 

Overtime

The overtime period continued in a see-saw fashion. A jump-hook from Calvert gave the Cougars a 77-74 lead before two made free throws on both ends of the court brought the score to 79-76, with Idaho State inbounding and six seconds left on the clock. Idaho State went the length of the floor, but a block from Whiting secured the first Cougar overtime win since Jan. 16, 2020. 

The Cougars will travel to Springfield, Missouri to take on the Missouri State Lady Bears in the Lady Bear Classic on Wednesday, Dec. 20th at 1:30 pm MST. Watch on ESPN+ or listen to the play-by-play on BYU Radio 107.9 FM/BYURadio.org/BYU Radio app with Jason Shepherd on the call.