BYU women's basketball survives late rally from UCF to win 73-67

It got nerve racking towards the end, but BYU held on to win 73-67 over UCF Wednesday night at the Marriott Center.

After Brinley Cannon scored her 13th point of the night off the bench, the Cougars led 67-56 with only 3:25 remaining on the clock.

Things were looking good for BYU (12-10) at this point. Its offense was scoring in the paint consistently, Amari Whiting and Kambree Barber took turns making great defensive plays and BYU was also scoring off assists like this one from Cannon:

On top of that, UCF (8-13) was struggling to make anything that wasn’t a layup. On the night, UCF went 13 of 23 on layups but shot just 11 of 46 on any other type of shot.

Despite their shooting woes, the Golden Knights managed to put together an 8-0 run and cut BYU’s lead to three with under a minute to go, thanks to some late turnovers by BYU.

Another BYU turnover, this time from an Emma Calver push-off called for an offensive foul, gave the ball back to UCF with a chance to tie the game

With 30 seconds remaining, UCF’s Neveah Brown, who had the second-most points on the team with 15, got the ball and attempted the game-tying 3.

But the shot never had a chance after Whiting registered her career-high second block of the game on the play.

The Golden Knights got one more chance to cut into the lead after an Ally Stedman offensive rebound led to Achol Akot getting fouled on a shot. But after missing both free throws, UCF had to send Delaney Gibb to the free-throw line to preserve time.

After Gibb drained both free throws, BYU would hold on for the win despite not scoring a field goal in the final 3:25 of the game.

“I think we kind of have nothing to lose, so at the end of the game, we’re just trying to come together and play smart,” said Cannon. “We’re having fun out there. I think when we play with that joy, we take care of business better because we’re more confident in ourselves.”

Gibb's late free throws and her team-leading 19 points were vital to BYU’s win, but in the first quarter, the Cougars had to rely on other players to keep them in the game.

To open the game, BYU struggled to shoot the ball. In fact, the Cougars didn't score for the first 3:50 until Whiting made a layup.

With such a cold start, largely due to a lack of ball movement and a tendency to settle for 3-pointers, BYU found itself down seven, its largest deficit of the game.

While BYU was still trying to figure out how to score against UCF’s defense, it was Barber’s play that kept BYU in the game.

While she ended up with only five points on the night, the Big 12 Freshman of the Week provided plenty of energy and hustle, especially when her offensive rebound led to BYU’s first made 3-pointer of the game—which she happened to take..

“I just play how I always played, even if I wouldn’t have gotten it,” Barber said.

In the first half alone, Barber grabbed eight rebounds, three of which came on the offensive glass. Creating those second-chance opportunities was vital for BYU as it tried to find its groove on offense.

Her stellar play continued for the rest of the night as Barber played great defense, resulting in a career-high three blocks. She also finished the night with 11 rebounds.

“This is Kambree, every day of practice she has that motor, she just goes to the boards,” said coach Amber Whiting. “That’s just who she is … I really, really like it for her to have that confidence out there.”

In the first quarter, BYU shot 6 of 19 from the field and 2 of 10 from beyond the arc. Despite the poor shooting, the Cougars found themselves down only 17-14.

Everything started to swing the Cougars' way beginning in the second quarter, as BYU began to distribute the ball more, drive to the paint, and force UCF into taking more midrange shots. Because of all that, the Cougars shot better and started to cut into the lead.

In the end, BYU’s 3-point shooting, passing and opportunistic defense overpowered UCF’s plan to win through paint points and free throws

The Cougars' defense forced UCF’s leading scorer, Kaitl Peterson, who came into tonight averaging 21 points, to get 19 points on 5 of 24.

While UCF would have preferred the win, it can still celebrate Peterson’s achievement of scoring her 1,000th career point in this game.

While the Cougars ultimately got the win, their turnover problem will need to be addressed if they want to keep winning games.

While BYU’s 17 assists, with Whiting leading the team with five, were vital to Wednesday’s win, late turnovers nearly cost them the game. To make matters worse, BYU’s 19 turnovers led to 19 points for UCF.

With BYU playing Baylor on the road on Feb. 8, the Cougars will need to find a solution quickly if they want to avoid another turnover issue.

But for now, BYU can appreciate its hard-fought win.