“The energy was a little bit higher than we expected early in the game, but we settled in and started making some shots in the second half,” Cummard said. “The energy that was pumping through the body was making us a little slow. It was good to see that dissipate over the course of the game, not just on the offensive side but the defensive side, where you got to see a little bit about who these players are on both sides of the ball.”

The Cougars forced 19 turnovers and converted them into 25 points while outscoring the Mountaineers 34-16 in the paint.

True freshman Sydney Benally led BYU with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go along with three rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block in her exhibition debut.

“This experience was just really fun,” Benally said, “just getting out the first game jitters and playing under the lights in front of a crowd. I felt better in that second half, but I know what this team can bring, so I’m excited for the future.”

Olivia Hamlin added 12 points off the bench on 5-of-13 from the field. Benally’s fellow freshman grabbed six boards, dished three assists and recorded a block and a steal in the win.

Lara Rohkohl recorded five of the team’s 18 offensive rebounds in her first action at the Marriott Center. Marya Hudgins, Brinley Cannon, Bolanle Yussuf and Hamlin each contributed two offensive rebounds for 20 BYU second-chance points. The Cougars finished with eight blocks and eleven steals in the win.

Ariele Mackey-Williams saw her first action since the 2022-2023 season after suffering two ACL tears in back-to-back seasons. Of that she said,

“It’s been a journey full of ups and downs. It was really fun to see these younger girls play today and see what we’ve been working on through summer and fall.”

Benally ended the first quarter with a near-buzzer-beater from deep, giving the Cougs a 19-16 lead after one.

The second quarter was scoreless through the first 2:30 with both teams missing each of their first three field-goal attempts of the quarter. Mackey-Williams ended the drought with a three-pointer to put BYU up 22-16. The Mountaineers responded with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 22, but Hudgins broke the streak with a driving layup to reclaim the lead.

Hattie Ogden knocked down a top-of-the-key three to extend the lead to five. Following a layup from Hamlin, BYU’s full-court press forced a Western Colorado timeout. Hudgins grabbed a rebound off a Mountaineer miss and drained a step-back three on the other end to make it 32-22.

Rohkohl capped the half with a block and rebound, sending BYU into the locker room leading 33-25.

Mackey-Williams closed the third quarter with a three-pointer to give BYU a 55-42 lead heading into the fourth. The Cougars turned it on in the final quarter, outscoring the visitors 31-8. Benally opened the final ten minutes by stealing a Mountaineer pass on the perimeter, taking it coast-to-coast and laying it in off the glass to push the lead to 15.

Moments later, Benally got a hand on a Western Colorado three-point attempt, forcing an airball and setting up Cannon, who was fouled on a fast-break layup attempt. She converted both free throws before the Mountaineers answered with a pull-up jumper.

Gibb hit her second three of the night off an inbound pass from Rohkohl. After the BYU defense forced a bad pass out of bounds, Benally drained another three to make it 67-46. Gibb then capped a 17-4 BYU run with a driving layup, prompting a Mountaineer timeout with 5:50 remaining.Up

BYU opens its non-conference schedule with Coastal Carolina at the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. MDT with the game streamed on ESPN+. Fans can also tune in to the game on BYU Radio 107.9, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App.