BYU and Utah met for the third time this season Thursday in the second round of the Big 12 Conference tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City, renewing their in‑state rivalry with a postseason twist.
The Cougars entered the matchup with a 2–0 edge in the season series, including a breakout performance from sophomore guard Delaney Gibb, who scored a career‑high 37 points at the Huntsman Center on Feb. 21.
BYU earned its spot in the rematch after grinding out a win over Houston in the opening round.
Utah controlled the opening tip, but BYU quickly seized momentum with hot shooting from beyond the arc. Brinley Cannon knocked down 3 3‑pointers in the first quarter, while Kambree Barber made her presence felt on the boards, helping the Cougars build a seven‑point lead.
The game tightened in the second quarter as the Utes responded with a surge, outscoring BYU 17–5 to reclaim the lead. Utah carried that momentum into halftime, heading to the locker room up 36–27.
Utah stayed in control to open the third quarter, capitalizing on a frustrated BYU lineup as the Utes maintained their lead. The Cougars struggled to generate offense early in the period, but their defense kept them within reach. A series of forced turnovers shifted the momentum, allowing BYU to claw back into the game.
That defensive spark fueled a late-quarter surge, and the Cougars outscored Utah down the stretch out scoring the Utes 24-7 in the quarter. Freshman guard Olivia Hamlin punctuated the run with a straightaway 3‑pointer at the buzzer, giving BYU an eight‑point lead heading into the fourth. Dominating the third is a common characteristic of the young BYU squad,
BYU kept the pressure on in the fourth quarter, extending its lead to the largest margin of the game behind more of its characteristic 3‑point shooting. The Cougars continued to find rhythm from deep, and a critical step‑back 3 from Gibb pushed the advantage into double digits, energizing the BYU bench and tightening their grip on the momentum.
But foul trouble threatened to shift the tone of the quarter. Forward Lara Rohkohl was forced to play with four fouls, and BYU’s rising team‑foul count opened a potential window for Utah to climb back through free‑throw opportunities. Yet, the Cougars' defense remained dominant, holding the Utes scoreless for over four minutes. Rohkohl fouled out.
Yet Gibb continued to make critical shots with some veteran presence of Ari Mackey-Williams allowing BYU to pull away with three players in double- digits including Gibb, Cannon and Rohkohl. BYU knocked off Utah by 18 with 70 -52 win.
With the third win against the Utes this year, BYU women's basketball will advance to the third round of the Big 12 conference tournament playing the No.1 seed TCU Friday at 12:30 MST on ESPN+.