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PROVO — BYU women's basketball wrapped up nonconference play Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center in a place only four teams have been in program history.
Olivia Hamlin went for 20 points for a second straight game; and Kambree Barber added 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two assists as BYU improved to 11-1 with an 81-46 win over UTEP at the Marriott Center.
Marya Hudgins added 11 points and five rebounds for the Cougars, who got 8 points and nine rebounds from freshman Bolanle Yussuf to help BYU outrebound the Miners 51-29 after being out-rebounded by Idaho State 57-31 on Thursday night.
"Rebounding is kind of a staple for us," first-year BYU head coach Lee Cummard said. "It's something we do every day, it's part of our rhetoric, and we even practice it in shootarounds. It's good to see things flip to what is expected of us.
"It's a foundation or a pillar of good basketball teams."
BYU held UTEP to just 2-of-13 shooting in the first quarter, including holding double-digit scorers Sirviva Legions and Ivane Tensaie scoreless from the field until the final 26 minutes en route to a 13-6 lead.
Hamlin scored 11 points, and Hudgins added 7 points and three rebounds as the Cougars ended the half on a 12-1 run to take a 42-14 lead on Hattie Ogden's buzzer-beating 3-pointer — and BYU never looked back.
Legions finished with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Miners (7-2), who lost to back-to-back Big 12 teams after starting 7-0.
With the win, BYU matched its best start through 12 games in program history including wins over Virginia Tech, Washington State and Portland to improve to No. 56 in the NET rankings.
It's the fourth time in program history the Cougars have started at least 11-1. Here's how the other three finished.
BYU women's basketball 2005-06
Led by WNBA draft pick Ambrosia Anderson (17.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Dani Wright (10.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg), the Cougars started 19-1 with their only loss by 2 points to North Carolina State and wins over the likes of UCLA and Utah.
The Cougars ended the season with a second-round loss to Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament before Anderson, who won Mountain West player of the year, was selected in the second round by the Detroit Shock.
BYU women's basketball 2013-14
Another team led by a future WNBA draft pick (Jennifer Hamson, 17.7 points, 1..5 rebounds per game), the Cougars also got 16.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game from sophomore Lexi Eaton en route to a 12-1 start that included wins over Boston College, Washington State, Arizona and Creighton before finishing with a 28-7 record and second in the West Coast Conference.
BYU tied for the best finish in program history, a Sweet 16 appearance before meeting top-seeded UConn in the NCAA Tournament before Hamson was selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Sparks.
BYU women's basketball 2021-22
Led by a balanced scoring effort that included Shaylee Gonzales (18.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists per game) and current assistant coach Paisley Johnson (17.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists per game), the Cougars started 18-1 with wins over Arizona State, West Virginia, Utah and Washington State in nonconference play and a top-20 ranking by the Associated Press with a WCC title.
BYU ended the season with a first-round loss to Villanova in the NCAA Tournament in what would go on to be Jeff Judkins' final season.
BYU opens Big 12 play next Saturday, Dec. 20 at UCF (12 p.m. MST, ESPN+). The Cougars host No. 8 TCU on Dec. 31.
