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BYU's Emma Calvert (25) goes in for a layup against McNeese in a women's college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Delaney Gibb (right) battles for a loose ball with Mireia Yespes of McNeese in a women's college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024.

Mireia Yespes

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BYU's Kemery Congdon (15) drives against McNeese in a women's college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Brinley Cannon goes in for a layup against McNeese in a women's college basketball game at the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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The BYU women’s basketball team was super efficient on offense Tuesday night.

If you’re into statistics, The Cougars shot 51% from the field and 38% from the 3-point line, assisting on 23 of 32 made baskets.

The only stat that matters also favored BYU in an 85-64 victory against McNeese at the Marriott Center.

“I would say in the first half, we were getting stops, but we were getting bad shots or turnovers, is how it was translating,” Cougar coach Amber Whiting said. “So the second half, we got stops, and they translated to better shots, better looks, and so that was really key for us.”

McNeese, which started the season with wins against lower division teams (Southeast Baptist College 99-19, College of Bibical Studies 105-35 and University of North America 77-52) has found Big 12 opponents much less hospitable: The Cowgirls got drilled by Utah on Monday 118-50.

McNeese was hot from the 3-point line in the first half to stay close to BYU on Tuesday, but the Cougars took a double-digit lead early in the third quarter and cruised the rest of the way.

BYU freshman Delaney Gibb scored 12 of her 18 in the third period and also finished with seven rebounds and seven assists. Emma Calvert contributed 18 points on 7 of 11 from the field. Gibb and Calvert were joined in double figures by Amari Whiting (11 points, five rebounds, five assists), Kemery Congdon (11 points) and Brinley Cannon (11).

The Cougars outscored the Cowgirls 42-16 in the paint.

“It wasn’t as pretty as we wanted,” Coach Whiting said. “I feel like we didn’t do a very good job of taking care of the ball in the first half, but better in the second. Defensively we got better the second half. I feel like we shared the ball a lot. Having five players in double digits, it just shows that this team, if they play together, and they all are firing, it’s gonna be really, really hard to beat us.”

Kiayra Ellis was 5 of 5 from beyond the arc for McNeese (3-2) and led her team with 20 points.

BYU started off hot, hitting 5 of 6 from the field to jump out in front 9-4 with Whiting dishing out three assists. But McNeese stepped into a flurry of 3-pointers to keep the game close. Ellis popped in a triple and Mireia Yespes scored to give the Cowgirls a 20-15 lead. Cannon came off the bench to score nine points in the first period, including a 3-pointer and a steal for a layup, and the Cougars took a 22-21 lead after one.

BYU went on a 6-0 run with two layups from Whiting and one from Gibb to pull ahead 28-23, but McNeese surged with eight consecutive points and grabbed a 31-28 lead on another 3-pointer from Ellis.

It was 32-28 but BYU outscored the visitors 13-3 the rest of the way, including back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers from Kemery Congdon (the first two) and Calvert to finish the half on top at 41-35.

Congdon and Calvert led the Cougars at halftime with 11 points each as the home team shot 58% (18 of 31) from the field. McNeese got 15 points from Ellis, who made 4 of 4 from beyond the arc. The Cowgirls shot better from distance (7 of 13, 54%) than from inside the 3-point line (6 of 18, 33%).

BYU started the third quarter on a 14-4 run, with nine points from Gibb. The freshman had a pair of 3-pointers and an old-fashioned 3-point play to get the Cougars out to a 55-37 lead at the 6:58 mark. Baskets by Kamree Barber, Whiting and Gibb pushed the BYU advantage to 21, 63-42, with 2:18 to play. The Cougars outscored the Cowgirls 23-14 in the third for a 64-49 lead entering the fourth quarter.

BYU got seven points from Calvert to open the fourth and the lead ballooned to 25, 81-56, with 2:16 to play on a 3-point play by Barber.

“They’re buying into the defensive side of the ball,” Coach Whiting said. “That’s what I love to see, because we’re going to go on the road, we’re not gonna shoot the ball great, but we’re always gonna have our defense. I feel like it happened right after we scrimmaged San Francisco. I mean, we got our butts handed to us, and that was good for us, and I wouldn’t take that back. We refocused and everybody bought into what we need to do. Practice became a lot more intentional and different, I would say.”

The Cougars (5-0) will host Northern Colorado at the Marriott Center on Saturday, with a 1 p.m. MT tip time.