Three in double digits lifts Cougars over Broncos

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PROVO, UT – With three players scoring in double figures, BYU women's basketball extended its winning streak to 14 games after defeating Santa Clara 70-63 Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center. With the victory over the Broncos (19-6, 10-4), the Cougars (22-4, 14-1) solidify their first place lead in the West Coast Conference standings.

"Kalani had an outstanding game, not just scoring but rebounding too," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. "She's the best rebounder in the league and she proved it tonight. I thought we had a really good team effort tonight and Makenzi had a really outstanding game as our best shooter."

Kalani Purcell had a dominating performance on the boards, pulling down a game-high 20 rebounds and scoring 17 points, shooting 8-12 from the field. Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher led all scorers with a game-high 25 points, shooting 5 of 10 from behind the arc and a perfect 6 of 6 from the free throw line and Lexi Eaton Rydalch added 12 points for the Cougars.

BYU outrebounded Santa Clara 41-33 and shot 39.3 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range while the Broncos shot 36.8 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from behind the 3-point line.

The game opened with Rydalch sinking a 3-point basket on the opening possesion and Santa Clara responding with a 6-0 run. With BYU trailing 7-5, Purcell grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on the put back to give BYU an 8-7 lead. Santa Clara evened the score at eight with 4:30 remaining in the first period before Kristine Fuller Nielson hit a 3-pointer from the right side with 2:30 left in the period to give the Cougars an 11-9 lead. The teams traded free throws and at the end of the first period, BYU had a two-point, 12-10 lead. Purcell pulled down eight rebounds in the first period, equaling the team total for Santa Clara.

The teams began the second period trading baskets. After Santa Clara jumped out to an 18-17 lead, Purcell had a layup to put the Cougars back on top. Less than a minute later, Pulsipher drained her second 3-point basket of the game with 5:25 remaining to put the Cougars ahead 22-18. On the following two Cougar possessions, Pulsipher knocked down a jumper from the top of the key and drained a 3-pointer from the right side to give BYU a 29-22 advantage. Rydalch and Amanda Wayment each added a free throw in the closing minutes of the period and BYU led 31-27 at the break.

At the half, Purcell led the Cougars with 10 rebounds and only needed three points to complete the double-double. Pulsipher led the Cougars with 13 points, shooting 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.

The Cougars opened the third period with an 8-2 run after Pulsipher hit another 3-pointer from the right side of the court. Rydalch scored a layup and Purcell had a steal and a basket to put BYU ahead 38-29. Santa Clara answered with two baskets before Purcell hit a baseline jumper with 6:20 remaining to break into double digits scoring and giving BYU a seven-point lead. In the final minutes of the period, Cassie Broadhead hit a baseline jumper and Rydalch knocked down a 3-pointer to help the Cougars end the period with a 47-39 advantage.

Pulsipher opened the fourth period with her fifth 3-point basket of the game and the BYU defense played tough, holding Santa Clara scoreless for the opening four minutes of the period. With the Cougars ahead 56-46, Wayment found Purcell posting up in the paint for her 17th point of the afternoon. The Broncos fought back with a 7-0 run to cut the Cougar lead to six but Broadhead sank three free throws and Pulsipher made two in the final minutes of play to hold onto a seven-point, 70-63 victory.

BYU remains at home to host San Diego on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 7:00 p.m. MST. The game can be seen live on BYUtv and links to live stats can be found on the BYU women's basketball schedule page.  

Postgame Notes
Team

In the first half, the Cougars outrebounded the Broncos 18 to 16. BYU also won the battle in the paint, scoring 10 points to Santa Clara’s six. The Cougars dished out nine assists in the first half, while the Broncos had five.

BYU finished the game with 41 rebounds to the Broncos 33. After 40 minutes of play, BYU scored 22 points in the paint, and Santa Clara had 24. The Cougars finished the contest with 18 assists, while the Broncos tallied 11.

With the victory, BYU now has a 14-game win streak, winning 20 of last 21 contests. The Cougars have an 11-0 record at home on the year and are 4-0 in the month of February.

For the 14th time this season, at least three players have scored in double figures: Pulsipher (25), Purcell (17) and Rydalch (12).

Today’s attendance of 1,509 is the highest at the Marriott Center this season in conference play.

With the win, the Cougars snapped the Broncos' seven-game winning streak. 

Player

Kalani Purcell led all players with eight rebounds after the first period of play. Purcell went into halftime just three points shy of a double-double. She had seven points and 10 rebounds in the first 20 minutes of action. With her 17 points and game-high 20 rebounds at the end of the contest, Purcell recorded her 14th double-double of the season. She also finished the game tied for a game-high six assists, two steals and two blocks.

Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher led all scorers going into halftime with 13 points. Pulsipher’s final 25 points makes for her third outing with more than 20 points this season, and 19th in double figures. She also finished the game with two rebounds, three assists and tied for a team-high steals. Pulsipher had five 3-point field goals on the day.

Lexi Eaton Rydalch finished the game with 12 points, her 26th time scoring in double figures this season. Rydalch also ended the contest tied for a game-high three steals.

Kylie Maeda finished the contest with five assists. She also had four points and three rebounds.

Amanda Wayment tied for a team-high three steals in the game. She also brought down four rebounds and had three points.​