Cassie Broadhead’s 22 points lifted the BYU women’s basketball team to a 73-61 victory over San Francisco on Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center.
"San Francisco's a very, very good team. They play very hard and do a good job of spreading you out," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. "I thought we did a good job of guarding them, especially in the second half. We took them out of the main offense they run. This was a big game and we needed to take care of business."
The Cougars shot a season-high 57 percent from the field as three players scored in double digits. Behind Broadhead’s 22 points, including 14 first-half points, Kalani Purcell had 13 points. The duo pulled down eight boards apiece while Purcell also recorded seven assists. Makenzi Pulsipher added 12 points of her own.
Both teams traded baskets early on before tying it 10-10 with less than five minutes to go in the first quarter. BYU then went on a 12-1 run, propelled by six points from Broadhead, to finish the period up 22-11.
San Francisco responded in the second quarter and closed the gap to five points, 30-25, with 5:39 on the clock. Three-consecutive points on a free throw from Makenzi Pulsipher and a jumper from Amanda Wayment sparked an offensive outburst for the Cougars en route to a 10-point lead, 37-27. A 3-pointer from Pulsipher extended BYU’s lead to 13, 42-29, with 1:06 left in the period. The Cougars kept their composure and went into halftime up 42-32.
BYU commanded the third quarter, containing the Dons to just 12 points and leading by as many as 22 points. Micaelee Orton added seven points off the bench before the Cougars took a 65-44 lead at the end of the third quarter.
A slow-paced fourth quarter allowed San Francisco to outscore BYU, 17-8. Following a minute-and-a-half drought for both teams, a layup from Purcell put the Cougars up 67-47 with 6:51 on the clock. Broadhead scored the team’s final six points, and BYU finished the game on top with a 12-point, 73-61 win over the Dons.
The Cougars travel to play San Diego on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 6 p.m. PST. The game will be streamed on TheW.tv and broadcast on BYU Radio - Sirius XM 143.