Women’s basketball pulls out win against Santa Clara

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Lexi Eaton Rydalch shoots against Gonzaga during a game during the 2014-2015 season. Rydalch led the Cougars in scoring with 27 points, five rebounds and three assists. (Ari Davis)
Lexi Eaton Rydalch shoots against Gonzaga during a game during the 2014-2015 season. Rydalch led the Cougars in scoring with 27 points, five rebounds and three assists. (Ari Davis)

The BYU women’s basketball team defeated Santa Clara 68-63 in a close game Thursday night in Santa Clara. The Cougars pulled out the lead in the fourth quarter against the Broncos after battling back and forth all night.

Head coach Jeff Judkins said the win was all about execution.

“The win came down to execution and pivotal stops in the final few minutes of the game,” Judkins said. “We missed some foul shots we usually make, but we were able to convert in other ways. It was a great team win.”

Lexi Eaton Rydalch led the Cougars in scoring with 27 points, five rebounds and three assists. Rydalch has now scored at least 20 points in 11 games this season. Kalani Purcell scored a career-high 17 points, helping the Cougars take down the Broncos. Purcell also added 12 rebounds and three assists.

The Cougars were down 20-16 at the end of the first quarter and trailed 39-32 at halftime. Rydalch hit a last second 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter that sparked BYU. The Cougars clawed back during the fourth quarter and had a lead of 60-58 with 2:46 left in the game.

The game was a physical one for Santa Clara who ended with a team total of 29 personal fouls. The loss against BYU was the Broncos first loss at home this season.

The Cougars continue on the road in California and play San Francisco on Saturday at 2 p.m. PST.

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