(Provo, UT) The Sun Devil Women’s Basketball team fell from the ranks of the nation’s unbeaten teams on Saturday, following a 71-62 loss at BYU.
Super start
Sixty-one days into the 2025-26 season, head coach Molly Miller’s first Sun Devil squad (15-1, 2-1 Big 12) set the new standard for the best start in program history (surpassed the 9-0 start by the 1992-93 squad) and tied the school record for overall consecutive wins (15, 2008-09, 2015-16 teams).
Sun Devil standouts
Gabby Elliott scored 10 of her team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Sun Devils stay within striking distance after BYU led by as many as 11 with 2:20 remaining in the game.
McKinna Brackens (6-8 FTs, scored half her points in the fourth quarter), Heloisa Carrera (6-8 FTs, team-high nine rebounds), and Marley Washenitz (5-6 FTs, tied for team lead with three steals) scored 10 points each.
Jyah LoVett scored six points (3-6 FGs), had a game-high four assists and tied for the team lead with three steals.
How it happened
BYU (13-2, 2-1) outrebounded ASU 54-25 overall and 26-9 on the offensive glass, leading to a 20-7 advantage in second-chance points.
From a shooting standpoint, the two teams were relatively even as BYU shot two percentage points higher than ASU (38.5-36.5). Although ASU limited BYU to a 26-percent effort from beyond the arc, the Cougars relied on volume (39 of their 65 FG attempts were from long range) to make 10 triples.
The Sun Devils outscored BYU 18-15 in the first quarter and took a 34-28 advantage at the intermission. ASU led by as many as seven after Washenitz’s layup gave the Sun Devils a 32-25 lead with two minutes left in the second half.
For only the fourth time this season, the Sun Devils could not generate a double-digit point total in a quarter as they were outscored 17-8 by the Cougars in the third quarter.
It appeared the Sun Devils may be headed for another last-second finish as they entered the fourth quarter trailing 45-42.
Leading by four points, the Cougars scored six straight points to take a 59-49 advantage with 6:16 remaining.
After the Cougars took their biggest lead, 65-54 with 2:20 remaining, ASU quickly got itself back into the game with an 8-1 scoring burst and cut BYU’s lead to four, 66-62, after Brackens’ layup with 48 seconds left. Unfortunately for ASU, it was the Cougars who scored the game’s last five points to clinch the win.
Up next
The Sun Devils will play at home for just the second time in a month when they face UCF on Wednesday (6:30 p.m. MST) at Desert Financial Arena.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Steve Rodriguez
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