PROVO, Utah – No. 16 BYU took down Santa Clara 76-44 Thursday night to win its extend its winning streak to a season-high nine games and move to 17-1 on the year, 7-0 in WCC play.

"Our team is just really good," said senior guard Tegan Graham. "We have so many threats and the other team has to decide who they want to take away. Our bench is incredibly deep, we all know our role and we do our role really well."

Twelve different players scored on a night where BYU shot 46 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three-point land and a perfect 8 for 8 from the free-throw line in the 32-point win. The Cougars have won six of their last nine games by 20 or more points and have won 26 straight games at the Marriott Center. 

BYU forced 23 turnovers, snagging 16 steals which ties its season high turned those turnovers into 23 points.

Graham led the Cougars with 16 points on 6 of- 0 shooting, going 3 of 6 from behind the arc. Graham also tallied four assists and two steals in the win.

Shaylee Gonzales went 6 for 12 from the field for 13 points, grabbed three rebounds, five steals and posted a season-high nine assists. 

BOX SCORE

First Half

Lauren Gustin started the scoring for the Cougars with a driving layup in the first minute of play. BYU extended their lead with the help of a Paisley Harding three-pointer and steals by senior Gonzales and senior Sara Hamson. 

After an 8-0 BYU run, the Cougars finished the first quarter leading 21-9 over the Broncos.  

The Cougars got off to a hot start in the second quarter with a top-of-the-key three from sophomore Kaylee Smiler, assisted by freshman Nani Falatea. After a steal, Gonzales drove down the lane making the layup with some contact and made the free-throw to complete the three-point play. That gave the Cougars a 36-12 lead with 5:29 to play in the half.

With a block by freshman Emma Calvert and another Cougar three-pointer by Maria Albiero, BYU took a 45-19 lead into the locker room. BYU’s full-court press resulted in 11 steals and 16 Bronco turnovers in the first half. 

The Cougars shot an impressive 57 percent from the field going 17 of 30 and 40 percent from the three-point line in the first half. BYU was also perfect from the charity stripe going 7 of 7. Santa Clara shot 33 percent from the field and the three-point line in the opening 20 minutes. 

Second Half

Graham hit two threes to start the second half for the Cougars. Graham continued to shine as she drove to the basket for another BYU three-point play to extend the lead to 50-25 with 6:51 left in the third.

After a 6-0 run by the Cougars, the lead was extended again with five minutes left in the third quarter. Sara Hamson had two blocks in the third to assist in BYU’s 63-33 lead over Santa Clara.

Freshman Rose Bubakar hit two three's from the top of the key to start the final quarter for the Cougars.

BYU's bench scored 25 points in the 76-44 win. 

The Cougars host San Francisco on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT. The game will be televised on BYUtv. 

PROVO, Utah – The No. 16 BYU women's basketball team hosts Santa Clara Thursday night and San Francisco on Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center. 

Tipoff Thursday night is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT and the game will be streamed on BYUtv.org and the BYUtv App. Saturday's contest will tipoff at 2 p.m. and be broadcast on BYUtv. 

The women's basketball team is providing postgame pizza to the ROC for both games. 

Consistent with current BYU requirements, all in attendance at the Marriott Center will need to provide proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test upon entry. Masks will also be required, regardless of vaccination status. COVID testing will be available at Marriott Center 90 minutes before tipoff and 30 minutes after tipoff. Find more details at byu.edu/coronavirus.

BYU vs. Santa Clara
Thursday, Jan. 27
7 p.m. MT
Video: BYUtv.org/BYUtv App
Live Stats
On Twitter: @BYUwbb

BYU vs. San Francisco
Saturday, Jan. 29
2 p.m. MT
TV/Stream: BYUtv
Live Stats
On Twitter: @BYUwbb

BYU Game Notes (16-1, 6-0)

• LAST GAME: BYU swept the season series against San Diego over a three day span. The Cougars beat the Toreros 74-63 in San Diego on Saturday and then took care of business at the Marriott Center on Monday with a 70-48 win in the rescheduled game.
• The Cougars are up to No. 16 in the AP Top 25, tying the programs’ best mark set earlier this year. BYU is also 14th in the latest NCAA NET rankings and is projected as a 3-seed in the latest ESPN Bracketology for the NCAA Tournament.
• After falling to Oklahoma in overtime, BYU has won eight games in a row, matching its eight consecutive wins to start the year.
• BYU is ranked No. 10 in scoring margin at +18.8 points per game and ranks No. 14 in scoring offense at 77.9 points per game. The Cougars are No. 5 in assists per game (19.6) and No. 7 in assist to turnover ratio (1.38), No. 8 in field goal percentage (46.8) and No. 27 in field goal percentage defense (35.3).

Santa Clara (9-6, 3-2)

• The Broncos are 3-2 to start WCC play. Santa Clara came up short in overtime against Portland on Saturday.

San Francisco (9-10, 3-4)

• The Dons have won three in a row heading into their Thursday game at Saint Mary’s before visiting Provo on Saturday.