3-pointers help BYU to a 71-57 win over UVU

PROVO, Utah – Three-pointers helped the BYU women’s basketball team take down Utah Valley University 71-57 Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center.

BYU vs. UVU Final Box Score

"I’m really proud of Shalae (Salmon). I thought she played a really nice game tonight," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said.  "I think it meant a lot to her because Dan Nielson coached her for so many years and wanted to do the things she’s worked so hard at. She responded to it. It’s good to see Maria (Albiero) get out of her slump shooting the ball as well as Brenna (Drollinger). I think that really helped us.  I think Dan did a good job with them and got them ready to play. I think the size and a deep bench is what made the difference tonight. We’ve had a hard schedule and now finals, but it was good to get that win and have that taste out of our mouths."

BYU tallied 11 3-pointers in the game for a 61.1 clip. Brenna Chase Drollinger led all players with a total of 19 points with five trey’s, adding seven rebounds and two assists. Shalae Salmon finished the game with 14 points and six rebounds while Paisley Johnson tallied six assists.

Utah Valley put up the first basket of the game and the teams traded points as UVU put up three straight treys to take an 11-4 lead with just over four minutes left in the first quarter.

A pair of buckets at the charity line from Johnson followed by a basket from Salmon brought BYU within one point at 11-10. The Cougars fought from behind and back-to-back layups from Salmon tied the game up at 17-all to end the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Cougars took their first lead of the game as Babalu Ugwu drained a 3-pointer and followed it up with a jumper to make the score 24-21. Drollinger then hit a 3-pointer and BYU went up 27-22 with just over six minutes left in the half. After two UVU free throws, Drollinger put up another trey followed immediately by a fast-break 3-pointer from Leilani Otuafi to put the Cougars ahead by 10, 33-23.

However, the Wolverines put up back-to-back trey’s to bring the game within four points making the score 35-31 with 3:36 left on the clock. In the final minute of the second quarter, UVU made it a one-point game heading into the break, 37-36, on a 3-pointer and a jumper. 

BYU kept UVU scoreless for the first three minutes of the third quarter. Maria Albiero opened up BYU’s scoring with three buckets from the charity line followed by a 3-pointer from Drollinger to make the score 43-38.  BYU continued to dominate on defense, holding UVU to only 10 points in the quarter. The Cougars finished the quarter ahead by 11 points, 57-46.

In the final quarter, BYU maintained its double-digit lead. Johnson and Drollinger hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give BYU a 17-point 71-53 lead with just under three minutes to go in the game. After a jumper from the Wolverines, BYU ran the clock out and took the 71-57 win.

BYU will head to Hawai’i to participate in the Maui Jim Maui Classic from Dec. 18-19. The Cougars will play their first game against San Jose State on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 5:30 p.m. HT in Lahaina, Hawai’i at the Lahaina Civic Center. The game will be available on the BYU Cougars app and the BYU Radio app.  

Team Notes

• BYU shot a season-best 52 percent from the field on the afternoon, including a season-high 61 percent from three-point range, going 11 of 18 from distance. The Cougars held UVU to just 32 percent shooting from the field and 31 percent from behind the arc.
• For the third time this season, four different Cougars finished the game scoring in double figures: Brenna Chase Drollinger (19), Shalae Salmon (14), Paisley Johnson (11) and Maria Albiero (10)
• After the first 20 minutes, BYU held a 20-16 rebounding advantage. The Cougars finished the game outrebounding the Wolverines 38-29.
• BYU dished out 11 assists in the first half to UVU’s nine. The Cougars finished with 19 assists compared with 13 for the Wolverines.
• BYU ended the game with six blocks to UVU’s two.
• The Cougars outscored the Wolverines in the paint 26-18.  

Player Notes

• Brenna Chase Drollinger led BYU in the first half with 10 points, two rebounds and two assists. She finished the game with a team-high 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists. The game marked the fifth time this season she reached double figures in scoring.
• Paisley Johnson dished out a first-half best four assists while adding six points and two rebounds. She finished the contest with 11 points, a season-high six assists and two rebounds. The game was her seventh this season reaching double figures in scoring.
• Shalae Salmon scored in double figures for the third time this season, tallying 14 points to go along with six rebounds and one assist.
• Maria Albiero recorded 10 points, five assists and five rebounds on the afternoon.
• Sara Hamson tallied three blocks in the first 20 minutes along with four rebounds and two points. She ended the game with five blocks, five rebounds and four points.
• Babalu Ugwu filled the stat sheet with seven points, seven rebounds, one assist and one steal.