A lot of things went right for the BYU Cougars in their Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament second-round matchup against the Missouri Tigers on Monday.
The Cougars stormed out to a 28-7 lead through one quarter and scored their second-highest point total of the season in a 93-75 win at the Marriott Center, all while setting a season high with 14 made 3-pointers.
It was a strong enough performance for All-Big 12 first team guard Delaney Gibb to say, “I thought that it was one of the best, maybe the best start we’ve had all year” after BYU broke the game open with a 25-2 run to end the first quarter.
While the Cougars came up short of making the NCAA Tournament in their first season with Lee Cummard as head coach, BYU earned a No. 1 seed in the WBIT as one of the first four teams on the wrong side of the bubble for the NCAAs.
Now, the Cougars are the only No. 1 seed left with eight teams remaining in the postseason tournament, which is in its third year of existence and was created to provide the same opportunities as the NIT serves on the men’s side — as a place for the best teams that didn’t qualify for the NCAAs to compete in a national postseason event.
Cummard and his players have embraced the opportunity to keep their season going.
“It’s really huge. I mean, to be right on the doorstep thinking you go into the NCAA Tournament and then not to get in, it’s something that psychologically — I don’t know how to explain — it’s just, it was challenging. But now that we’ve got our feet under us, the vibe right now with the group is tremendous and you’re seeing confidence just come out,” Cummard said after the win over Missouri.
In essence, BYU is thriving in a “prove it” environment that shows the program deserves national recognition for what Cummard and his team are doing.
Monday’s victory gave BYU 24 wins on the season, and Cummard tied Jeff Judkins for the most victories by a first-year head coach in program history.
“We’re here to show that we can do this. We’re just staying focused and building that feel to prove that we are good,” said freshman Olivia Hamlin, who tied her career high with 23 points in the victory over Missouri.
The 93 points against the Tigers was the most scored by BYU versus a power conference opponent since 2021.
Combined with a solid Big 12 tournament showing and a three-game winning streak to end the regular season, the Cougars (24-11) have won seven of their past eight games.
“Obviously these are great teams that we’re playing and we want to prove and showcase what we can do and how our team can play. It’s been super fun.”
— BYU guard Delaney Gibb
The success BYU is having could end up being beneficial not just for a postseason run. It could pay off for the future as well.
“You’re seeing great things happening, camaraderie happening,” Cummard said, adding that “just more and more reps for younger players is good for us.”
BYU has a young group this season — there are only three seniors, and of the eight players who’ve made up the primary rotation this year, there are three sophomores and three freshmen, as well as a junior, who may all return next season.
“For me, (the WBIT) has been super motivating going into next season. Obviously we wanted and we hoped to make the NCAA Tournament and that didn’t happen, and so like (Hamlin was) trying to explain, it’s kind of like a revenge tour in a way,” said Gibb, who set a career high with seven made 3-pointers and scored 29 points in beating the Tigers.
“Obviously these are great teams that we’re playing and we want to prove and showcase what we can do and how our team can play. It’s been super fun.”
That all leads up to BYU’s next game, a WBIT quarterfinal matchup against Stanford on Thursday (7 p.m. MDT, ESPN+) at the Marriott Center.
The Cardinal (21-13) have beaten Loyola Marymount and Quinnipiac in the WBIT’s first two rounds to advance.
Stanford, an NCAA Tournament stalwart under now-retired legendary coach Tara VanDerveer, earned a No. 2 seed in the WBIT in Kaye Paye’s second year as head coach and finished in a tie for 11th in the ACC standings with an 8-10 conference record.
As Cummard noted, Stanford had a NET ranking of No. 44 going into the postseason tournament.
“I really was a little nervous coming into (the Missouri) game because of how potent they were offensively and they were — we were just more potent. It’s good for us to have a game like this,” Cummard said after his team gave up 11 3-pointers to the Tigers.
“But Stanford has, I think, the highest NET ranking of anybody in the tournament, so we’re up against a steep thing. I will take it one game at a time. You know that’s what we’re going to say, but this group’s not ready to be done playing and you can see it the way they played, the way they’ve practiced, preparing for these games and it’s fun to have them get rewarded for their work.”
Getting the opportunity to face a storied program such as Stanford isn’t lost on the BYU players. The Cardinal won the national championship in 2021, and in their last five NCAA Tournament appearances before VanDerveer retired, Stanford was either a No. 1 or No. 2 seed.
“It’s fun because they’re a big name and a couple years ago they were national champions,” Gibb said. “So that’s always something that is super fun to be able to compete against a team of that caliber.”
Because the Cougars are a No. 1 seed in the WBIT, they’ve had the opportunity to host the first two rounds and will do so again Thursday, giving BYU players another chance to get their home crowd behind them.
If the Cougars advance to the semifinals, they’ll travel to Wichita, Kansas, for the remainder of the tournament. The semifinals and championship will take place at Charles Koch Arena on the campus of Wichita State on March 30 and April 1, respectively.
For now, the team is focused on making the most of the chance it has continuing the season and gaining experience together.
“This is — (for) a lot of us — it’s kind of foreign playing this long, but I feel like none of us are taking it for granted,” Gibb said. “We just really enjoy being here, and being able to have home games has been incredible.”
