Provo, Utah –
The last BYU women’s basketball defeated a ranked opponent was against No. 22 West Virginia in November 2021.
That changed Wednesday night as BYU (13-11, 3-8 Big 12) beared down on No. 18 Baylor (17-5, 6-5 Big 12) 78-66 Wednesday night at Marriott Center.
The Cougars were 0-3 all-time against the No.18 ranked team, and that streak ended as BYU head coach Amber Whiting earned her first win as a coach over a Top-25 opponent.
Lauren Gustin recorded 22nd double-double of the season, and 75th of her career, finishing with 23 points and 16 rebounds on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. Gustin was truly dominant in her performance Wednesday night. She was so dominant, that the Senior from Salem, Utah hit five out of her six free throws. Now that says a lot for a player who shoots 42% from the charity stripe.
The star of the show was BYU guard Amari Whiting. The Freshman guard was just shy of a triple-double with 14 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists. Whiting started the game hot as nine of 14 points would come in the first quarter hitting all three of the shots she took, which included two 3-pointers.
The Bears would outscore the Cougars 28-19 on bench points. Led by Yaya Felder, 15 points, three rebounds, and two assists wouldn’t be enough from the former 2023 All-Mac second-team.
Unfortunate moment for Baylor in the fourth quarter as BYU’s Whiting and Felder were both going for a loose ball. Whiting would unintentionally trip Felder, causing her fall that resulted in her smacking her face hard on the court. Felder was immediately in pain and grabbed her face. The Huniior guard would sadly lose a tooth in the process and didn’t return for the remainder of the game.
Whiting was originally called for a foul, and the Bears were in the bonus. After replay officials Kevin Pethel, Teresa Turner, and Brian Woods reviewed the play, free-throws wouldn’t be awarded. Instead, it was a sideline out of bounds that outraged the Baylor coaching bench.
Even with BYU being outscored on bench points, Emma Calvert’s performance was the strongest of any player on Wednesday night. The Junior forward provided great insurance for Whiting’s bench with 14 points going 6-of-8 from the field while grabbing five rebounds.
The last Cougar in double figures would be none other than Kailey Woolston. Woolston added herself to the scoresheet with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, along with grabbing six rebounds and recording one assist.
Woolston has now scored double figures in 20 of the 24 games she’s played in. In 11 of those games, she’s scored 15 points or more.
BYU will now hit the road to face off against the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday, February 10th at noon ET. The game will be broadcast live on Big 12 now on ESPN+.
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