Calvert and Gibb lead BYU to an 85-64 victory over McNeese

PROVO, Utah — In their first-ever matchup, the Cougars defeated the McNeese Cowgirls 85-64, behind 18-point performances from Emma Calvert and Delaney Gibb.

For the first time this season, five players finished with double-digit points. Calvert and Gibb each scored 18 while Amari Whiting, Brinley Cannon and Kemery Congdon each contributed 11, with all five players shooting over 50 percent from the field. 

The Cougars shot 50.8 percent from the field and went 10-for-26 from behind the arc in the 21-point win over McNeese. BYU outrebounded the Cowgirls 42-32, assisted on 23 of 32 made field goals and recorded 12 steals and four blocks.

First Quarter

Calvert was the first to put points on the board with a layup off a McNeese turnover, but the Cowgirls followed up with a 2-point jumper. The teams traded shots until Calvert made her third layup of the quarter, giving BYU an 11-7 lead and forcing McNeese’s first timeout.

Following the timeout, the Cowgirls took their first lead of the night 15-13 off three-straight made shots. McNeese held its lead for a few minutes until a personal 7-0 run by Brinley Cannon gave BYU a 22-21 lead to end the quarter.

The Cougars recorded a field-goal percentage of 66.7 percent in the first quarter, and Cannon led the team in points with nine. The Cowgirls boasted a 3-point percentage of 80 percent in the first.

Second Quarter

The Cougars began the quarter with a 6-0 run on layups from Amari Whiting and Delaney Gibb, Gibb’s first points of the night. McNeese answered with its own 10-0 run before Kemery Congdon and Calvert made three-consecutive triples and retook the lead at 37-32.

To end the first half, Gibb made a layup off an assist from Kambree Barber, and Lauren Davenport recorded a steal, resulting in a Calvert layup and a 41-35 lead. Calvert and Congdon led the team with 11 points each, and Gibb recorded five assists in the first half.

Third Quarter

Gibb found her footing at the start of the third quarter, making a 3-pointer, layup and free throw, consecutively. Hudgins tallied her first points of the night off a 3-pointer, putting BYU up 50-37.

With a layup from Whiting and another Gibb 3-pointer, the Cougars went into the media timeout up 55-39, their largest lead. BYU scored another nine points before the end of the quarter, with shots from Heather Hamson, Whiting, Barber and Gibb.

Despite going 2-for-6 in the first half, Gibb made all four of her shots in the third quarter, tallying 12 total points to extend the Cougar lead to 15 with a quarter to go.

Fourth Quarter

To start the final quarter, Calvert lengthened the Cougars’ lead to 68-49 with a layup and two free throws, leading to another Cowgirls’ timeout. Calvert continued her run with a 3-pointer following the timeout, and Gibb made two free throws. 

After a BYU timeout, Hattie Ogden made her first 3-pointer of the season. With two free throws by Naia Tanuvasa and a final offensive board and putback by Barber, the Cougars secured an 85-64 victory over the Cowgirls.

Up Next

The Cougars look to extend their undefeated streak against Northern Colorado on Nov. 23 at 3 p.m. MST at the Marriott Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, and fans can also tune into BYU Radio, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App for live-play-by-play with Jason Shepherd.