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SALT LAKE CITY — Paisley Harding poured in 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting as No. 19 BYU women's basketball topped the century mark for the third time this season in a 103-66 Thursday night rout of Santa Clara at the Leavey Center.
Shaylee Gonzales added 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Cougars (24-2, 14-1 WCC), who got a career-high 13 points from former Fremont High star Emma Calvert.
"We got a lot of help tonight from our bench giving us good minutes," BYU coach Jeff Judkins said. "They gave us a big lift defensively and on the offensive side too. I'm really happy with how the team responded tonight."
Lauren Gustin supplied 13 points and five rebounds for BYU, which can clinch its first outright West Coast Conference regular-season title since the 2015-16 season with a win Saturday at Pacific (3 p.m. MST, WCC Network).
Lara Edmanson had 20 points for Santa Clara, which got 12 points, six rebounds and four assists from Lana Hollingsworth.
Fast start propels Utah by Oregon State
Brynna Maxwell and Jenna Johnson each scored 12 points as Utah jumped out to a 21-12 lead after the first quarter and pulled away from Oregon State 70-58 in the Huntsman Center.
Kennedy McQueen added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Utes (17-9, 8-6 Pac-12), who got a team-high seven assists from Dru Gylten.
"I am really proud of our team, and I think we controlled the game," Utah coach Lynne Roberts said. "That fourth quarter was a grind, and the second half was not a thing of beauty. It was a 18-point game at one point, which was great, and they just tried to shorten the game and get back into it. I thought defensively we were really good, he's a phenomenal coach, and they run a lot of really good stuff. Our team was dialed in and communicated well, and did a really good job. Our kids battled like crazy, so I'm proud of our team."
Talia von Oelhoffen had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists to lead the Beavers (13-11, 6-8 Pac-12).
Williams, Utah Valley all over Seattle early for road win
Josie Williams poured in 28 points and 16 rebounds, and Utah Valley jumped out to a 17-9 first-quarter advantage before holding off Seattle U. 67-61 for the Wolverines' fifth-straight win Thursday night in the Pacific Northwest.
Maria Carvalho added 18 points for Utah Valley (14-12, 9-6 WAC), and Madison Grange supplied 14 points and six rebounds for the Wolverines.
"We didn't play our best basketball but those three were big for us throughout and we had others step up when we needed it," said UVU head coach Dan Nielson. "It's tough to win on the road and to be able to grind this one out is big for this team. They kept making runs, but we had a lot of resolve and I'm proud of the fight we had. Now we have huge test for us on Saturday."
Southern Utah drops final road game at Montana
The Southern Utah women's basketball team dropped its final road contest of the 2021-22 season Thursday when it suffered a 71-46 defeat at Montana.
Lizzy Williamson had 14 points, eight rebounds and five blocks to lead the Thunderbirds, who dropped to 16-11 with a 12-6 record in Big Sky play. Montana improved to 17-9 for the year and 10-7 in league competition.
Blazers stun Cal Baptist
Dixie State women's basketball came back from an 18-point deficit to upset California Baptist 81-77 in Riverside, California.
Emily Isaacson led the Trailblazers (9-16,5-9 WAC) with 21 points, popping off to go 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and 7-of-10 from the field. Shanaijah Davison added 19 points as her and Brooke Vance tied for the game high with nine rebounds. Vance had 13 points while Breaunna Gillen added 11.
Dixie State will take on Seattle U. on Saturday in the final road game of the season before returning to St. George to wrap up the regular season against Abilene Christian and Grand Canyon.
