PROVO, Utah –
Delaney Gibb took over late to send BYU to the semifinals.
Gibb scored 27 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers during a decisive fourth-quarter run, as No. 1 seed BYU defeated No. 2 seed Stanford 76-61 on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament at the Marriott Center.
BYU used a 15-0 run to break open a tight game, outscoring Stanford 26-12 in the final 10 minutes to secure the victory.
“She wants the moment,” BYU coach Lee Cummard said. “She’s definitely not afraid of it, especially when she gets it going.”
Gibb, a sophomore guard from Raymond, Alberta, Canada, continued her standout postseason play, narrowly missing a 30-point performance while leading the Cougars offensively.
She’s brought her game south from Canada. Her scoring immediately has made an impact on her BYU career, and now her NIL value has risen too.
Lara Rohkohl added a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and anchored BYU’s defense with four blocks.
The Cougars controlled the game on the glass, outrebounding Stanford 53-36 and finishing plus-17 overall.
“They rebound. Quite honestly, we knew that coming in,” Stanford coach Kate Paye said. “Rebounding was at the top of our list. Obviously, they out-rebounded us. They’re just aggressive. They crash the boards. I think our team can learn a lot from that.”
Stanford stayed within striking distance for much of the night and trailed by one entering the fourth quarter.
Courtney Ogden led the Cardinal with 26 points, shooting better than 50% from the field while adding five rebounds and two assists. However, foul trouble limited her aggressiveness down the stretch.
“Courtney was playing great,” Paye said. “They are very difficult to guard. Their guards are very good. We had it right there, and they knocked down a couple of threes and it got away from us.”
Alexandra Eschmeyer, coming off an 18-point performance in the previous round, was held to four points on 1-of-7 shooting in 17 minutes.
With the win, Cummard set the program record for most victories by a first-year head coach, surpassing his predecessor, Jeff Judkins.
BYU will face No. 2 seed Kansas in the semifinals on Monday Mar. 30th. Tipoff time has not been announced. The game will air on ESPNU.
The winner will advance to the championship game to face either Columbia or Wisconsin.
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