PROVO — The future was the present as the BYU women’s basketball team honored its three seniors one last time Saturday afternoon.
Delaney Gibb erupted for 26 points, six rebounds and seven assists, and the Cougars used a 27-6 fourth-quarter finish to rally past Colorado 75-62 in the regular-season home finale in the Marriott Center.
Brinley Cannon added 10 points and nine rebounds for BYU, while Bolanle Yussuf and Olivia Hamlin each scored 13 to help the Cougars (20-10, 9-9 Big 12) tally a 20th win for the first time since 2021-22.
Desiree Wooten had 25 points, five rebounds and two assists to lead the Buffs, and Logyn Greer added 10 points and eight rebounds for Colorado (20-10, 11-7 Big 12) in the Buffaloes’ first loss to BYU since 1982.
Hamlin scored 11 in the first half, including consecutive fast-break finishes that put the Cougars up 30-22 with 3:23 to go until halftime.
Gibb added 7 points, five assists and three rebounds before the break as BYU outscored the Buffs 16-6 in the paint en route to a 32-30 halftime edge.
Colorado opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run, and Zyanna Walker scored 5 of her 13 points in the period to help the visitors to a 56-48 advantage while holding the Cougars to just three made field goals and scoreless from the field for nearly five minutes to end the frame.
But the Cougars were just getting started.
Gibb tied the game with a 3-pointer with 5:25 remaining, putting the finishing touches on a 10-2 start to the fourth with her second triple of the day. The sophomore from Raymond, Alberta, reached her scoring average from the free-throw line, where she hit 11-of-14 foul shots including an and-one triple during an 18-0 run that lifted BYU to a 73-58 lead with 1:17 left to play.
Saturday was the final regular-season home game for three BYU seniors looking to go out on a high note in Lara Rohkohl, Hattie Ogden and Heather Hamson.
Rohkohl, the 6-foot-3 College of Charleston transfer from Hanover, Germany, who spent one season with the Cougars, made an obvious impact with 5 points, three rebounds and a steal.
Less obvious was Ogden, who has averaged just 2.0 points and 0.7 rebounds in 17 games this season for BYU — all off the bench.
The senior from Magrath, Alberta, spent two seasons at Buffalo before the long-time BYU fan and former hockey player transferred to what she’s described as her dream school ahead of the 2024-25 season.
“I’ve known Hattie for a long time, even back to high school,” BYU coach Lee Cummard said. “Her minutes have not always been consistent or a lot. But I’ve been really impressed with her approach.
“She’s kind of taken on more of a vocal leader type role with this group. Her and Brinley (Cannon) took that on; after the Cincinnati game, she really spoke up and she’s been really impactful during games and during practices with her vocal, positive, optimistic leadership role. And because of the spotty minutes, it’s very impactful.”
Off the court, her impact has been significant. She’s often the first one off the bench celebrating her teammates from the bench, and she helped organize a senior-day drive collecting stuffed animals for patients at Primary Children’s Hospital.
That leadership role proved vital for a BYU team in the first year under Cummard, where the bulk of the scoring has come from Gibb, Hamlin and Sydney Benally, the freshman point guard who had 5 points, four rebounds and five assists Saturday.
“She sees real value and impact that she’s making in that capacity,” Cummard said. “It doesn’t mean that she doesn’t want to play, to get out there and contribute on the court. That fire is definitely still burning. But she understands that she can still impact and help even without being on the court.”
When Hamlin first arrived on campus last summer, Ogden was among the first to wrap her arm around the former 4A player of the year at Snow Canyon and help her transition to college, the freshman said.
“She helped me get into a routine,” Hamlin said. “I’m really thankful for Hattie.”
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