The BYU women’s basketball defeated San Diego 75-66 in overtime in the West Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals.
Cassie Broadhead drained a 3-pointer with 9.8 seconds left in the second half to send the game into overtime, where the Cougars regained control and pushed ahead.
Broadhead was highest scorer with 22 points. Kalani Purcell scored 20 points and pulled in 16 rebounds for her fourteenth double-double this season. Makenzi Pulsipher and Kristine Nielson also scored in the double digits with 16 and 10 points, respectively.
The game got off to a rough start for the Cougars after the Toreros scored 10 points before Makenzi Pulsipher broke the ice with two free throws halfway through the quarter.
San Diego put defensive pressure on BYU to push the Cougars into the paint, resulting in just two made 3-pointers in the first half.
“San Diego came out strong,” BYU coach Jeff Judkins said. “You have to give them credit for their aggressive defense. San Diego probably played its best game against us all year. It was nice to see our team respond. It showed the character of this team and our coaching staff. We stuck together and found a way to win.”
After only scoring seven points in the first quarter, the Cougars fought back in the second quarter. Despite more then tripling their score, the Cougars were still 11 points behind at the half.
As the second half began, BYU had a lot of ground to makeup. With five minutes left in the game, Broadhead drove into the paint for a layup to pull the Cougars ahead for the first time in the match.
Amanda Wayment made a jumper to increase the lead, but the Toreros returned with a three to tie it up.
San Diego pushed ahead, but with an assist from Purcell, Broadhead’s 3-pointer gave the Cougars the momentum they needed entering overtime.
After scoring only five points in regulation, Pulsipher went on to score 10 points in overtime and her key shots sealed the win for BYU.
The Cougars will play in the semifinals on Monday at 2 p.m. in Las Vegas.
