BYU overcomes halftime deficit, beats UCF for 3rd straight conference win
Entering the third quarter, Kailey Woolston was having an uncharacteristically quiet night. BYU was down by seven coming out of halftime and was struggling to stop the UCF offense that was able to grab 10 offensive rebounds in the first half.
The third quarter is when Kailey Woolston and Lauren Gustin decided that the Cougars were not going to miss their opportunity for a third straight conference win. Woolston dropped in 10 points, including two big-time three-pointers while reigning Big 12 Player of the Week, Lauren Gustin, added 8 of her 22 points in the third period.
The Cougars jumped out to a 10-point lead which they did not relinquish in a 64-60 victory Tuesday night in Orlando, securing a third straight conference win.
Proving the Doubters Wrong
Tuesday night marks the 24th double-double of the season for Lauren Gustin who remains motivated by her lack of selection to the pre-season all-big 12 team.
“It definitely is very motivational,” said the nation’s leading rebounder. “We like being in the underdog position. We like to use it to push us through.”
Time and again this season, Gustin has proved to voters wrong. Tuesday night was no different as the senior forward put up a team-high 22 points to go along with 15 rebounds. Gustin is now the sixth-highest scorer in the Big 12 and still holds a wide lead for the nation’s top rebounder.
Freshman Standouts
Freshman guards Amari Whiting and Kailey Woolston also continue to be bright spots for the Cougars and show what this team is capable of.
Amari Whiting, the current Big 12 Freshman of the Week, finished the game with 11 points and Woolston added an impressive 18 points while not missing a shot from the charity stripe.
UCF was led by freshman standout, Khyala Ngodu, who finished with a double-double of her own netting 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Looking Ahead
BYU will have revenge on its mind Saturday night when Kansas visits Provo after their first matchup in Lawrence where the Jayhawks downed the Cougars 67-53.
