Drollinger aids Cougars in 52-36 win over San Diego

PROVO, Utah – Brenna Chase Drollinger led the BYU women’s basketball team to a 52-36 victory over West Coast Conference foe San Diego on Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center.

BYU vs. San Diego Final Box Score

“It wasn’t a pretty game, we just slugged it out,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “Part of it was our physicality in the first half of the game and our bench was a big part of it; Jasmine, Shalae, Khaedin and Leilani all came in and gave us a lift. I’m really happy for these girls because it’s been a long week and they’ve worked hard.”

Drollinger led all players with 13 points while logging a season-high nine assists and a career-high six steals. Paisley Johnson followed with 12 points and Sara Hamson contributed four blocks. Drollinger, Jasmine Moody and Shalae Salmon led the Cougars with six rebounds apiece.

Six lead changes in the game made for a competitive matchup, but the Cougars outshot the Toreros 41.2 percent to their 18.6 percent.

Both teams got off to a slow start being tied at 3-3 halfway through the first quarter. The Toreros went on an 8-0 run over two minutes to take the lead 12-5. A layup from Salmon and a trey from Drollinger closed the first quarter out with the Cougars down 12-10.

BYU came out hot in the second quarter, taking the lead 17-12, from a 7-0 run. San Diego quickly regained the advantage, 22-17 with shots from beyond the arc, but the Cougars tied it up at 24-24 with 2:03 left in the half. Maria Albiero wove between the Torero defense to lay the ball in with 17 seconds left on the clock, giving the Cougars the lead, 26-24, going into halftime.  

A jumper from Babalu Ugwu opened up the second half for BYU and the Cougars kept the Toreros scoreless until two free throws were made with 4:30 left in the quarter. A fast-break layup from Johnson fired up the Cougars as they made baskets on three consecutive possessions. BYU closed out the third quarter up 37-31.

After a layup from San Diego, the Cougars took a 10-0 run, extending their lead to 46-33 with 5:02 left in the game. A solid BYU defense held the Toreros to five points in the final quarter as the Cougars sealed the 52-36 victory.

On the road for its next two matchups, BYU takes on Pacific and Saint Mary’s. The Cougars face Pacific on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. PDT and Saint Mary’s on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 2 p.m. PDT. Both games will have a live video stream on the WCC Network.

Team Notes

• BYU shot 41.2 percent from the field while holding San Diego to just 18.6 percent. The Cougars also shot 31 percent from three-point range and 75 percent from the free-throw line
• BYU outscored the Toreros in the paint 30-14
• The Cougars had the advantage in bench points with 10 compared to San Diego’s eight
• BYU led the way in steals with 16 compared to the Toreros’ 11. The Cougars also had 20 points off of turnovers while San Diego had 16
• In assists, the Cougars dished out 15 while the Toreros tallied seven for the game

Player Notes

• Brenna Chase Drollinger ended the first half with eight points to go along with four assists, three rebounds, three steals and a block. She finished the game with 13 points, a season-high nine assists, a career-high six steals, six rebounds and one block. The nine assists were one short of her career-high
• Paisley Johnson scored in double figures with 12 points while also recording three assists, three rebounds and three steals
• Sara Hamson went into the locker room at halftime with six points, three rebounds and two blocks. She ended the contest with eight points, four assists and four blocks
• Jasmine Moody filled the stat sheet with four points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists
• Shalae Salmon contributed six points, six rebounds and one steal
• Maria Albiero chipped in six points to go along with three rebounds