BYU roars over LMU Lions 63-46

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – BYU forward Lauren Gustin continued her historic rebounding run, collecting 24 boards and 11 points on the way to a 63-46 win over LMU on Thursday night.

The Cougars (9-8, 4-2), winners of five in a row, shot 42 percent from the field and outrebounded the Lions 40-22. Gustin’s 24 rebounds outboarded the entire opponent for the second-consecutive game.

BYU led the entire game and held LMU to just 11 points in the first half, including only two points in the first quarter. The Cougars also went a perfect 14 of 14 from the free-throw line. 

"I loved the way we came out locked in and started the game strong," BYU head coach Amber Whiting said. "We still have a lot to work on down the stretch of a game and finish the way we started."

Gustin’s 24 ties her career-best set last week vs. San Diego. It was her NCAA-leading fifth game of 20 or more boards this season. She also notched her 16th double-double of the season.

Nani Falatea and Arielle-Mackey Williams each chipped in 12 points. Kaylee Smiler added eight points and a game-high eight assists. 

Box Score

First half
Mackey-Williams drained the first triple of the game to give BYU a 7-0 lead three minutes into the first quarter before LMU got on the board a minute later. Smiler added a layup and made her free throw after a foul for a 10-2 advantage.

BYU continued its run through the first quarter with defense turned offense, pushing the lead to 14-2 with 2:43 to go in the first.

It was all part of a 15-0 run that led to a 22-2 lead after one quarter of play. Gustin had 10 rebounds at the end of the quarter. Two points in the first quarter is the fewest allowed in a quarter since women’s basketball switched to quarters in the 2014-15 season.

BYU continued to pour it on in the second quarter, using another 7-0 run to make it 36-5 at the 5:19 mark. Amanda Barcello came off the bench and hit a trey while back-to-back layups by Falatea and Gustin added to the run.

LMU was able to hit a shot and a pair of free throws down the stretch, but the Cougar lead was 38-11 at halftime. Gustin had 17 rebounds at halftime while Smiler led the scoring with 8 points. BYU had seven players get in the scoring column in the first half.

Second half
The second half was more of the same, with BYU holding the Lions scoreless for the nearly the first five minutes before a made 3-pointer made it 43-14 at the 5:12 mark. BYU answered with another trey on the other end to get it right back.

Down the stretch of the third quarter, both teams traded buckets and Falatea closed the quarter with a 3-pointer for a 55-25 lead.

LMU was able to hit some shots in the fourth quarter from deep, but it was too late as BYU finished off the 63-46 win.

The Cougars play at Pepperdine on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m. PT. The game at Firestone Fieldhouse will be streamed on the WCC Network.