Final Box Score

WAILUKU, Hawaii – In a hard fought battle at the War Memorial Sports Complex, BYU women’s basketball topped UNLV 63-54 in the Maui Wahine Classic Friday night.

"This was a great come-back for us and a big win," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. "Our zone was a big factor in the victory. Shalae had one of her best games of the year. Her size and presence made a big difference in the game. Kalani had another great game for us."

Kalani Purcell ended the game with a game-high 16 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals. She finished the contest shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line.

Kristine Nielson shot 6-of-13 from the field, scoring 14 points in the game. She also added four rebounds and one assists, and shot 2-of-7 from the arc. Makenzi Pulsipher also added 13 points, seven rebounds and one steal.

Cassie Broadhead was the fourth Cougar in double digits as she put 11 points on the board along with seven rebounds, five assists and one steal. Shalae Salmon also chipped in eight points and five rebounds during the game.

The Cougars finished shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 60.9 percent from the charity stripe. BYU had 15 assists to UNLV’s 7 assists.

UNLV took an early lead in the first period on a 5-1 run. At the 5:12 mark a jumper from Nielson and three-pointer from Pulsipher put the Cougars within one of the Rebels, 8-7.  BYU struggled as UNLV pulled further ahead on a 10-2 run. Pulsipher fired a shot for two, but UNLV’s Tiara Tucker sunk a three-pointer to bring their lead up by 10 points. The Cougars finished the first period, 21-13, as Broadhead sunk both of her free-throws in the last few seconds.

After the Rebels opened the scoring in the second period, the Cougars took control of the ball to go on an 8-0 run to bring them within two of the Rebels. Salmon scored six of those eight points as she went 3-for-3 from the field during the run.  UNLV’s Paris Strawther hit two before Purcell and Nielson each put it in two, tying the Rebels, 25-25. But a free throw from UNLV put the Rebels back up 26-25 as the first half ended.

Pulsipher led the Cougars going into the half with seven points and four rebounds.

Both teams finished the half shooting 38.5 percent from the field. BYU led UNLV in points off turnovers and points from the bench with nine and six, respectively.

The Cougars rallied back in the second half as Pulsipher opened the second half with a jumper giving the team its first lead of the night, 27-26. The teams traded points in layups until a UNLV three-pointer helped the Rebels take control of the lead again, 31-29. At the 2:48 mark, a Salmon jumper helped the Cougars on another 8-0 run. BYU held UNLV scoreless in the last few minutes of the third period to maintain their 39-35 lead.

In the last period, the Rebels fought back to get within one point of the Cougars after Nielson converted her second three-pointer of the night and Purcell put up five from a pair of jumpers and a free throw. UNLV tied it up at 47-47, but Broadhead was fouled as she sank her shot and made it a three-point play with a free throw. Purcell extended the lead to 52-47 with her layup. The teams traded points back and forth until the there were just 38 second remaining in the game when the Cougars went on a 7-0 run to extend their lead and secure their victory, 63-54.

BYU continues playing in the Maui Wahinie Classic on Saturday, Dec. 3, as they take on Oregon State. Teams will tip-off at about 6:30 p.m. HST (9:30 p.m. MST). Links to live stats can be found on the BYU women’s schedule page.

Postgame Notes
Team

BYU defeated UNLV 63-54 in Maui on Friday, improving its record to 4-2 on the year. The win snapped the Rebels five-game win streak and they fell to 5-1 on the season.

BYU had pulled down 18 rebounds in the first half while UNLV had grabbed 21. For the game, the Rebels had the edge pulling down 41 to the Cougars 39.

As a team, the Cougars had dished out seven assists at halftime. At the end of the game, BYU had a total of 15 assists while the Rebels finished with seven assists.

UNLV had the advantage in the steals category in the first half with six to the Cougars one. For the game, the Rebels had 12 and BYU had four.

For the first time this year, the Cougars had four players scoring in double figures. Purcell (16), Nielson (14), Pulsipher (13) and Broadhead (11).

Player

Shalae Salmon came off the bench to score six points in the first half of action. She finished with season bests in points and in rebounds with eight and five, respectively. She shot 4-of-6 from the field.

Makenzi Pulsipher led the BYU team in the first half with seven points and four rebounds. She recorded her sixth-straight game with double digit scoring with 13 total points. Pulsipher also pulled down seven rebounds and had one steal.

Through the first 20 minutes of play, Cassie Broadhead had dished out five assists. She ended the game with five assists while tallying 11 points for her fifth game with double figures in points.

Kalani Purcell picked up her third game scoring in double digits with a game-high 16. She pulled down seven rebounds and a game-high seven assists.

Kristine Nielson finished the game with 14 points for her third straight contest tallying double figures in points. She also had four rebounds and one assist. 

PROVO, Utah—Fresh off winning the UNM Thanksgiving Tournament, BYU women’s basketball (3-2) is set to compete in another tournament. The Cougars travel to Maui, Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. BYU plays UNLV (5-0) on Friday, Dec. 2,  at 4:30 p.m. HT and No. 15 Oregon State (3-1) on Saturday, Dec. 3,at 6:30 p.m. HT.

BYU vs. UNLV and Ore. St. Notes

BYU AT A GLANCE
BYU’s three starting guards lead the way in scoring. Senior Makenzi Pulsipher tops the list averaging 15.0 points with junior Cassie Broadhead putting up 14.4 points a game. Senior Kristine Nielson, who was named the MVP of the UNM Thanksgiving tournament and this week’sWCC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, chips in 9.8 points a contest. Senior All-American and the 2016 West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year, Kalani Purcell, grabs a team-best 9.4 rebounds while contributing 9.4 points a game.

As a team, BYU is scoring 64.4 points per game while shooting 42.0 percent from the field, 29.5 percent from behind the 3-point line and 67.3 percent from the charity stripe. The Cougars pull down 37.2 rebounds a game.

In this year’s WCC preseason poll chosen by the coaches, BYU, the defending regular season conference champion, was selected to finish second in the league race behind Gonzaga. Purcell and Pulsipher were named to the Preseason All-Conference team.

• Head coach: Jeff Judkins (Utah, ‘78), 16th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #23 M. Pulsipher, 15.0 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #32 K. Purcell, 9.4 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #32 K. Purcell, 4.6 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #20 C. Broadhead, 2.2 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #20C. Broadhead, 1.8 bpg

UNLV AT A GLANCE
UNLV has compiled a perfect 5-0 record and iscoming off home wins over Tennessee State and Ole Miss. The Rebels return eight letterwinners along with three starters.

Dakota Gonzalez is one of four players putting up double-digit points for UNLV. She leads the way averaging 15.0 points. Paris Strawther follows with 13.6 points and a team-best 8.2 rebounds per contest. Nikki Wheatley and Brooke Kohnson round out the scoring output for the Rebels with 12.4 and 11.6 points per game, respectively. UNLV is averaging75.2 points per game and shoots 42.3 percent from the field and 64.7 percent from the free-throw line.

• Head coach: Kathy Olivier (UNLV, ‘82), Ninth season
• Team’s leading scorer: #12D. Gonzalez, 15.0 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #03 P. Strawther, 8.2 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #10 N. Wheatley, 4.4 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #10 N. Wheatley, 2.4 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #21 K. Powell, 1.6 bpg

THE SERIES
BYU leads 29-12. Coach Judkins is 19-7 all-time against the Rebels. The two teams played last in Provo in the Smith Fieldhouse on Dec. 4, 2014,where the Cougars recorded a 76-71 win. When the two teams play on a neutral court, the series is tied at 1-1.

OREGON STATE AT A GLANCE
No. 15 Oregon State, the hosts of the tournament, is 3-1 on the year. They return seven letterwinners and two starters from last year’s team that played in the finals of the NCAA tournament.

OSU has three players that are scoring in double figures, led by 14.3 points from Marie Gulich. She’s followed by 12.3 points from Sydney Wiese and 12.0 points from Katie McWilliams. Gulich tops the leaderboard in the rebound category, pulling down 6.3 boards a contest. Oregon Sate is averaging 71.0 points per game while shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 66.0 percent from the charity stripe.

• Head coach: Scott Rueck (Oregon State, ‘91), Seventh season
• Team’s leading scorer: #21 M. Gulich, 14.3 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #21 M. Gulich, 6.3 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #24 S. Wiese, 5.0 apg
• Team’s steals leader: ##24 S. Wiese/#11 G. Hanson, 1.8 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #04 K. Orum, 3.0 bpg

THE SERIES
Oregon State leads 6-4. Coach Judkins is 0-1 against the Beavers. The last time the two teams played was in Laie, Hawaii on Nov. 29, 2014 when Oregon State participated in the Tom Weston Invitational. In that game, BYU picked up the 71-61 win. When playing on a neutral court, BYU is 1-2 against OSU.

WHAT’S NEXT
BYU is back in Utah for the remainder of December. The Cougars host in-state foe Weber State, on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 11 a.m. BYU then heads to Salt Lake City to take on in-state rival Utah on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 5:30 p.m.