Chase’s career highs propel BYU over Santa Clara, 65-47

BYU vs. Santa Clara Box Score

PROVO, Utah – Brenna Chase’s career-high 23 points and seven rebounds propelled BYU women’s basketball over Santa Clara 65-47 Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center.

“I'm happy for the win. We're sitting in a good position,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “We've never seen a zone like that and we didn't have a lot of time to practice against it. It was a hard game because of the travel, so winning it and being 5-1 in conference play has us in a good position.”

BYU (10-7, 5-1 West Coast Conference) outshot Santa Clara (5-12, 1-5 WCC) 45 percent to 38 percent, as well as 43 percent to 19 percent from 3-point range. Behind Chase’s career game, Cassie Broadhead Devashrayee put up 21 points and had a team-high eight rebounds. Both players dished out four assists, while Paisley Johnson recorded five.

“Brenna Chase had an outstanding game today. She got it done on the defensive end and was all-around great,” Judkins said. “She made some mistakes at the beginning of the game today, but where she's improved is in calming herself down and coming back to make plays. She had such a nice game.”

Santa Clara put points on the board first, taking an early 6-4 lead on 3 of 7 shooting from the field. Maria Albiero added a layup and Devashrayee hit a jumper and two free throws to trail the Broncos at the end of the first quarter, 10-8.

A jumper from Chase early in the second quarter tied the game, 10-10, before the Cougars took their first lead of the contest, 12-10, on a jumper from Malia Nawahine at the 8:23 mark.  

The teams evened the score two more times before Chase hit a 3-pointer with 4:08 left in the half to give BYU a 21-18 lead. Devashrayee and Johnson hit back-to-back shots from behind the arc to put the Cougars ahead by three heading into halftime, 29-26.

Chase ignited the Cougar offense, scoring 14 third-quarter points. One of her five 3-pointers extended BYU’s lead to eight, 34-26, with 8:55 on the clock. The Broncos responded with a 3-pointer of their own, 34-29, and Devashrayee answered with one as well, 37-29.

In the fourth quarter, BYU led by as many as 20 points, 64-44, and finished the game on top, 65-47.

The Cougars begin a two-game road trip in California next week, beginning with Loyola Marymount on Thursday, Jan. 18, at 12 p.m. PST. The game will be broadcast live on BYU Radio, Sirius XM 143 as well as streamed on TheW.tv. Live stats will also be available.

BYU vs. Santa Clara Postgame Notes

Team
BYU women’s basketball took the three-point 29-26 lead into halftime, and beat the Broncos 65-47. The 47 points is the least points allowed by the BYU defense this year. The Cougars move to 8-0 on the season when leading at the half. 

With the win, BYU extends its win streak to four games, the longest of the season. The Cougars are 4-0 in games played in the month of January.

For the fourth time during the 2017-18 campaign, two Cougars scored in double figures: Chase (23) and Devashrayee (21).

The Cougars rank sixth in the nation in blocked shots per game. BYU finished with five blocks against the Broncos. 

BYU had five bench points to Santa Clara’s zero. The Cougars dished out 19 assists, while the Broncos recorded 13. BYU outrebounded SCU 37 to 25.

Player
Brenna Chase led BYU with a career- and game-best 23 points, knocking down five treys. Chase had a 14-point third quarter, helping the Cougars to a 50-36 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The sophomore also recorded a career-high seven rebounds, a team-high four assists and four steals in the win. 

Cassie Broadhead Devashrayee finished the game with 21 points, a game-high eight rebounds and a team-high four assists. With her 21 points, Devashrayee passes Kristen Riley in points to become 24th in all-time scoring in BYU women’s basketball history with 1,063. She has scored in double figures in every contest to date this season, and has had eight 20+ games.

With the win, the Cougars are 4-0 when Sara Hamson starts. Hamson finished the contest with eight points, six rebounds and a game-high three blocks.

Malia Nawahine chipped in seven points for BYU, along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals.