BYU holds off Auburn to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament

STANFORD, Calif. — The Cougars are moving on.

BYU used a big third quarter to built on defense, fast breaks and excellent passing to take a double-digit lead, and the Cougars held on for a 73-64 victory over Auburn.

The seventh-seeded Cougars (26-6) were led by excellent play by their starters:

• Brenna Chase: 19 points, 7 assists, 3 blocks
• Caitlyn Alldredge: 14 points, 3 assists
• Shaylee Gonzalez: 17 points, 8 rebounds
• Sara Hamson: 4 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks
• Paisley Johnson: 8 points despite fouling out early in the fourth quarter

The Cougars led by just two points at halftime despite holding Auburn to 26 percent shooting in the first half. BYU came out hot in third quarter, hitting five layups and two 3-pointers to take a commanding lead.

After Johnson fouled out, Auburn's defense helped the 10th-seeded Tigers get within four points late in the game. But freshman Gonzalez hit a few clutch layups and free throws to help BYU hold on for the victory.

THE DANCE CONTINUES pic.twitter.com/U1bnWUFNHw

— BYU Women's Hoops (@byuwbb) March 23, 2019

BYU will face the winner of the Stanford-UC Davis game, which tips off at 4 p.m. Saturday.

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2FmZ4k7