BYU cruises past San Francisco 57-44

PROVO, Utah – BYU women’s basketball defeated San Francisco 57-44 in the Kids Game at the Marriott Center on Thursday.

BYU vs. San Francisco Final Box Score

"I thought today we didn't play our best offensively but our team defense was good," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. "This is one of the better defensive teams that I've had. They believe in it, they are smart and we have length. 

Jasmine Moody led the team with 11 points after shooting five of seven from the field. Sara Hamson scored 10 points of her own while blocking seven shots and pulling down six boards. Brenna Chase Drollinger filled the box score recording eight points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.

The Cougars finished with 13 blocks and nine steals in the defensive battle while outscoring the Dons 38-18 in the paint. 

Babalu Ugwu's put back after an offensive rebound scored the first basket of the game. Hamson made a jumper in the lane to give BYU (11-7, 6-2) a 4-3 lead over San Francisco (7-13, 0-8). Both teams struggled to score early with the game being tied at 5-5 midway through the first quarter.

The Dons found a groove from behind the arc making two 3-pointers. Shalae Salmon scored in the post with 45 seconds on the clock to make it a four-point game, 11-7, at the end of the period.

Paisley Johnson and Hamson both scored to help BYU go on a 6-0 run to cut USF's lead down to 13-12. Drollinger made a layup and drained a trey to lead the Cougars on a 9-2 run to reclaim the lead, 21-15, with 3:20 left in the half.

Maria Albiero and Ugwu each knocked down a 3-pointer late in the first half to increase BYU’s lead to 27-17 at the break. The Cougars outscored the Dons 20-6 in the second quarter with Drollinger leading the team at halftime with six points.

The teams came out trading baskets to start the second half with Hamson and Ugwu each making mid-range jumpers. Moody scored twice in the paint to fuel a 6-0 run that gave BYU a 37-21 edge five minutes into the third period.

The Cougars continued to dominate the paint offensively with Johnson, Drollinger and Moody scoring under the basket to increase their advantage to 43-23. Moody split a pair of free throws and added a fast-break layup as BYU ended the period up 17 points, 48-31.

Hamson blocked a pair of shots as both teams played aggressive defense to begin the fourth quarter with only one basket being scored in the first six minutes of play. Malli Valgardson Perri scored a 3-pointer from downtown before making a layup to give the Cougars a 53-26 lead with 3:28 left in the game. Hamson and Signe Glantz each added a basket in the final minutes of play as BYU cruised to the 57-44 victory.

The Cougars will remain at home to host Santa Clara at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. MST and the game will be televised on BYUtv. Tickets can be purchased on byutickets.com.

Team Notes

• 2,203 fans attended today’s Kids Game, making it the highest-attended home conference contest this season.
• BYU shot 47.2 percent from the floor on the game compared to San Francisco’s 26.2 percent. The Cougars also shot 23.5 percent from 3-point territory and 33.3 percent from the free-throw line.
• BYU outscored the Dons in the paint 38-18.
• The Cougar bench scored 22 points compared to one point from San Francisco’s bench.
• In blocks, BYU recorded 13 on the game while the Dons had none.
• The Cougars held the advantage in assists 18-8 and in steals 9-6.

Player Notes

• Two Cougars scored in double figures for the fourth time this season, with Jasmine Moody scoring a team-high 11 points and Sara Hamson adding 10.
• Moody shot five of seven on the game to reach her 11 points while also recording one assist and one steal. She reached double figures in scoring for the third time this season.
• Hamson also went five for seven from the field to score 10 points while adding seven blocks and six rebounds. The game was her seventh this season scoring in double figures.
• Brenna Chase Drollinger totaled six points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals in the first half. She finished the game with eight points to go along with four assists, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
• Paisley Johnson ended the first half with five points, three rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal. She finished the contest with seven points, six assists, four rebounds, two blocks and one steal.
• Babalu Ugwu pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and added seven points, one assist and one steal.
• Maria Albiero contributed four assists, four rebounds and three points.