The BYU women’s basketball team defeated San Francisco 66-57 in an intense game in San Francisco Saturday afternoon thanks to some strong fourth-quarter play.
“The fourth period was the key to our victory,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said to BYUradio after the game. “I think we saw great overall team effort. Our starters and our bench played well and everyone was involved. You always need to be prepared because you never know when it will be your night.”
The Cougars and Dons began neck-and-neck, tied 14-14 at the end of the first quarter. BYU pulled ahead during the second quarter and lead 32-29 at halftime. A six minute scoring drought in the third quarter resulted in the Cougars finding themselves trailing 40-38 going into the fourth quarter.
Senior guard Lexi Rydalch came alive in the fourth quarter for the Cougars, scoring 15 points and sparking the team’s comeback. Rydalch finished the game with 22 points and three rebounds.
Senior guard Kylie Maeda was also a key contributor, scoring 14 points.
“It was one of her best all around games,” Judkins said of Maeda. “She played really solid.”
Juniors Kalani Purcell and Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher also played key roles. Purcell scored six points and added nine assists while Pulsipher added nine points.
The Cougars’ success came from scoring 17 points off 18 USF turnovers.
The Cougars shot 44 percent from the field, hit 31 percent of their 3-pointers and shot 77 percent from the free throw line.
BYU, 12-4 over all and 4-1 in conference, returns home to play a crucial conference game against Gonzaga on Thursday at 7 p.m. MST.
