BYU Women's Basketball Beats Portland 74-64 After Dominant Third Quarter

Cougars erase halftime deficit with dominant third quarter to defeat Portland 74-64

The BYU women’s basketball team turned a six-point halftime deficit into a commanding 17-point lead during a explosive third-quarter surge, ultimately securing a 74-64 victory over Portland according to byucougars.com. After struggling through an opening half marked by cold shooting, the Cougars flipped the script entirely after the break by outworking and outshooting the Pilots on both ends of the floor.

The contest began with missed opportunities from deep as Delaney Gibb and Kailey Woolston failed to capitalize on early looks. Olivia Hamlin put BYU on the board first with a fast-break layup to tie the game at 2-2, but the Cougars quickly fell into a 6-2 hole. Hamlin later sank three free throws after getting fouled on a three-point attempt to push BYU ahead 10-9, though Portland answered immediately with a triple to close the first frame up 14-11.

Portland pressed its advantage in the second quarter, opening with a 4-0 run to stretch the lead to seven. Freshmen Stella Sakalas and Prasayus Notoa injected life into the BYU offense by draining back-to-back three-pointers, cutting the margin to three points. Yet the Pilots responded with another 4-0 burst. Consecutive buckets from Sydney Benally, Notoa, and Gibb kept the Cougars within striking distance, but poor first-half shooting—tallying just 31.3 percent from the field and an anemic 11 percent from beyond the arc—left BYU trailing 34-28 at the intermission.

The Third-Quarter Surge That Decided the Game

Everything changed coming out of the locker room. Woolston opened the second half with a three-pointer, and Hamlin followed immediately with a steal and a layup to snatch back the lead at 35-34. The momentum snowballed as Notoa converted a pick-and-roll layup and Brinley Cannon drilled a three, forcing a Portland timeout at 40-35.

The Cougars did not let up. Notoa added another steal and layup, while back-to-back triples from Cannon and Benally pushed BYU past the double-digit mark at 56-44. Over the final three minutes of the third quarter, the Cougars executed a ruthless 13-0 run that completely dismantled the Portland defense and built a 17-point advantage heading into the final frame.

Benally picked up right where the team left off in the fourth quarter, converting a four-point play by sinking a three-pointer while drawing a foul to stretch the lead to 20 points at 64-44. Portland mounted a late push, stringing together a 10-4 run to cut the deficit to 12 with 2:48 remaining on the clock. Kambree Taylor stopped the bleeding with two calm free throws. As the Pilots ramped up full-court pressure in the final minute, Gibb escaped the trap and found a driving Cannon for a score off the glass, securing an 11-point cushion before two final free throws by Benally sealed the 74-64 final score.

The Cougars will return to the floor on Saturday to host Montana at 2 p.m. MST inside the Marriott Center. That matchup will stream live on ESPN+, with radio play-by-play available on BYU Radio.