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BYU's Marya Hudgins leads her team in celebrating a 71-62 victory against previously undefeated Arizona State at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026,

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Delaney Gibb reacts as she drives to the basket against Arizona State in a Big 12 women's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Sydney Benally (2) takes a 3-pointer against Arizona State in a Big 12 women's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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The BYU women’s basketball team committed a whopping 26 turnovers and shot just just 28% (10 of 39) from the 3-point line in Saturday’s showdown against undefeated Arizona State.

So how did the Cougars get the chance to celebrate a 71-62 upset victory over the Sun Devils in front of 3,400 fans at the Marriott Center?

BYU is much more than any number on the stat sheet because the win came through persistence, effort and a whopping 54-25 advantage in rebounding. Those effort plays made all the difference, especially in the third quarter when the Cougars outscored the visitors 17-8 to erase a six-point halftime deficit.

“I loved the toughness of our group tonight and I loved the defense in the third quarter when we went on kind of a run,” BYU head coach Lee Cummard said. “But I think what I loved more than anything else was seeing the ball go through the net on a couple of those bingo threes in the second half. We got an offensive rebound once or twice on possessions and it was great to see shots go through. We have a really good shooting team and haven’t played up to our talent, but I loved the moxie and swag our team played with today and their energy as a group.”

BYU had 26 offensive rebounds — the fifth most in program history  — for a 20-7 advantage in second-chance points, all of them needed overcome the turnovers and streaky shooting.

“Rebounding is something you can control,” said sophomore Delaney Gibb, who led the Cougars with 18 points and contributed eight rebounds. “It was something I wanted to go and do in the second half because I know second chance opportunities can help us blow the game open.”

Kambree Barber grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds to lead the team, with six coming on the offensive end. Barber has grabbed 23 rebounds in her last two games against the Sun Devils. Bolanle Yussuf was the third Cougar to record at least eight rebounds, with every player that saw the floor getting at least three.

Gibb scored nine points came in the fourth quarter, including a pair of timely 3-pointers, to help the Cougars close out their second conference win.

“Having so many people come out and support us was huge,” Gibb said. “The energy from the fans is so important. Towards the end of the game it got super loud and it fed our entire team. It allowed us to keep our energy through all four quarters.”

Freshman guards Sydney Benally and Olivia Hamlin each contributed double-digit scoring performances with 16 points and 11 points, respectively. The two combined for seven steals to anchor the BYU defense, including Hamlin’s game-sealing steal with 42 seconds left to put the game away.

Arizona State led 18-15 after one quarter but BYU surged ahead on a Barber basket and a 3-pointer by Hamlin to open the second. The Cougars went more than five minutes without scoring and a layup from Jyah Lovett gave the Sun Devils a 34-28 lead at the break.

A key sequence in the third quarter became a 12-1 BYU run, with back-to-back corner triples from Hamlin and Barber pushing the Cougars into a 42-38 lead with 4:38 to go. Arizona State was just 1 of 12 in the third quarter and BYU took a 45-42 lead into the fourth.

Benally opened the final eight minutes with a corner three, her fourth of the game, and an assist on a  basket by Rohkohl to extend the lead to six. BYU built its advantage to double digits on a Gibb drive and slick pass to Yussuf for a layup for a 59-49 lead with 6:22 remaining. Arizona State got within four points with 48 seconds to play but Gibb made a pair of free throws and Hamlin came up with a steal to put the game on ice.

BYU (13-2 overall, 2-1 Big 12) will travel to Arizona at the McKale Memorial Center on Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. MT with the game streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast live on BYU Radio 107.9, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App.