BOISE, Idaho – BYU women's basketball forward Lauren Gustin scored 24 points and added 17 rebounds to lead the Cougars to a 76-67 win over Boise State at ExtraMile Arena on Thursday night.

"It was a great team win on the road," BYU head coach Amber Whiting said. "I thought that was one of the most complete games we have put together. [Boise State] got shots and we responded. They played really well together."

In addition to Gustin’s eighth double-double in eight games, Arielle Mackey-Williams added 17 points, including 12 in the second half. Nani Falatea had 14 points and Rose Bubakar chipped in 12 points. Emma Calvert had nine points including two makes from downtown.

Gustin played all 40 minutes and dominated in the paint, scoring 16 of her 24 down low, leading BYU’s 42-20 edge in the category.

"Lauren is playing consistent night in and night out right now," Whiting said. "She brings everything."

The Cougars shot 52.8 percent from the field and never trailed after the first quarter. BYU (3-5) held the Broncos (3-5) without a field goal for nearly four minutes at the end of the game to seal the victory.

Box Score

First half
After Boise State opened the game with back-to-back threes, Calvert gave BYU its first lead with a triple from the top of the key at 9-8 with just over five minutes left in the quarter.

Down 18-17, Falatea gave BYU a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the Cougars in front 20-18. The first quarter featured nine lead changes.

Both teams ratcheted up the defense in the second quarter over the next five minutes.

BYU pushed its lead to five points after Bubakar hit a trey for a 31-26 edge with 3:03 until halftime.  Boise State closed the gap to 34-32 at the break with a made three right before the half.

Gustin already had a double-double at halftime with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Second half
Both teams matched shot for shot starting the second half, with Bubakar hitting a short jumper from inside the key to match the Cougars largest lead of the game at 42-36 with five minutes to go in the third quarter.

Mackey-Williams shifted her way through two defenders to get a layup to go and made the foul shot after and Falatea glided through the defense for another layup a few possessions later to make it 49-41 with two minutes left in the third frame.

Gustin made two freebies to push BYU’s lead to double digits at 53-43 but Boise State benefited from the charity stripe too in the last minute of the quarter, cutting the lead down to 53-47.

Boise State made it a one-possession game with five points in a row but Mackey-Williams hit from distance to give BYU some breathing room at 61-55 with eight minutes left in the game.

Every time BYU pulled away the Broncos fought back with a shot on the other end, leading 65-56 a made triple reduced the lead yet again. Gustin made sure to get three more with an old-fashioned 3-point play for a 68-59 lead at the six-minute mark.

Falatea got a steal and a fast-break layup to go up 74-63 with 1:43 to go, taking the wind out of the Bronco sails and BYU would go on to win 76-67.

The Cougars are on the road again with a matchup against Utah State in Logan on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 11 a.m. MT. The game will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.

PROVO, Utah – BYU women's basketball is back on the road for a game at Boise State on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 6:30 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed on the Mountain West Network. 

Boise State (3-4) is coming off back-to-back losses in the Nugget Classic in Reno, Nevada including a 55-54 overtime loss to Milwaukee on Sunday. BYU and Boise State have met 20 times previously, with the Cougars winning 84-40 last year in Provo. 

BYU (2-5) at Boise State (3-4)
Thursday, Dec. 1
Boise, Idaho
ExtraMile Arena

Stream: MW Network
Live Stats vs. Boise State
On Twitter: @BYUwbb

BYU Game Notes
Boise State Game Notes

• BOISE STATE (DEC. 1). BYU and Boise State are meeting for the 21st time in the history of the series. The Cougars hold a 12-8 advantage over the Broncos. BYU won the last meeting with an 84-40 victory at the Marriott Center last season.In the last visit to Boise, the Broncos came away with a 66-55 win in 2019. The Broncos are coached by Gordy Presnell, in his 17th year at Boise State. 
• LAST GAME. The Cougars are coming off of a 61-56 loss to Ball State in Provo. Lauren Gustin posted her seventh double-double in a row to start the year with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Kaylee Smiler added 17 points.
• NEW ERA. BYU has a new head coach in Amber Whiting for the first time in 21 seasons after the retirement of Jeff Judkins. Judkins, the winningest coach in school history (455 wins) paved the way for first-time head coach Amber Whiting, a Cougar alum to take the rains in 2022-23. BYU is will also need to replace the WCC Player of the Year (Shaylee Gonzales), another All-WCC First Team selection (Paisley Harding) and an All-WCC Honorable Mention (Tegan Graham). The Cougars are also replacing point guard Maria Albiero who was tied with Paisley Harding for the most played games in school history.
• DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE. Forward Lauren Gustin continues to be a force down low, No. 2 nationally in double-doubles in the country with 7, one in every game to start the year. She is averaging 15.3 points per game and 13.6 rebounds. She is No. 4 nationally in rebounds per game. The junior from Salem, Utah, is No. 4 in total rebounds with 95. Gustin posted a season-high 20 rebounds against No. 16 Oklahoma.
• SPREADING IT AROUND. BYU has had seven different players hit double figures in a single game. Lauren Gustin has done it in every game (7) while Nani Falatea has five games. Kaylee Smiler has hit at least 10 four times, Rose Bubakar 3 times and Amanda Barcello, Arielle Mackey-Williams and Emma Calvert have all done it in one game apiece.