2015-16 BYU Women’s Basketball Season Review

Season Review

PROVO, Utah—The BYU women’s basketball team completed another successful season in 2015-16 highlighted by a record 12^th appearance in the NCAA tournament. Additional impressive accomplishments included winning its first ever West Coast Conference regular season crown, recording an undefeated 12-0 home record and the 10^th 20-plus win season for coach Jeff Judkins.  

BYU participated in its 12^th postseason NCAA tournament appearance in 2016, the third straight and the eighth overall under head coach Jeff Judkins. The Cougars were the No. 7 seed and competed in the first round.

With the 26-7 record, coach Judkins picked up his seventh-straight 20-plus win season, the 10th of his head coaching career.

The Cougar basketball program had an impressive year competing in the WCC.

For the first time since joining the league, BYU won the regular season crown with a 16-2 mark. The team clinched the league title with two games remaining on the schedule. During the season, BYU had six WCC Player of the Week honors, three for Rydalch and three for Purcell.

BYU led the league in assists and in assist/turnover ratio, was second in scoring offense, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, steals and in turnover margin. It ranked third in scoring margin, fourth in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, defensive rebounds and 3-point field goals made.

Senior guard Lexi Eaton Rydalch was named the 2016 WCC Player of the Year, the third straight time and the fourth since joining the league that a BYU player garnered the conference’s top honor. Rydalch also became the WCC’s all-time leading scorer for both men and women with 2,535 career points. Those same points put her in second place all-time at BYU in total career points. Junior Kalani Purcell was named the 2016 Newcomer of the Year. She and Rydalch were named to the WCC First Team and the 2016 WCC Women’s Basketball Championships All-Tournament Team. It was Rydalch’s third First Team honor. Head coach Jeff Judkins was named the WCC Coach of the Year.

Another first during the 2015-16 campaign was the Cougars undefeated 12-0 home record. It was the third time (2002-03, 2006-07) that BYU went undefeated in its non-conference schedule and the second time (2010-11) the team won every league game. BYU’s strength of schedule was noticed on the national scene with the team finishing the year with an RPI of 16.

From Dec. 31 to Feb. 26, the Cougar squad recorded a 16-game win streak, the longest in program history.

On the national scene, BYU finished the year ranked 22^nd in assists per game, 23^rd in assists and 24^th in free throws made. The Cougars received votes throughout the season in the Top 25 USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. They broke into the top-25 at No. 22 on Feb. 23 but fell out of the poll the following week after the team’s loss at Gonzaga.

Rydalch, Purcell and Kylie Maeda all appeared in numerous national rankings throughout the season. Rydalch finished her senior season ranked fifth in points per game and in total points. She placed eighth in free throw attempts, ninth in field goals made, 12th in field goals attempts and 15^th in free throws made.

Purcell concluded her first year as a Cougar ranked second nationally in defensive rebounds per game, fourth in total rebounds, fifth in rebounds per game, and 13^th in double-doubles. Maeda placed 30^th nationally in assist to turnover ratio.

Both of BYU’s seniors conclude their illustrious careers with numerous accolades. Rydalch picked up her second-straight AP Women’s Basketball All-American Honorable Mention award in 2016. She led the team and the conference in scoring with a 24.2 average, was second in rebounding with a 5.8 average and had the second best free throw percentage at .711 (170-239). Rydalch had the most 3-pointers on the team with 84 and finished her career with 32 games where she had at least 3 treys.

In her career, Rydalch scored in double figures in 116 games with 53 of those with at least 20 points. In a total of 60 games, she dished out at least three assists. At BYU her 341 career assists place her 15^th all-time. Rydalch played in a total of 142 games for second most at BYU. She ranks fifth all-time in scoring average 17.9 points per game and in 3-pointers made with 227. Her free throw percentage of .753 (596-791) places her sixth all-time. She ranks ninth all-time at BYU in rebounds with 695 and places 12^th in field goal percentage shooting .432 (856-1982).

Rydalch also received several academic honors. She was on the WCC Women’s Basketball All-Academic team twice, garnered two WCC Commissioner’s Bronze Honor Roll accolades and was named to the WCC Commissioner’s Silver Honor Roll in 2012.

Maeda, a three-year starter, also left her name stamped in numerous records. With 129 games played, she ranks fifth all-time at BYU and with 405 career assists places 10^th all-time in that category.

The senior co-captain was a three-time WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention, a two-time WCC Commissioner’s Bronze Honor Roll honoree and was named WCC Commissioner’s Silver Honor Roll in 2014.

As a senior, Maeda ranked second on the team in assists with a 3.6 average and had 26 games with 3-plus assists while averaging 5.9 points per game. In WCC play, she was first in 3-point field goal percentage and in assist/turnover ratio. She was seventh in assists. Maeda concluded her playing career with 75 games with at least three assists and scored in double figures in a total of 19 contests.

In her first season as a Cougar, Purcell set the program’s single season record in total rebounds with 416. She also recorded 18 double-doubles, the most by a BYU player in a season. Purcell led the team and the conference in rebounds with a 12.6 average and in assists with a 4.7 average. She was third in scoring on the team averaging 10.5 points per game and placed second in steals with a 2.0 average.

Junior co-captain Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher was the team’s second leading scorer averaging 12.7 points per game in 2015-16 and led the way in the steals category with a 2.1 average. She also had the best free throw percentage at .795 (105-132). She finished the year with 22 games scoring in double figures, had 11 games with at least three steals, nine games with 3-plus assists and eight contests with at least three treys.

Pulsipher was named to the All-WCC Women’s Basketball Second Team and was named to the WCC’s All-Academic Team. In WCC play, she was fourth in steals and in 3-point field goals made and ninth in scoring and in 3-point field goal percentage.

On the year, the Cougars recorded 17 games with at least three players scoring in double figures and 11 with two players putting up double-digit points.  They amassed a 22-1 record when leading at the half, went 22-4 when scoring at least five treys, 17-2 when outrebounding their opponents and 19-4 when turning the ball over less than 16 times a game. BYU finished the season averaging 69.7 points per game, shooting 42.7 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from behind 3-point range and 70.3 from the free throw line.