PROVO — The BYU women's basketball team defeated Wyoming, 76-63, in a non-conference showdown at the Marriott Center on Saturday afternoon. BYU (2-0) was down by 13 points at halftime, after which it put on an epic third quarter of basketball that saw it shoot 63.2% and outscore the Cowgirls, 31-6. Up 12 points going into the fourth quarter, the Cougars hung on for the win.
BYU’s Delaney Gibb led with 22 points. Emma Calvert had 13 points, Marya Hudgins had 11 points while Kemery Congdon added 10 points, though she didn’t play most of the second half.
Allyson Fertig led Wyoming (0-2) with 22 points.
Three Takeaways from the Game
BYU doesn’t have forward Lauren Gustin to work the paint. The Cougars also don’t have guard Kailey Woolston, who is on a mission trip this year.
Aside from there, there’s a lot of “new” on this team. It’s not just new players, including four transfers. It’s a raft of freshmen recruits. Plus, it’s a new offensive system, as the Cougars are using four-out and five-out concepts on offense. That usually requires ball movement, spacing and efficiency.
It’s a work in progress. The Cougars were at their best when they were playing at a fast pace but didn’t get sped up by the Wyoming defense. Early in the game the ball movement was crisp and so was the shooting. In the second quarter the offense was bogged down by turnovers and too much reliance on one-on-one play.
It’s Game 2 of what should be a 30+ game season. Nothing is going to work consistently in Game 2. For BYU, its success this season will be defined by how quickly it can make this system a 40-minute system consistently.
BYU’s Third Quarter Dominance
The third quarter was the complete opposite of the second quarter. Everything worked for the Cougars.
BYU was down 40-27 at halftime and went on an 11-1 run to start the third quarter, which turned into a 24-3 run by the time Wyoming called a timeout, down eight points, with 3:44 left.
So what happened? Well, the Cougars shot 90% in the first seven minutes. That helps.
But, honestly, BYU ratcheted up the defense. The Cougars started picking up players before halfcourt. They turned up the pressure everywhere and the Cowgirls didn’t score a field goal until more than eight minutes into the quarter.
Basically, after a stagnant second quarter, BYU turned to its defense to jump-start its offense. You have to have more ways to win that just a new offensive system.
“Honestly it starts defensively,” Whiting said. “When you turn them over, you can rebound and you can get out and run you can’t get better than that.”
Emma Calvert Emerging as a Key Player
On Thursday I got a good look at Utah forward Mayè Tourè, a player Utes coach Lynne Roberts want to help stretch defenses with 3-point shooting to keep defenses honest. The 6-3 forward did that with a 2-for-4 game.
BYU seems to have a similar plan for 6-5 forward Emma Calvert.
If the Cougars are going to play a five-out offensive scheme, then you must have a forward that can step up to the arc and consistently make shots to keep teams honest. That forward also has to be able to play defense in the paint and stay out of foul trouble.
BYU may have the right person for that role in Calvert. She hit her first three 3-point attempts of the contest and is a solid screener at the top of the key. Turns out during her junior year in high school Calvert played with someone taller than her, which allowed her to move into a role where she shot the 3-pointer more often.
She’s also a solid defender, but what stands out is how she observes good mid-line principles while keeping tabs on her defensive assignment. She can rebound and handles one-on-one defense well. And dealing with Fertig was a full-time job on Saturday.
The Cougars have other forwards, but Calvert is the one that will log the most minutes and have the most impact.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
