BYU Cougars guard Paisley Harding (13) and BYU Cougars guard Tegan Graham (10) have a good time making it to the ultimate spherical of the 2022 WCC Girls’s Basketball Match semifinals after beating the Portland Pilots on the Orleans Area in Las Vegas on Monday, March 7, 2022. BYU gained 59-52. Kristin Murphy, Deseret Information
LAS VEGAS — On the day that the BYU ladies’s basketball group acquired its highest Related Press ballot rating at school historical past — No. 15 — the Cougars discovered themselves embroiled in a tricky, bodily recreation within the West Coast Convention semifinals Monday afternoon.
Whereas the top-seeded Cougars had outscored their opponents by 23.7 factors per recreation in the course of the season, they trailed No. 4 Portland 46-42 with lower than six minutes remaining.
However BYU proved it could actually win shut, pressure-packed video games, too.
Cougar senior Tegan Graham, who had been struggling along with her shot within the recreation, buried an important 3-pointer with 5:31 left that jumpstarted a decisive 10-0 run, which was capped by one other 3-pointer by Maria Albiero.
From there, the Cougars hit seven of eight free throws over the ultimate 46.7 seconds and held on for a 59-52 victory over the Pilots — avenging the one WCC loss that BYU had suffered this season.
“I like video games like this. I’m a shooter,” Graham mentioned. “Shooters shoot. I didn’t shoot that effectively tonight. However I've confidence in myself and I do know my group does. I simply acquired a very good have a look at it and it felt good. I let it fly and made it. It was enjoyable.”
“She hit that 3, and it took a little bit little bit of momentum,” mentioned coach Jeff Judkins. “She’s energetic and he or she’s assured as heck. She got here down and he or she was open and he or she didn’t hesitate. And she or he took it. That’s how she’s been since I’ve coached her for 2 years. That rubs off on different gamers. We missed a whole lot of pictures tonight that we often don’t miss. … That’s what I really like about this group, and Tegan particularly. She loves strain. She loves it. That was one of many largest performs of the sport, no query.”
Graham completed with a double-double — 11 factors and 11 rebounds to go together with six assists and two blocks.
Not solely that, however she drew a tricky defensive task on Portland’s Alex Fowler, who completed with 14 factors and 11 rebounds.
“It’s among the finest defensive video games I’ve ever seen from Tegan,” Judkins mentioned. “Fowler’s a extremely good participant. She did a very good job making an attempt to cease her. She made issues tough for her. … It was a very good group effort. I’m so pleased with these guys.”
Fowler shot simply 5 of 17 from the ground.
With the win, BYU (26-2) superior to the WCC Match championship recreation Tuesday (2 p.m., MST, ESPNU) towards No. 2 seeded Gonzaga. The Cougars swept the Zags in the course of the common season.
Towards Portland, WCC Participant of the 12 months Shaylee Gonzales scored a game-high 20 factors and grabbed six rebounds. Paisley Harding added 14 factors.
This was the matchup BYU needed within the semifinals after it misplaced to the Pilots 75-64 at Portland on Feb. 3.
“We positively needed to play Portland as a result of they beat us. It feels actually good to go and and win that recreation,” Gonzales mentioned. “We knew that they'd press us exhausting and we had the mentality that we needed to overcome that. We did an amazing job at that.”
The Pilots, who pressed and performed a matchup zone, gave the Cougars all they needed.
“Their press positively provides us a whole lot of hassle,” Gonzales mentioned. “Once they press us, we get sped up and our offense will get a little bit bit stagnant. I really feel like we did a very good job of being composed and slowing it down to interrupt it.”
Portland’s Maisie Burham scored a team-high 17 factors and Lucy Cochrane had 12 factors and eight blocks.
“Portland performed rather well. They have been very bodily, very energetic,” Judkins mentioned. “They went to a matchup zone, which we’ve not seen all 12 months. It was good that we lastly figured it out. … You’ve acquired to provide them a whole lot of credit score.”
BYU led 31-30 at halftime and on the finish of the third quarter, the 2 groups have been tied at 40 apiece. For the sport, the Cougars shot 35% and the Pilots shot 32%.
However BYU hit large pictures down the stretch, like Albiero’s late 3 with 2:19 remaining.
“Maria needed to carry the ball up on the press. She did an amazing job with that,” Judkins mentioned. “When she hit that 3, what it made me really feel as a coach was all the various occasions watching her within the Annex capturing and capturing and capturing. When the most important second got here, she was prepared and he or she took it. When she hit it, in my coronary heart I mentioned, ‘All that arduous work paid off.’”
Over the ultimate a number of minutes of the sport, Gonzales credited her group’s demeanor.
“We have been composed,” she mentioned.
As a result of the Cougars had earned a triple-bye to the semifinals, they hadn’t performed a recreation in additional than every week. They don’t follow on Sundays as per college coverage, then they arrived at Orleans Area at 7:30 a.m. Monday for a shootaround. It took BYU a short while to settle in, Judkins mentioned.
“We missed some attractiveness that we often knock in. I informed these ladies, and so they took it to coronary heart — protection wins championships as a result of there are some nights the ball doesn’t go in,” he mentioned. “You must defend and we did that. They scored however we made them work for each single basket. That’s how this group is aware of how you can win. They do no matter it takes for us to win.”
Graham was emblematic of that profitable perspective Monday.
“Tegan does a whole lot of issues for this group. Scoring is a part of it. She’s an amazing passer. Tonight, she rebounded. She needed to. Fowler was inside rather a lot and he or she needed to field her out,” Judkins mentioned. “Tonight, she took the problem at coronary heart (defending Fowler). She took a whole lot of strain with the press. She took the ball out and that’s strain. However she enjoys it. She is aware of she missed some pictures that she often doesn’t miss. However she’s not afraid to take it. That’s the place maturity is available in, being a five-year senior. She’s a pleasure to educate.”
Now the Cougars are one win away from a WCC Match title — and, maybe, a top-16 seed within the upcoming NCAA Match.