BYU women fall to Washington 77-48

LAS VEGAS — BYU women’s basketball fell 77-48 to Washington Saturday night in the final game of the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout.

BYU vs. Washington Final Box Score

Lauren Gustin tallied her first career double-double for the Cougars (1-1), scoring a team-best 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Paisley Johnson Harding contributed nine points, two assists, one rebound and a steal, while Tegan Graham added eight points, one assist and a rebound.

Kaylee Smiler hit a pair of second quarter triples to chip in six points for BYU, while Shaylee Gonzales recorded five points and six rebounds on the night.

The Cougars brought the score within three at the start of the third quarter but couldn’t quite get over the hump, as the Huskies (2-0) used a 13-0 run to pull away. BYU ended the game with a 27% shooting percentage compared to Washington’s 48%.

Gustin hit a runner off the glass one minute into the contest to give BYU an early 2-0 lead. Washington answered with back-to-back triples before Gustin hit another mid-range shot to bring the Cougars within two, 6-4. Following a 6-0 Husky run, Graham drained a free throw line jumper and Gustin hit a shot in the paint to bring the score to 12-8 for Washington. Graham hit a 3-pointer from the right wing and Harding hit three free throws to cut BYU’s deficit to three, 17-14, but the Huskies answered with a 5-0 run to take a 22-14 advantage at the end of the period.

A driving layup by Gustin and a Smiler triple brought BYU within three, 22-19, two minutes into the second quarter. Washington proceeded to go on a 10-5 run before another 3-pointer by Smiler cut the Cougars’ deficit to five, 32-27, with 4:14 left in the half. A Harding triple from the top of the key stopped a 5-1 Husky run and brought the Cougars within six, 37-31, at the break.

Gonzales opened the third quarter with a corner triple, but Washington proceeded to score 13 unanswered points to take a 50-34 lead with 4:11 left in the third. Teams then traded baskets, as Gustin made a layup and Graham hit a 3-pointer to bring the score to 55-39 for the Huskies. Washington closed the quarter on a 6-2 run to take a 61-41 advantage into the final period.

The Huskies put together an 8-0 run to start the fourth before a pair of free throws from Babalu Ugwu brought the score to 69-43 for Washington with 4:11 left in the contest. Albiero hit a mid-range jumper and a pair of free throws with 1:28 remaining, bringing the score to 71-48 for the Huskies. A pair of Washington triples brought the final score to 77-48 for Washington.

Up next, the Cougars hit the road to take on Utah State on Monday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. MT at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah. Broadcast plans will be announced at a later date.

Note: BYU was originally scheduled to play Dixie State on Tuesday, Dec. 1, but the game was canceled due to COVID-19-related issues within the Dixie State women’s basketball program.

Player Notes

• Gustin tallied nine first half points, shooting a perfect four of four from the field, to go along with a team-best three assists and four rebounds. She finished the game with team-bests in points (13), rebounds (10), assists (3) and steals (2).
• Harding recorded nine points on the night while also adding two assists and a steal.
• Tahlia White hit a free throw in the final period for her first point as a Cougar.
• Malli Perri tallied BYU’s lone block on the night and added two rebounds.

Team Notes

• The Cougars shot 27% from the floor and from three-point territory, compared to Washington’s 48% from the field and 43% from distance. BYU also shot 85% from the free throw line compared to the Huskies’ 68%.
• Eleven different Cougars saw playing time, with eight of them scoring.  
• BYU pulled down 26 boards on the night compared to Washington’s 37.
• In assists, the Cougars dished out eight while the Huskies had 12.
• BYU recorded 17 bench points while Washington had 30.