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- BYU women's basketball overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to defeat Wyoming 76-63.
- Delaney Gibb scored 22 points, leading a 31-point third quarter for BYU.
- Coach Amber Whiting praised the team's second-half adjustments and teamwork.
PROVO — The five-out system of 3-pointers and fast play led by associate head coach Lee Cummard was on full display in the second half of the BYU women's basketball game Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center.
The first half? Not so much.
Delaney Gibb poured in 22 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Emma Calvert added 13 points including three 3-pointers, as the Cougars overturned a 40-27 halftime deficit with 31 points in the third quarter en route to a 76-63 win over Wyoming in front of a crowd that included BYU men's star Egor Demin on the front row of the student section.
Marya Hudgins added 11 points and six rebounds for the Cougars (2-0), and Kemery Congdon supplied 10 points — all in the first half — for BYU. Amari Whiting chipped in 5 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal for the Cougars.
Allyson Fertig poured in 22 points and 18 rebounds to lead Wyoming, which fell to 0-2 after a 56-50 loss at Colorado to open the season.
"The third quarter shows you, we let them score 6 points and we scored 31, which is the most of any quarter I've coached here at BYU," BYU coach Amber Whiting said after the game. "We just talked about playing together, and moving the ball side to side."
BYU opened the game with four-straight makes to lead by as much as 6 early. But Tess Barnes poured in three of the Cowgirls' four first-quarter 3-pointers and Ola Ustowska connected on her second to lift the visitors to a 23-16 lead less than two minutes into the second.
The Cowgirls shot 47% from the field, including 7-of-14 from deep, and Barnes had 11 points to lift the visitors to a 40-27 halftime lead. Kemery Congdon had 10 points and two assists to lead BYU, but did not play in the second half. Whiting initially believed Congdon to be cramping, though she didn't have a full health update on her status immediately following the game.
The graduate senior from Corner Canyon by way of Utah and Cal stayed on the bench with the team, and did not exit for the locker room during the game.
But with Heather Hamson, Lauren Davenport and freshman Brinley Cannon playing heavy minutes off the bench, the Cougars flipped the script in the second half, shooting 58% from the field including 9-of-11 from 3-point range while holding the Cowgirls to 8-of-27 with just two triples.
"I think we were more focused on taking care of Fertig. Then they shot 50% from 3 in the first half," Whiting said. "They didn't shoot that well in the second half. I think we adjusted to what they were giving us."
A pair of 3-pointers by Calvert helped BYU open the half on an 8-0 run in just over a minute of play. The Cougars held Wyoming without a field goal during a 24-3 run, capped by Hudgins' second triple to take a 51-43 lead with 3:45 left in the third quarter.
"That was really fun," Calvert said. "Last game, I didn't shoot as well, so I'm sure they just that to close me out. But to knock those down, it was a really good feeling."
BYU connected on 12-of-19 shots, including 6-of-7 threes, and held Wyoming to just 1-of-12 shooting with six consecutive misses from deep en route to a 58-46 lead to start the fourth quarter.
After a 5-0 spurt by the Cowgirls to open the fourth, Gibb scored on three-straight possessions including a pair of threes, to stretch the Cougars' lead to a game-high 15 with 4:53 remaining before BYU out-rebounded the Pokes 36-31 and Gibb made 5-of-6 free throws to seal the win.
"I think it just shows our heart and fight that we have," Hudgins said. "We really want to win; we're more focused on winning than who is scoring the most points.
"We came together as a team, played really well, and for each other."
