“It was a good night to play in the Marriott Center, playing under the lights and in front of people,” said head coach Lee Cummard. “We played a couple of other teams in scrimmages, and it’s just good to take the next step in front of people. We had a good turnout crowd-wise, and overall I thought the team played hard. We shared it offensively, and we looked like we wanted to look, for the most part. So overall I’m pleased, but we’ve got to work on a few things that we’ve been working on.”

The Cougars shot 59.8 percent from the floor and 38.2 percent from 3-point range. Bolanle Yussuf and Brinley Cannon led BYU with 15 points apiece, with five of their teammates joining them in double figures. In their collegiate debuts, freshman Stella Sakalas went 3 of 6 from beyond the arc, and fellow freshman Prasayus Notoa tied Yussuf with a team-leading eight rebounds.

“We like to share the ball,” said Notoa. “We give up a good shot for a great shot. The depth of our team just shows that everyone on this team can score and be great. Everyone gets the opportunity to do what they need to do.”

Sophomore Sydney Benally led the team with 12 assists–a career high–while fellow sophomore Mariam Traore contributed 12 points, four rebounds, four steals, and five assists in just 12 minutes of action.

BYU opened the night with an offensive surge, scoring 20 unanswered points for its longest scoring run of the game. The Cougars kept the pressure on the Mountaineers throughout every quarter, leading by as many as 87 points with 2:23 remaining in the fourth.

First Quarter

Yussuf won the opening tip for BYU and put the first points on the board with a layup off an offensive rebound. The Cougars’ defense came out strong, forcing back-to-back turnovers by Western Colorado. Three more Mountaineer turnovers led to another six quick points, pushing the score to 8-0. Woolston connected on the game’s first 3-pointer to sustain the momentum, leading the teams into the media timeout at 16-0.

Cannon made two free throws out of the break, and a flurry of Mountaineer turnovers extended BYU’s lead to 20-0. Western Colorado scored its first point of the night at the free-throw line following a foul on Cannon. BYU kept the pressure on the visitors, and Hamlin closed out the first quarter with a 3-pointer to send the Cougars into the break with a 34-5 advantage.

Second Quarter

Although Traore opened the second quarter with a turnover on an errant pass, she quickly atoned by stealing the ball back within 10 seconds and converting a fast-break layup. Sakalas then scored the first points of her collegiate career, sinking a 3-pointer to push the lead to 45-7. The Cougars continued their perimeter surge with 3-pointers from both Woolston and Benally, prompting Western Colorado to call its first timeout.

Out of the stoppage, the visitors drained a 3-pointer of their own, but Sakalas answered immediately with another triple. Following a driving layup by Western Colorado, Traore countered with another fast-break layup. Although the Mountaineers gained some momentum late in the half, BYU took a commanding 62-19 lead into halftime.

Third Quarter

Astakhova opened the second-half scoring with a fast-break layup following a steal. Gibb followed with back-to-back 3-pointers–the first set up by a steal from Notoa. Strong defensive rebounding allowed BYU to extend its lead, forcing another Western Colorado timeout with the score at 79-19.

Shortly after, a steal by Woolston and a layup from Hamlin sent the game into the media timeout. A 3-pointer by Cannon and a series of late layups sent the Cougars into the fourth quarter ahead 99-27.

Fourth Quarter

BYU maintained its intensity as Traore scored on a hook shot to push the team past the century mark. A driving layup by Cannon was answered by the Mountaineers, making it 105-29. Yussuf continued to dominate in the paint, carrying the Cougars into the final media timeout with a 113-31 advantage.

Sakalas drained another 3-pointer before Western Colorado added a few late scores. Benally dribbled out the final seconds as BYU wrapped up a dominant 120-36 exhibition victory.

Next Up

The Cougars return to the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. MT to face the Idaho State Bengals in their regular-season opener. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast live on BYU Radio 107.9, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App with Jason Shepherd on the call.