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PROVO — BYU's Cassie Broadhead knows what her role is with the 2015-16 women's basketball team.
It's not always to score. It's not always to rebound. It's usually to play tenacious defense, but can change even in that realm.
But it's always what coach Jeff Judkins and the Cougars need.
"My role is to see what we are lacking during the game, whether it's rebounding, sharing the ball, pushing it upcourt, or scoring," Broadhead said. "Honestly, I don't care what I do; I just want to win."
If Broadhead's role is just to help BYU win, she's been fulfilling it pretty well for a while.
The Cougars are 14-4 on the season, 6-1 in West Coast Conference play, and sitting in the "receiving votes" category of the Associated Press Top 25 — right next to league-leader San Diego.
Though leading scorer Lexi Eaton Rydalch, leading rebounder Kalani Purcell and senior point guard Kylie Maeda have all played their roles, Broadhead and the BYU bench have made their presence known in the Cougars' current six-game winning streak that continues at 6 p.m. Thursday against Loyola Marymount.
If you believe Judkins, the bench is just as vital as the starting five.
"I believe that to have a good team you have to have a good bench," Judkins said. "And our bench has gotten better."
Between Rydalch's 23.2 points per game, Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher's 11.4 points, and Purcell's 10.8 points, scoring hasn't always been at a premium. BYU's non-starters average about three points per game, including Broadhead, the top scorer off the bench with 4.4 points per game. But the chance to contribute is just as big — no matter the box score — for the sophomore who has played in every game without a starting nod.
"I love my role, I know my role, and that's what makes playing fun rather than fighting that role," Broadhead said. "It's been a good ride."
Just as vital of a role player is forward Amanda Wayment. The sophomore from Ogden said she tries to bring energy into her role off the bench, which usually starts within the first few minutes of the game.
But the former Deseret News 5A Most Valuable Player also brings one key statistical look: Wayment is second on the team with 43 offensive rebounds. Purcell leads that category, 55-43 — but the New Zealand native has 618 minutes of game time to Wayment's 365 this season.
"She had a real knack of knowing where the ball is on offensive rebounding," Judkins remembered when he was recruiting Wayment at Fremont High. "Offensively, she gets in there and knows where the ball is coming off. We need that; we need somebody in there to rebound and get second and third opportunities."
The rebound doesn't always mean as much on the offensive end to some players. But sometimes it does, like when Wayment followed up a missed basket by Rydalch late in the game to power a game-winning run Jan. 14 against Gonzaga.
Wayment knows each time she pulls down one of her 4.7 rebounds per game, she gives her team another chance to score.
"On offensive rebounding, it's all heart," said Wayment, who also averages 4.1 points per game. "If I can get a board, I can get the points or kick it out and reset the clock to give us another opportunity to score. I think it's fun. I'm not the tallest, but if I can get boards, it's something I can add, too."
Wayment wasn't sure how much she'd play behind Purcell, a former junior college All-American at Hutchinson Community College.
But with her family nearby — her parents have made almost every home game — she knew she could find a role on the team. And she's exploiting it.
"I just knew that if I worked hard, I could see the floor," Wayment said. "If I knew the plays and played good defense, I could play. I'm not the best scorer, but if I stick to my principles, I can see the floor and be big."
A proud defender when she's not making shots, Broadhead has taken to the defensive specialist role in Judkins' up-tempo offense. The adjustment to the college game came quickly, it seems, even if adapting to Provo wasn't always easy for the health administration major from Glenville, New York.
"I love Provo, but it's completely different," Broadhead said. "I think I wasn't used to how many people here are LDS. I'm used to being the only one, and that's been a real difference.
"It's been a transition, but I think it's good and it's helped me to be well-rounded as a person. I've enjoyed Provo, and it's a great place for me to be."
The Cougars have openly acknowledged goals of winning a conference championship, which would be their first since joining the WCC in 2011. To do that, they have to win their home games — something they've done before, including against the defending champion Zags.
After this weekend, BYU only has three home games remaining in the regular season. Even so, one of the biggest games remaining is a Feb. 18 clash against WCC-leading San Diego in the Marriott Center.
But first things must come first, said Judkins.
"We've got to take advantage of being home and not losing," he said. "This team doesn't play any different at home versus on the road.
"I think my team has been pretty consistent. You've just got to take care of your games that you need to win. We've got to win the two games this weekend if we want to win the conference."
