Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- BYU women's basketball defeated Utah Valley 76-36, led by Lauren Davenport's 20 points.
- The Cougars' defense held Utah Valley to 25% shooting, forcing 21 turnovers.
- Coach Amber Whiting praised the team's defensive effort, marking a significant home victory.
PROVO — As she's said before, Lauren Davenport doesn't care whether she scores a single point — just as long as her BYU women's basketball team wins.
Tuesday night was a nice bonus, though.
Davenport poured in 20 points with six 3-pointers, five rebounds and a block as BYU women's basketball improved to 8-2 with a 76-36 win over crosstown rival Utah Valley at the Marriott Center.
Delaney Gibb added 14 points and four assists for the Cougars, but also had nine of BYU's 17 turnovers. Amari Whiting had 8 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals for BYU.
It's the largest margin of victory at home in third-year head coach Amber Whiting's tenure, and the first 40-point win since Jan. 29, 2022, a 99-58 win over San Francisco.
But we'll let Davenport talk about defense first, which has become a standard under third-year coach Whiting.
"It starts with her yelling at us in practice about defense," Davenport said cheekily, motioning to Whiting sitting next to her. "She harps on how if your defense isn't good, you're being taken out. So we worked together well, doubling off the ball and helping off."
In a game with 38 combined turnovers, BYU held the Wolverines (6-4) to 25% shooting, including single-digit percentages in the third quarter to turn a 10-point halftime lead into a blowout.
But in a game of defense, BYU played it in a way that even Whiting had to appreciate. The Cougars held the Wolverines to 3-of-29 shooting in the second half, including 0-for-10 from the perimeter, and scored 15 points off 21 turnovers with 10 steals in the wire-to-wire win.
Kylee Mabry had 9 points to lead Utah Valley, which shot 3-of-28 in the second half.
"Last time it was Emma's turn; tonight it was Dav's turn," Whiting said. "I'm happy she was hot when she was, because it came at a perfect time. I'm also proud that we held them to 10 points in the second half."
The fifth-best team nationally with 15.2 steals per game, Utah Valley forced four turnovers in the final 3:56 of the first quarter to pull within 14-12 of the hosts. But BYU shot 40% from the field, scored 6 points off six turnovers of its own, and Davenport's buzzer-beating 3-pointer help the Cougars to a 17-12 lead at the quarter break.
BYU held the Wolverines to 4-of-9 shooting with six turnovers to jump out to a 33-22 lead with 1:15 remaining after Gibb took it to the rack to cap a 7-0 spurt. Her older sister Saige Gibb broke Utah Valley's drought with a jumper moments later, but Davenport responded with her third triple of the first half to lift the Cougars to a 36-26 halftime advantage.
"That gave everybody else some high energy, and kept the ball rollings," Davenport said. "I felt very calm tonight, and I just kind of let the game come to me. I think that was important for my game."
The hosts then started the third quarter almost flawlessly, holding Utah Valley to just 1-of-9 while opening the second half on a 14-3 run capped by back-to-back buckets by Gibb to put the Cougars up 50-29 with 3:28 showing.
The Wolverines shot 7.1% from the field (1-of-14) in the third quarter, and just 3-of-8 from the free-throw line en route to a 55-31 fourth-quarter deficit.
Davenport drained her sixth three of the night to lift BYU to a 62-31 advantage with 7:52 left in the game. Moments later, the senior from Idaho Falls, Idaho, checked out to a rousing ovation from the home crowd.
Kendra Gillespie had 6 points, two rebounds and two steals in her fifth game since returning to the lineup for BYU, which outrebounded the crosstown visitors 42-27.
"We want to limit those second-chance opportunities," Gillepsie said. "(Rebounding) is very important to us."
BYU wraps up nonconference play Friday against Washington State. Tipoff from Pullman, Washington, is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST on ESPN+
Utah Valley hosts Jacksonville State in the WAC/CUSA Challenge Monday, Dec. 16 at the UCCU Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MST on ESPN+.
