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PROVO — BYU women's basketball is off and running on the 2023-24 season.
Lauren Gustin posted a double-double with 29 points and 15 rebounds, and five players scored in double figures en route to a 92-48 win over Division II Westminster in the Cougars' exhibition opener Wednesday afternoon at the Marriott Center.
Emma Calvert added 13 points and four rebounds, Kailey Woolston had 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Amari Whiting and Lauren Davenport each scored 10 for the Cougars.
Elizabeth Means led Westminster with 12 points, and Teulia Nawahine added 11 with four assists for the Griffins.
Wednesday's exhibition wasn't expected to be much more than a scrimmage with the Griffins in transition under first-year head coach Asami Morita.
The Cougars jumped out to a 26-0 start that included 12 points from Gustin and led 33-2 after the first quarter when Woolston drained a 3-pointer at the horn.
Here are five things we learned about BYU women's basketball before next Tuesday's season opener at Montana State. The Cougars' home opener is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 10 against Weber State.
Lauren Gustin is still a star
The nation's leading rebounder flirted with the transfer portal last spring after earning her degree from BYU, but returned to play out her career in head coach Amber Whiting's second season.
Early on, the offense clearly drove through Gustin, who took five of BYU's first 11 shots and made four of them en route to 10 points and three rebounds in the first quarter.
Gustin scored 12 of the Cougars' first 21 points, and even showed off her range with a 3-pointer with 2:33 left in the first quarter that seamlessly drifted through the net.
The 6-foot-1 power forward totaled 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds in the first half to lead all scorers, and never let up in 26 minutes.
.@laurengus10 with 20 points and 8 rebounds in the first half 🥶 pic.twitter.com/kOLvWewHAP
— BYU Women's Hoops (@byuwbb) November 1, 2023
Defense still reigns under Whiting
Anything that BYU does on the offensive end will be secondary to Whiting, who has always put attention to defense in her previous stops in high school and the Adidas 3SSB summer circuit before arriving at BYU following the 2020-21 campaign.
The Cougars held Westminster to just 1-of-14 shooting in the first quarter, including two attempts from 3-point range, and forced seven turnovers with three steals and two blocks en route to its 31-point margin at the first-quarter break.
The younger Whiting, who is just over a year removed from ACL surgery that upended the former Burley High star's senior year at Timpview, was particularly effective in cutting, slashing and diving on the floor to collect loose balls as BYU scored 28 points off 21 turnovers with 12 steals and a 53-26 rebounding margin in the wire-to-wire win.
"I feel like we started the game with really good defense and we went on a 26-0 run," Whiting said. "I love what I am seeing this year as far as having outside shooters space the floor for our bigs to work inside."
The freshmen can play
One of BYU's best incoming classes in the modern era arrived on campus with plenty of hype, Gatorade player of the year from three states, and a top-50 freshman who also happens to have the same last name as the head coach.
Both former Gatorade Idaho player of the year Amari Whiting and Woolston, Utah's Ms. Basketball after leading Lone Peak to consecutive 6A titles, were in the starting five Wednesday — and both looked like they belong.
Add in Ali'a Matavao, the two-time Gatorade Nevada player of the year who had 3 points and four rebounds, and Spanish wing Marina Mata (6 points, three rebounds) and the Cougars should have some newcomers who can contribute right away in the first year in the Big 12.
"They're very, very important; I can't say that enough," Gustin said of the newcomers. "As you can tell from this game, they're a threat from everywhere. It's going to be good to have them."
smiler with the steal and rose from deep 🫡
— BYU Women's Hoops (@byuwbb) November 1, 2023
BYU 46 - Westminster 12 pic.twitter.com/5cPImEJiNh
Too many turnovers
Exhibition games don't mean much, but they can lead to flaws. And the biggest flaw from the Cougars? Turnovers.
BYU committed 19 turnovers, including 13 turnovers by the middle of the third quarter that led to 10 points from Westminster.
Other teams will do a lot more with them, too.
Nani on the mend
Junior point guard Nani Falatea — who averaged 15.3 points, 4.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game a year ago for the Cougars — did not play in Wednesday's exhibition, along with Arielle Mackey-Williams and junior college transfer Kylie Krebs, who all sat on the bench in street clothes.
