BYU women's hoops falls short against Texas Tech

The Texas Tech Lady Raiders defeated BYU 70-65 as the Cougars’ fiesty comeback fell just short in Saturday’s loss.

BYU falls to 10-7 on the season as they were unable to overcome a second-half deficit of 16 points in Lubbock. Texas Tech secured its second Big 12 win of the season with the victory while the Cougars drop to 1-5 in conference play.

Delaney Gibb and Emma Calvert did all they could for BYU as the freshman phenom Gibb poured in 22 points while Calvert set a new career-high with five blocks. The Lady Raiders were led by Bailey Maupin’s 16 points while Jasmine Shavers added 14 in the win.

This was a tight contest in the first quarter despite the Cougars falling down 12-4 early. They quickly battled back and led 15-14 at the end of the quarter. The resilience that BYU showed early would be the story of this game for the Cougars.

Texas Tech’s stout perimeter defense gave the Cougars fits in the second quarter and this allowed it to jump out to a 35-25 halftime lead as the Lady Raiders outscored BYU 21-10 in the period. This trend continued in the third quarter as the Lady Raiders extended their lead to 16.

However, the Cougars didn’t fold. Led by Gibb’s 10 points in the third and the constant energy that the “twins” Kambree Barber and Brinley Cannon brought, BYU was able to cut into the Tech lead and make it an eight-point game going into the fourth.

The Lady Raiders answered the Cougars’ surge and built up their lead to 15. With a chance to potentially fold with six minutes remaining, BYU did what they had done all game and clawed its way back into the game. Gibb continued to score and set her teammates up with her playmaking abilities. With just over three minutes to play and a six-point deficit, Gibb fouled out. She left after posting her sixth 20-point game of the season.

Sophomore Amari Whiting continued the charge in Gibb’s absence and helped the Cougars pull within two. BYU came up just short of a miraculous comeback in the end.

The team’s gritty performance on the road showed that there is much to build off of as the Cougars travel to Ames to take on the Iowa State Cyclones in a matchup next Wednesday.