The BYU women's basketball team overcame early struggles to earn a 67-50 win over the visiting Idaho State Bengals during their season opener on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The victory took place at the Marriott Center and was defined by a significant second-half surge from the Cougars.
Senior Delaney Gibb led the Cougars with a team-high 17 points. Sydney Benally provided critical momentum midway through the third quarter by hitting consecutive three-pointers, which erased a 31-30 deficit and gave BYU a 36-31 lead. Following that sequence, the Cougars outscored Idaho State 31-18 to close out the game, hitting 40 percent of their three-point attempts during the second half.
Despite the late success, the team faced difficulties in the first half. After Gibb hit a three-pointer 54 seconds into the game, the Cougars missed 17 consecutive attempts from behind the arc to end the first half with a 25-24 lead. Two additional three-point attempts were missed to start the third quarter before Gibb's second three-pointer tied the game at 30-30.
BYU coach Lee Cummard noted that while the team struggled with pace in the first half, they looked much more like themselves defensively and offensively in the second half. The Cougars' defense held Idaho State to 50 points and forced 20 turnovers.
Bench contributors also played a vital role. Miriam Traore recorded 4 points and 6 rebounds off the bench, while starting center Bolanie Yussuf finished with 3 points and 14 rebounds. Cummard expressed encouragement regarding the combined performance of Yussuf and Traore.
The BYU women's basketball team is preparing for a challenging Big 12 Conference schedule. The team's overall three-point shooting for the game was 9-for-38.
The Cougars will finish a busy first week of the season by hosting Portland on Thursday night and Montana on Saturday afternoon.
