BYU Cougars: Fans able to smile after winning weekend

Women’s basketball bounces back

How do you bounce back when it’s your season opener? When you let Southern Utah University make you look like a fool on your home court for two quarters, that’s how.

With returners like Cassie Devashrayee (nee Broadhead) and Brenna Chase, and newcomers like grad transfer Malia Nawahine and freshman Maria Albeiro, the Cougars have a deep guard lineup. Shalae Salmon looks to have stepped in as a much needed inside presence. The Cougars should have had more than enough firepower to down the Thunderbirds.

But despite opening as much as a 17 point lead after the first period, BYU women’s basketball found themselves in trouble all through the middle periods and late into the fourth. Bullrushed by the Thunderbirds’ aggressive approach, the Cougars made nearly every mistake possible to give away the game.

Turnovers, hasty shots, and missed bunny layups let SUU take it to the Cougars. And so the Cougars found themselves trailing by 10 with 3:30 to go in regulation.

But Chase and Devashrayee weren’t going to let the game slip away.

First Chase buried a deep three. Then on a quick corner trap on the inbound, she and Cassie caused an SUU travel. Then thanks to some scrappy o-boards, and another long shot by Brenna, the Cougs chipped away to set up Devashrayee for game-tying triple that would take them into overtime.

Exhausted by their effort, and a little shocked by BYU’s comeback, the Thunderbirds just couldn’t  stop the Cougars from ripping back the victory in the extra period.

A win’s a win, but hopefully the Cougars came away with some lessons learned before they hit the road against top-25 Washington this week.