BYU women’s basketball’s season comes to an end, losing against UCF

BYU women’s basketball fell short in the first round of the Big 12 tournament for the second straight year, losing to an underperforming UCF Knights team, effectively ending its 2024-2025 season.

The Cougars lost 81-69 in Kansas City, ending their second year in the Big 12, and Delaney Gibb’s stellar freshman season.

The story of the game was the constant pressure UCF put on BYU and how the Knights wanted to attack the paint. Kaitlin Peterson, UCF’s best player, and leading senior scored 35 points in this contest.

Peterson has had an impressive senior season for the Knights, averaging 20.9 points per game coming into this contest.

Peterson finished with 12 free throw attempts, showing just how physical the Knights were with the BYU front line. BYU had no answer for her dynamic scoring ability and impressive quickness that allowed her to score in the paint.

BYU’s starting center, Emma Calvert, was sidelined for an extended stretch of this game with foul trouble. Calvert went to the bench early in the third quarter, leaving BYU without a strong rim runner, and shot blocker on the floor.

With Calvert off the floor, UCF took advantage and scored 42 points in the paint, as opposed to just 22 for BYU.

It looked as if the Cougars had momentum after going up 54-53 on an impressive circus shot by Delaney Gibb, but UCF had the answer.

BYU hung with UCF throughout the first three quarters, but really lost control early in the fourth when Petersons scoring barrage ensued.

Delaney Gibb, BYU’s Big 12 Freshman of the Year winner, was held to just 15 points on 5 of 17 shooting. The Cougars' other leading scorers, Amari Whiting and Kemery Congdon, were held to just 25 points combined, giving UCF an opportunity to pull away and win the game.

BYU beat UCF earlier in the season, 73-67 at home in the Marriot Center, but was unable to recreate that magic. Both BYU and UCF had struggled in conference play and had seasons filled with ups and downs.

After beating BYU, UCF will play on Thursdayat 10 a.m. against the No. 5 seeded Kansas State Wildcats.

UCF has the talented guard play, led by Kaitlin Peterson, to compete in the Big 12 conference championship and play spoiler for higher seeds.

BYU looks to improve on this season and come back next year after having an off season with Gibb and Amari Whiting both on the team.