PROVO, Utah – Four Cougars scored in doubles digits in their season opener as BYU topped UC Riverside 72-70 in overtime Friday in the Marriott Center.

BYU vs. UC Riverside Final Box Score

“I thought Riverside played really well tonight,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “They shot the lights out and they usually don’t shoot like that. We did a good job hanging in there and I’m really proud of my team tonight. They got down when they could have made some bad mistakes, but they stepped it up. Each kid did something in a positive way for us to win that game and for us, that’s big because it didn’t happen a lot last year.”

Brenna Chase and Paisley Johnson led BYU (1-0) with 18 points each. Johnson had a double-double as she pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Chase dished out seven assists for game highs as well. Freshman Shaylee Gonzales and sophomore Maria Albiero also scored in double digits with 16 and 10 respectively.

UC Riverside (0-2) held a two-point advantage in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. With the clock winding down, Johnson drove to the basket for a layup tying the game at 66-66 sending the game into overtime.

Two free throws from the Highlanders gave them a two-point lead as the overtime period began. Chase quickly responded with a jumper in the paint to tie the score at 70-70. On defense, Jasmine Moody snagged the rebound to prevent UC Riverside (UCR) from scoring on their next possession. Gonzales made two free throws to give the two-point 72-70 lead to BYU with 2:06 left in the overtime period. The Cougars held UCR scoreless for the remainder of the game to clinch the home win.

UCR made the first shot of the game, but they quickly fouled Albiero in the paint, giving her two shots to even the game. Johnson drove under the basket and brought the lead back for BYU 4-3.

The Highlanders went on a 7-0 run to take the lead 10-6 before Moody ended the run on a jumper in the paint. Later, Chase weaved between the defenders to drive to the basket giving BYU two points. She followed it up with two more layups for the Cougars, bringing the score within three at 17-14.

In the second quarter, Chase was fouled under the basket and made both free throws, which brought the score within three, 21-18. Johnson made the first trey of the game, tying the game at 21-21. She then brought the ball down the court and dished it out to Chase, who drained the second 3 for BYU giving the Cougars their first lead of the game, 24-21.

BYU finished the half with back-to-back threes from Gonzales and Johnson to take a narrow four-point, 37-33 lead heading into the break. 

In the third quarter, the Highlanders went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 45-45. Gonzales drove the ball into the basket for a two-point, 47-45 Cougar lead. BYU maintained its lead until UCR made a trey as time expired in the third period and a 52-50 advantage for the visiting Highlanders. 

Gonzales made the first shot of the fourth quarter with a three. Both teams battled back and forth with neither team taking more than a two-point edge. Chase tied it up the score at 59-59 from a breakaway off her own steal. On the final two possessions of the fourth period, Johnson made two critical baskets that would send the game into overtime.

BYU stays home to face Pac-12 foe California, Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 4 p.m. MDT in the Marriott Center. The game will have a live video stream on TheW.tv.

Postgame Notes

First Quarter

• Chase hit three consecutive shots late in the first quarter to keep the Cougars within five points of the Highlanders

• UCR shot an even 50 percent from the field in the first quarter, with two threes, while the Cougars shot just 43.8 percent

Second Quarter

• Johnson hit BYU’s first 3-pointer of the game just one minute into the second quarter, followed immediately by a three from Chase to give BYU the lead, 24-21

• BYU held UCR scoreless for the first four minutes of the second quarter, using a 9-0 run to take a 25-21 lead

• The Cougars improved their shooting to 46 percent after the second quarter and also hit four 3-pointers to take a 37-33 lead into the half. Their defense held UCR to 25 percent shooting in the second quarter.

• Third Quarter

• Albiero scored the first five points of the second half for BYU to go up 42-36

• BYU got in foul trouble late in the third quarter when Chase and Johnson got their fourth fouls

• Albiero reached double figures on an and-one play to get her to 10 points late in the third quarter

Fourth Quarter

• Gonzales hit her second three of the game to open the fourth quarter and put BYU up 53-52. The shot also put her in double digits with 12

• Johnson reached a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds late in the fourth

• UCR extended its lead to four, but a three from Chase and fast-break layup from Johnson, assisted by Chase, put BYU up, 64-63, with 1:18 left in the game

• Johnson tied the game at 66 with 13.5 seconds left to send the game to overtime

Overtime

• Moody hit her first free throws of the game to put BYU up 70-68 two minutes into overtime

• Johnson fouled out with 2:52 left in overtime

• Gonzales scored 16 points and had two steals in her debut as a Cougar

PROVO, Utah — BYU women’s basketball opens the 2018-19 regular season with a home game, hosting UC Riverside Friday, Nov. 7, at 5 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcast live on BYUtv and streamed online at byutv.org.

BYU vs. UC Riverside Game Notes

ABOUT BYU

• The Cougars are coming off an 83-56 win over Dixie State in an exhibition game played at the Marriott Center Tuesday.
• BYU was selected to finish third in the 2018-19 West Coast Conference race.
• Junior Brenna Chase and sophomore Sara Hamson were named to the Preseason ALL-WCC Team
• The team enters the season with 11 underclassmen and just two returning starters.

KEY COUGAR RETURNERS

• Chase, who was named to the West Coast Conference First Team last year, along with the league’s defensive player of the year, Sara Hamson bring the most experience to the team. Chase enters the year as the leading scorer averaging 13.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.2 rebounds a game.
• Hamson started in 18 of the 26 games she played in, leading the nation and the league in blocked shots per game with a 4.3 average. She also finished her freshman campaign leading the team in rebounds grabbing 7.7 boards a game and placing sixth in the WCC in that category.
• Junior Shalae Salmon played in all games and started in 13 last year. The 6-foot-3 center from Porirua, New Zealand, averaged 4.8 points and 5.4 rebounds a game.
• Jasmine Moody, a 6-foot-2 forward is the lone senior with playing time on the team. She played in the first five games last year before a leg injury sidelined her the remainder of the season. During the 2016-17 campaign, she played in 26 games averaging 10.3 minutes of playing time and contributed 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds to a team that compiled a 20-12 record.
• Sophomores Paisley Johnson and Maria Albiero enter their second season with significant experience. Both played in all games last year. Johnson averaged 5.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while playing nearly 20 minutes a game. Albiero, from Londrina, Brazil, averaged almost nine minutes of playing time contributing 2.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.76 assists per contest.

ABOUT UC RIVERSIDE

• UC Riverside comes to Provo after opening the season with a 73-55 road loss at USC.
• The Highlanders played a home exhibition game vs. UC San Diego, defeating the Tritons 66-59.
• Last season, UC Riverside compiled an 11-22, 6-10 record, finishing seventh in the Big West Conference race.
• UC Riverside was selected to finish eighth in this year’s league race by the coaches and media.

UP NEXT FOR BYU

The Cougar women remain at home for two more games. They host Pac-12 foe Cal, Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m. BYU then hosts Eastern Washington, Saturday, Nov. 17 in a 1 p.m. tip off. Both games will have a live video stream on TheW.tv.