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PROVO — Sara Hamson has always been a defensive menace, easily enough for the 6-foot-7 Lindon native.
The junior center's offensive game is beginning to match defense.
Hamson had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Paisley Johnson added 12 points and four assists to help the BYU women’s basketball team to its fifth straight win Saturday 71-48 over visiting Santa Clara in the Marriott Center.
Brenna Drollinger added 10 points, four rebounds and four assists for the Cougars (12-7, 7-2 WCC), and Babalu Ugwu supplied 11 points and four rebounds.
Hamson's offensive game has broken out in a big way over the past two games, combining for 25 points, 15 rebounds and nine blocks in wins over San Francisco and Santa Clara.
But the Pleasant Grove product was quick to give credit where she felt the credit is due.
"The rest of the team has just put me in position for easy layups, and that builds confidence," Hamson said. "I could hear every single person on the bench telling me, 'Do it again!'
"When you have that much trust from your teammates, it makes it easy to have that aggression."
Hamson had 10 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots en route to BYU’s 31-22 halftime lead. The Cougars outscored the Broncos 24-6 in the paint before the break and carried the momentum through after the break.
"It's good to see Sara do what she did this game and Thursday," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. "She's really given us a lift. If she can do that for us, that’s something we didn’t have last year."
The Cougars shot 51% from the field, picking and choosing a series of high-percentage shots despite making just 2-of-8 3-pointers, including one by Ugwu that put BYU squarely up 47-31 with 2:02 left in the third.
Maria Albiero’s nifty pass to Shalae Salmon through traffic after going the length of the floor with 6 seconds left gave the Cougars a 51-36 lead before the final frame. The Broncos shot just 28% (4-14) in the third quarter.
After dropping back-to-back games earlier in the month, including Judkins’ first-ever loss to Portland, the Cougars have rebounded as well as anyone can.
"I think that one, especially losing to Portland after losing to Gonzaga, that was a pretty big dagger to all of our hearts," Johnson said. "It woke us up and helped us realize that this season is not going to be easy. We still have to do the little things, put in the extra work, pass the ball; it’s all important."
Five straight wins have put BYU back in contention for a first-round bye at the conference tournament, including crucial road victories at Pacific and Saint Mary’s — to say nothing of home wins over San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara.
"That effort is what you strive for as a coach, to see your team consistently strive to work on what you talk about," Judkins said. "The last month, this team has done a great job of taking what they get from the scouting report and then going and executing it.
"That's why you play all these preseason games, to get to this point."
Lindsey VanAllen had 16 points, and Ashlyn Herlihy supplied 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Broncos (8-12, 2-7 WCC).
