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STANFORD, Calif. — The BYU women's basketball started its first-round NCAA Tournament game Saturday afternoon like most would expect: slow, stodgy and trailing SEC foe Auburn.
But how they finished? That's another story.
Brenna Chase had 19 points, seven assists and three blocked shots, and Caitlyn Alldredge supplied a career-high 14 points and three assists to help BYU hold on for a 73-64 win over 10th-seeded Auburn in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in Stanford, California.
Shaylee Gonzales added 17 points, nine rebounds and three assists for the Cougars (26-6), who will face the winner of No. 2-seeded Stanford and UC Davis in Monday’s second round.
“This is a great win for our team. Auburn is a very, very good team,” BYU coach Jeff Judkins said. “They are a lot quicker in person than watching film.
“But I thought my team did a great job. It’s just been one of those years where these guys have made it exciting. Of course, they had to do it today.”
Janiah McKay had 19 points and six assists to lead Auburn, which got 14 points from Daisa Alexander and 11 more from Crystal Primm. Unique Thompson chipped in 10 points and 19 rebounds for the Tigers (22-10).
BYU held the Tigers to five third-quarter field goals to turn a 2-point halftime edge into a 51-39 margin ginghams into the fourth quarter.
"Once we were able to pull ahead, we had more confidence that we were going to be able to pull this one through," said Paisley Johnson, who had eight points in the win. "That was a big turning points. Caitlyn’s layup almost fell out, and then went in. That was huge for us. We’re able to connect really well on our fastbreak layins and make those, even with a whole bunch of contact."
Auburn cut the deficit to five with a 9-0 run fueled by three turnovers, when Primm drove in and cut the lead to 64-59.
But Chase broke the scoreless drought by getting to the free-throw line, and Gonzales added a clock-consuming layup with just over a minute left to help the Cougars hold on.
“We’ve always been taught never to give up, to always keep fighting,” McKay said. “No matter if your back is against the wall, you always have to push through.”
The Cougars won their first NCAA Tournament game since 2014 when they advanced to the Sweet 16.
After a horrendous start, BYU found its rhythm midway through the first quarter. After trailing for the first seven minutes of the game and giving up 11 rebounds, Shalae Salmon came off the bench to hold Auburn to four boards as the Cougars rallied with an 8-0 run that turned an 11-5 deficit into a 13-11 edge after one.
“We just had to get used to playing against their pressure,” Chase said. “We don’t play a lot of teams with their quickness, their size and rebounding.”
In the second quarter, Chase started to take over.
THE DANCE CONTINUES pic.twitter.com/U1bnWUFNHw
— BYU Women's Hoops (@byuwbb) March 23, 2019
“Everyone thinks of Brenna’s jump shot, but she’s the best passer and the best in the pick and roll on our team,” Judkins said. “She’s the best at making decisions ahead of her. “The last three games, Brenna’s played really good for us. And she has to.”
On the offensive end, she dropped a three from the left elbow to extend BYU’s lead to 24-18. On defense, she grabbed a rebound and forced a shot clock violation with two tipped balls.
Chase had a game-high 11 points at the break, helping the Cougars stave off the Tigers, 28-26. McKay had nine points, three rebounds and three assists to lead the Tigers — but was just 3-of-11 from the field to get there.
“I want to help my team as much as I can,” said Chase, who also had three blocks and a steal in a full 40 minutes. “I’m going to do everything in my power to tip the ball, get steals, and do my part on the defensive end.”
BYU used an 11-1 spurt in the third to stretch its lead to 41-31 on Alldredge’s second 3-pointer of the game. Gonzales started the run with back-to-back drives inside, Paisley Johnson kept it by going coast-to-coast for two after forcing a turnover, and Alldredge did the rest to give the Cougars a comfortable-enough lead that helped them withstand Auburn’s late run.
“I was just running the floor,” Alldredge said. “Being the big that has to take it out a lot, I don’t get that opportunity a lot.
“I got to get up and be like a guard again.”
