by PROVO, Utah — BYU women’s basketball delivered a dominant defensive performance and its highest-scoring first half of the season to earn an 81-46 win over UTEP on Saturday at the Marriott Center.
The Cougars set the tone early, building a 42-14 halftime advantage behind efficient offensive possessions and sustained pressure on the defensive end. BYU shot 52 percent in the first half while holding UTEP to 17 percent from the field and forcing eight turnovers before the break.
Olivia Hamlin led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including four makes from deep. Kambree Barber, in just her third game of the season, added 13 points, seven rebounds three assists, two steals and two blocks in the win.
Marya Hudgins chipped in 11 points and five boards. Sydney Benally finished with eight points and a game-high seven assists, while Bolanle Yussuf pulled down nine rebounds to go with eight points.
BYU continued to control the game after halftime, pushing the lead to as many as 37 points in the fourth quarter. The Cougars finished the night shooting 49 percent from the floor, outrebounding the Miners 51-29 and recording 22 assists on 32 made field goals.
Defensively, BYU limited UTEP to 30 percent shooting and just three made triples, while tallying seven blocks and nine steals in the wire-to-wire victory.
