Jackson has been writing about sports for the Deseret News since 2023.
Since joining the Big 12 in 2023, BYU women’s basketball had never won a game in the conference tournament, going one-and-done in each of the past two seasons.
But on Wednesday, the Cougars punched their first-ever ticket to the tournament’s second round, burying their past Big 12 postseason demons with a 76-66 victory over 16-seeded Houston in Kansas City.
In Lee Cummard’s first season as head coach, BYU has now won as many Big 12 games (10) as each of the previous two teams combined, with a third meeting against rival Utah awaiting the Cougars on Thursday.
Wednesday’s action wasn’t always pretty for BYU, as 22 turnovers resulted in 15 Houston points to keep the red Cougars in the mix all afternoon.
After a first-half tie, BYU won the third quarter by a 27-15 margin, only for Houston to cut the deficit to three points midway through the final frame.
The Cougars in blue, however, responded with a 14-4 rally down the stretch to put the game away and capture the program’s first victory in a conference tournament contest since BYU’s West Coast Conference days in 2023.
Four BYU players reached double figures in scoring, with freshman Olivia Hamlin leading the way in a 16-point, five-rebound effort that included six crucial fourth-quarter points.
Center Lara Rohkohl had a great day in the post, scoring 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and three assists, two blocks, a steal and a team-high eight rebounds.
Sydney Benally posted 14 points — nine coming after halftime — and six assists, while Delaney Gibb withstood eight turnovers to score 15 points with five boards, three assists and three made 3-pointers.
In all, BYU shot 47.4% from the field and hit eight triples, winning the rebound battle by a 43-33 margin and holding Houston to a 31% shooting clip and 0.88 points per possession.
BYU now turns its attention to Thursday’s clash with Utah, having beaten the Utes in each of the two rivals’ prior meetings this season.
Thursday’s game will begin at 12:30 p.m. MST on ESPN+, with the winner advancing to the tournament quarterfinals.
