BYU played with fast pace and aggression on its way to a dominating 105-37 victory against Westminster at the Marriott Center Tuesday night.
The Cougars have now won 12 straight exhibition games and have not lost one in 10 seasons. Their last loss dates back to Nov. 1, 2014, which, ironically, came against the Griffins, 59-54.
If this were a regular-season game, sophomore guard Amari Whiting would have notched her career-high in points and steals with 22 points on 10 of 13 shooting to go along with five steals.
In just 21 minutes played, she was the aggressor on both sides of the ball and could not be stopped when attacking the basket, which led to those outstanding numbers.
Amari Whiting and BYU’s defense featured an impressive showing. It forced Westminster to turn the ball over on 33.3% of its possessions with 26 total turnovers. The Griffins shot 23.7% from the field. The Cougars' constant ball-pressure on the guards in the backcourt, and the ability to protect the paint, were catalysts to that.
Coach Amber Whiting noted that she has put strong emphasis on defense and will continue to do so.
“That’s our calling card,” said Amber Whiting. “We have to bring that physicality and we have to bring that toughness every night.”
Even for an exhibition game, putting up triple-digits is an impressive feat. It took an efficient 62.7% shooting from the field and ten 3-pointers to get it done.
The last time the Cougars scored 105 or more points was Nov. 2, 2019 against University of Antelope Valley.
All 12 players that played tonight for the Cougars scored at least once to contribute to the 105-point output. Amari Whiting, freshman guard Delaney Gibb, and sixth-year senior transfer guard Kemery Congdon had the bulk of those points, combining for 55 of them on the night.
The most fascinating aspect of the team this year, which was missing from last season, is the depth. The freshmen came to play, combining for 39 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists with Gibb leading the pack with 18 points.
Junior transfer guard Marya Hudgins, senior forward Emma Calvert, senior forward Heather Hamson, and senior guard Lauren Davenport also made tremendous contributions to help the team protect the rim, be long on defense, space the floor and win the rebounding battle.
The Cougars thanked the fans for showing up.
“I felt like it was about time,” said Davenport. “Having all the fans here in the Marriott Center I really think contributed to us continuing on defense. It’s always fun having a crowd and playing in front of your people.”
Even with nine newcomers and only three returning players from last season that played, the team meshed well with one another as if they have played with one another for multiple years.
“We set some pretty high goals for them and I feel like they came out with fire,” said Amber Whiting. “They were hungry. I loved to see how well they played together and how they got after it on defense.”
The Cougars look to produce a similar output in their season- opener on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. against the University of Idaho at the Marriott Center. The game be broadcast on ESPN+.