Lauren Gustin, Amari Whiting honored with Big 12 Conference weekly awards

BYU entered the week preparing for a huge game against conference foe Baylor. The Cougars were coming off of three straight conference losses and a matchup with the No. 18 Bears was threatening to give BYU their second four-game losing streak this season.

Despite the pressure and stress of such a big matchup, the Cougars were able to dominate the Bears on Wednesday night 78-66 and earn their first top-25 win under head coach Amber Whiting. After the big win, BYU traveled to Cincinnati and gave the Bearcats more than they were able to handle Saturday night, winning 69-57.

Senior forward Lauren Gustin and freshman guard Amari Whiting led BYU with impressive performances in both of these games. Over the two games, Gustin put up 44 points with 36 rebounds while Whiting recorded 24 points with 15 rebounds and 11 assists to sweep the Big 12 Conference weekly awards.

Gustin becomes the first BYU women’s basketball player to win the Big 12 Player of the Week award and Amari Whiting joins Kailey Woolston as the only Cougars to win Big 12 Freshman of the Week awards.

Lauren Gustin Earns Big 12 Player of the Week

Gustin has been a bright spot for the Cougars this season on both offense and defense. She leads the NCAA in rebounds per game with 15.4 boards per game. Her rebounding prowess along with her 16.2 points per game and 52% field goal percentage has led to an impressive senior outing that has contributed to the Cougars’ 14-11 record.

Amari Whiting Earns Big 12 Freshman of the Week

Whiting decided to follow her mom and come to BYU after de-committing from Oregon in July of 2022 and she has not looked back since. In her freshman season, Whiting is proving to be a great all-around point guard for the Cougars. She is averaging 10.8 points along with 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists. Whiting is showing why BYU fans should be excited for the future of this program. Whiting and her freshman roommate, Kailey Woolston, this season are combining for 25.2 points on 43% shooting from the three-point line.

Gustin and Whiting will look to extend the winning streak with another strong performance Tuesday night when BYU travels to Orlando to take on UCF.