BYU vs. Saint Mary's Box Score

PROVO, Utah – Cassie Broadhead Devashrayee and Brenna Chase led BYU women’s basketball to a 63-54 win over Saint Mary’s at the Marriott Center on Thursday evening.

"I’m really proud of these guys," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. "I thought tonight we played better defense than we’ve played in a long time. It was a different kind of defensive effort—it was guarding people off the dribble, looking to help and recover while trying not to foul them."

Devashrayee and Chase combined for 43 of BYU’s 63 points, with Devashrayee recording 22 and Chase finishing with 21. Malia Nawahine and Sara Hamson led BYU in rebounds with each securing five.

The first quarter started out slowly with both teams trading missed shots. Hamson put up the first basket of the game for the Cougars (12-8, 7-2 WCC) and Saint Mary’s (13-7, 6-3 WCC) followed soon after with one of its own. The Gaels maintained the lead throughout much of the quarter until a basket from Chase allowed the Cougars to take the 10-8 lead. Chase led the Cougars with seven points and Devashrayee finished with six to end the first quarter ahead, 17-11.

The Cougars maintained the lead for the remainder of the half. BYU went on a 6-0 run to increase its lead 32-21, the first double-digit lead of the game. The Cougars ended the half leading the Gaels 32-25.

BYU started the second half with back-to-back jumpers from Amanda Wayment and Devashrayee to increase its lead to 11, 36-25. A 10-0 BYU run brought the Cougars to a 46-28 lead. The run included 3-pointers from Devashrayee and Nawahine. The Gaels countered with an 8-0 run of their own to cut in to the Cougar’s lead, 46-36. A Devashrayee 3-pointer gave BYU the 49-38 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Chase started the momentum for the Cougars in the fourth quarter with back-to-back baskets and a steal to extend the lead to 53-40. Chase’s baskets, which included a 3-pointer and two made free throws, fueled a 13-0 Cougar run.  The run gave the Cougars a 62-40 lead with 4:11 left in the game.

The two teams traded baskets until the Gaels went on 9-0 run to cut into BYU’s lead. The SMC run wasn't enough, as the Gaels fell to the Cougars 63-54.

BYU travels to Stockton, California, to take on Pacific on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 2:00 p.m. PST. The game will be carried live on BYU Radio - Sirius XM 143 and can be streamed live at TheW.tv

BYU vs. Saint Mary’s Postgame Notes

Team
With the 63-54 win, the Cougars are now 10-0 when leading at halftime. BYU is now 6-2 at home against Saint Mary’s.

The Cougars held the Gaels to their lowest scoring output in conference play this season.

Two Cougars scored in double digits for the sixth time this season: Devashrayee (22) and Chase (21). Cassie Broadhead Devashrayee was the lone Cougar to score in double figures in BYU’s loss at Saint Mary’s on Dec. 30.

BYU finished the game with 34 points in the paint to the Gaels’ 18. The Cougars also recorded more fast break points than SMC (12 to zero).

The Cougars dished out 15 assists to the Gaels 10. BYU has now logged more assists than its opponent in eight games this season. The Cougars had 11 blocks, while Saint Mary’s had four. BYU has had more blocks than its opponents this season in 15 games to date.

BYU led for 35:17 against Saint Mary’s.

Player
Cassie Broadhead Devashrayee had a game-high 22 points against the Gaels and passed Bekah Stafford for 23rd place in all-time points at BYU. Devashrayee also tied for a team-high five rebounds.

Brenna Chase recorded her sixth-straight double-figure performance against SMC, scoring 21 points, and has scored more than 20 points in three of her last four games. The sophomore also logged four assists, three steals and two rebounds in the win.

Malia Nawahine recorded game-highs in assists and steals, with six and five, respectively. Nawahine also had seven points.

Sara Hamson notched seven blocks against SMC and now has 73 blocks on the season. The freshman passes her sister Jennifer Hamson who logged 72 blocks during her junior year. She also had two points, five rebounds and one assist. The Cougars are 6-1 with Hamson in the starting lineup.

BYU vs. Saint Mary's Game Notes

PROVO, Utah— After a disappointing one-point, 70-69, loss at San Diego, BYU women’s basketball (11-8, 6-2) is at home Thursday night in a battle for second place in the West Coast Conference race.

The Cougars host Saint Mary’s (13-6, 6-2) at 7 p.m. MST. BYUtv will carry the game live with a video stream available at byutv.org. 

After Thursday’s league game, the women’s team travels to Stockton, California to take on Pacific Saturday, Jan. 27 in a 2 p.m., tipoff. That game will be carried live on BYU Radio.

ABOUT BYU

The Cougars are tied with Saint Mary’s for second place heading into this week’s league action. BYU lost at SMC, 57-49, on Dec. 30.

After playing in a total of 19 games, the Cougars are averaging 68.1 points and pull down 39.5 boards a contest. BYU shoots 42.2 percent from the field, 33.1 percent from the 3-point line and 65.5 percent from the charity stripe.

In the game at San Diego Saturday afternoon, four players scored in double digits for the fifth time on the year. The Cougars recorded eight blocks against the Toreros, making it the 14th game where BYU tallied more blocks than its opponents. In all games played, the Cougars have dished out more assists seven times.

BYU Player Stat Leaders

Scoring: #20 C. Devashrayee (19.5 ppg)

Rebounding: #22 S. Hamson (6.8 rpg)

Assists: #20 Devashrayee (4.6 apg)

Steals: #20 Devashrayee (2.1 spg)

Blocks: #22 S. Hamson (4.4 bpg)

ABOUT SAINT MARY’S

The Gaels come to Provo with a 13-6, 6-2 record. SMC is coming off a 96-88 home win over Pacific. Saint Mary’s has also captured conference wins over Santa Clara, San Diego and Pepperdine.

The Gaels are averaging 71.9 points and 38.5 rebounds per game. SMC shoots 48.5 percent from the field, 33.1 from behind the arc and 66.2 percent from the free-throw line.

Saint Mary’s is coached by Paul Thomas, who has compiled a 228-143 record in his 12 seasons at the helm of the women’s program.

SMC Player Stat Leaders

Scoring: #25 M. McKay (15.4 ppg)

Rebounding: #12 S. Raggio (8.5 rpg)

Assists: #3 J. Forcadilla (3.7 apg)

Steals: #21 S. Beck (1.5 bpg)

Blocks: #12 S. Raggio (1.1 bpg)

SERIES HISTORY

SMC leads the series over BYU 9-7 including a 57-49 win in Moraga on Dec. 30. When Saint Mary’s plays in Provo, they have a 2-5 record. The last time the Gaels won in Provo was on Jan. 17, 2015, a 10-point, 61-51 SMC victory.

In last year’s league race, each team won on its home court. The two foes met a third time last season in the semis of the 2017 WCC Championships in Las Vegas. In that matchup, the Gaels beat the Cougars 59-49 on March 6 to advance to the championship game. Saint Mary’s has won the last three meetings versus BYU.

ABOUT PACIFIC

The Pacific Tigers enter this week’s conference race with a 9-10, 3-5 record, tied for fifth place with Pepperdine. They host San Francisco on Thursday before playing the Cougars on Saturday afternoon.

Pacific is putting up 78.4 points a game while grabbing 37.9 boards. The Tigers are shooting 43.4 percent from the field, 33.1 percent from 3-point land and 73.8 from the free-throw line.

In WCC action, Pacific has recorded wins over San Diego, Portland and Pepperdine.

PAC Player Stat Leaders

Scoring: #15 G. Luaulu-Sumers (17.2 ppg)

Rebounding: #2 J. Grant (7.3 rpg)

Assists: #15 G. Luaulu-Sumers  (6.2 apg)

Steals: #15 G. Luaulu-Sumers (2.8 spg)

Blocks: #22 D. Finnie (.84 bpg)

SERIES HISTORY

BYU leads the series vs. Pacific 13-3. When playing in Stockton, the Cougars have a 5-1 record.

This will be the second meeting between the two league foes this year. In the game in Provo on Jan. 6, BYU picked up the 77-65 win.

Last season, the Cougars swept the series with Pacific.

 

UP NEXT
After Saturday’s game at Pacific, BYU women’s basketball returns home for two back-to-back league games. The Cougars host LMU on Thursday, Feb. 1 and league-leading Gonzaga on Saturday, Feb. 3. Both games are slated to air live on BYUtv.