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BYU senior guard Paisley Harding goes up for a layup during the NCAA first round game against Villanova at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, March 19, 2022. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU senior center Sara Hamson celebrates after scoring during the NCAA first round game against Villanova at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, March 19, 2022. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU senior Teagan Graham watches a shot during the NCAA first round game against Villanova at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, March 19, 2022. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU senior guard Maria Albiero dribbles up the court during the NCAA first round game against Villanova at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, March 19, 2022. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU players celebrate a big play during the NCAA first round game against Villanova at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, March 19, 2022. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU sophomore forward Lauren Gustin plays defense during the NCAA first round game against Villanova at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, March 19, 2022. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU head coach Jeff Judkins talks to his team during the NCAA first round game against Villanova at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, March 19, 2022. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU players prepare to take the floor before the NCAA first round game against Villanova at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, March 19, 2022. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU senior guard Paisley Harding goes up for a layup during the NCAA first round game against Villanova at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, March 19, 2022. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

❮ ❯

It was about as good of a start as the No. 6-seeded BYU women’s basketball team could’ve asked for in its NCAA first-round game against No. 11-seed Villanova at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday.

The Cougars roared out to a 13-2 lead, frustrating the Wildcats defensively while making some nice plays on the offensive end.

But, unlike most of the games in 2021-22 season, BYU couldn’t maintain the momentum.

Instead it was Villanova who came roaring back, kept the game close, then made the key plays down the stretch to get the 61-57 upset.

“I want to congratulate Villanova,” Cougar head coach Jeff Judkins said in the postgame press conference. “They played a really good game. Give them a lot of credit and I wish them the best.”

When asked about what happened that allowed the Wildcats to change the flow of the game, Judkins singled out one particular incident.

“It really hurt us when (senior guard Maria Albiero) got her second foul,” Judkins said. “She was doing a good job keeping the tempo. When Maria comes out, what happens is the ball gets in (sophomore guard Shaylee Gonzales’s) hand, and Shaylee is a good ball handler, but she is not used to doing it all the time. I think it kind of changes her offensive mood where she has to get more people involved.”

Villanova went on a 16-4 run to end the first quarter and start the second to erase BYU’s advantage and set the tone for the game.

“I think we came out super-aggressive, especially on defense. We took them out of

the things they thought they would be able to get pretty easy, but then I think they turned on the heat,” Cougar senior guard Paisley Harding said. “They started pressing a little bit more, getting more in our passing lanes. We just made some careless turnovers, which I think was pretty much us just beating ourselves right there in that little stretch in the first quarter.”

Turnovers were a big factor for as they coughed up the ball 16 times, compared to just nine for the Wildcats.

“They came out and got real physical, started busting through screens harder, started knocking us around the post, and it seemed like we didn’t fight back as well as we needed to,” Judkins said. “We kind of got hit and then we kind of stopped. There was a lot of conversations in the timeouts about how we needed to compete, to get out there and be stronger. We couldn’t be so careless with the ball.”

BYU did a good job at keeping Villanova star Maddy Siegrist in check in the first half, holding her to six points. But the Wildcats started getting her more opportunities after the break and she took advantage, tallying 19 points in the final 20 minutes.

“We came in knowing she’s their leading scorer and we were really locked in the first half,” Cougar senior center Sara Hamson said. “Then she adjusted. She turned it up a couple notches and really went off. Kudos to her. She played a really great game.”

BYU got a big game from Harding, who scored 21 points, but Gonzales struggled throughout the game. She only put in eight points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field.

Judkins felt like something that may have had an impact was the basketball that was being used for the tournament.

“It’s a small thing but it affected us,” Judkins said. “I can tell. Your whole year you shoot with a certain ball, and then you go into the tournament and shoot a completely different ball. I don’t know if other teams practice with those balls all

year. I guarantee we will next year because there is a different feel. One thing I can do is shoot, and I guarantee I would have a hard time shooting with the ball, not being used to it. You get a feel to it. It just seemed like we were a little bit off.

But you have to give their defense a lot of credit for that.”

BYU still had chances down the stretch as the game was close in the final moments.

The Wildcats led 60-57 when Cougar senior Teagan Graham tried to go up for a 3-pointer. It appeared she got hit on the shot but no foul call was made and Villanova made one final foul shot to put the game out of reach.

It was far from the ending to the season BYU wanted, since this was a team that felt like it had the capability to make a big run.

“In the tournament, one team comes out smiling and everybody else loses — and it’s tough,” Judkins said. “But that’s what makes winning and what makes success so

important. When you lose, it doesn’t feel good. It hurts, so you drive yourself to do your best. But I’m really proud of these guys. They did so many things this year that had never been done. They’ve been so much fun to coach and I am proud of everything they have done.”

Although the players were disappointed in the outcome, Hamson said the strong bond the athletes have with each other made all the difference.

“I think our team just did a really good job of making us feel loved,” Hamson said. They really rallied around us after the game, and that’s what makes our team so special this year. There is so much love on this team, and I’m just so full of gratitude for all the players and the experiences I’ve had this year, for the memories we made and for the staff and everything they’ve done for us.”

Villanova advanced to face host Michigan on Monday for a spot in the Sweet 16.