PROVO — Any reports of Delaney Gibb’s demise, as misinformed and ill-timed as they may have been after just one game of her sophomore campaign, have been greatly exaggerated.
The reigning Big 12 Conference freshman of the year had 21 points, six rebounds and six assists; and Olivia Hamlin added 18 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal as BYU women’s basketball improved to 2-0 under first-year head coach Lee Cummard with a 70-51 win Saturday afternoon over San Jose State in the Marriott Center.
Lara Rohkohl added 8 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shot for the Cougars, who earned the win in front of former legendary coach — and Cummard’s longtime mentor — Jeff Judkins.
The winningest coach in BYU basketball history — men’s or women’s — sat several rows up in the Marriott Center next to former assistant Dan Nielson, who now coaches the women’s team at Utah Valley, and several friends and family members while supporting Cummard and San Jose State’s Jonas Chatterton.
The first-year Spartans head coach was returned to BYU after spending nearly a decade on Judkins’ staff from 2001-09. After stops at Colorado, Oregon State and Oklahoma, where Chatterton rose to associate head coach at both, Chatterton was named the 11th coach in San Jose State women’s basketball history back on April 25.
Judkins stuck around after the game to meet with several of his former players, take photos with both Cummard and Chatterton, and speak with the team in the locker room.
“We all know that we’re the recipients of his foundation, of what he built here,” Cummard said. “He is BYU women’s basketball, whether it’s the facilities, how we do things, gear we get, he’s had a huge part in all of that. I’m extremely grateful for him, and I wanted the players to know that him, his staffs and the players who played here before are the reasons we have what we have. He was a premier coach forever, and always had premier teams. We’re trying to get back to that, where we’re looked at as a premier program.
“It was good to have him here. And I know coach Chatterton appreciated it. For him, it’s got to give him a little joy that two of his former assistants are playing each other on a Saturday in November.”
Gibb, who scored a quiet 12 in the season opener against Coastal Carolina, and Hamlin made sure to make it a memorable return for Judkins, the former Highland High star and second-round NBA draft pick out of the University of Utah who won 456 games in 21 years at BYU that included nine NCAA Tournament bids and a pair of Sweet 16 appearances.
So, too, did Benally, the freshman from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who added five assists to her tally of 11 in Wednesday’s opener — the most by a BYU player in a single game since Shaylee Gonzales in 2022.
“Growing up, I played a lot of basketball and in different roles,” said Benally, whose team assisted on 18 of 25 made field goals. “Throughout the summer, just getting used to my teammates, knowing where they’ll be, and that just getting them in the best position to succeed is the drive for me.”
San Jose State opened the game shooting 7-of-12 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, to pull within 22-20 after the first quarter.
But BYU held the Spartans to just 2-of-16 in the second quarter, using a 13-0 scoring run with balanced first-half scoring from Gibb — who had 8 points and four assists before the break — and Hamlin (7 points) to take a 35-25 halftime lead.
The Spartans shot 4-of-16 from the field and 0-for-5 from deep in the third quarter, and Gibb and Hamlin combined for 16 points, four rebounds and two assists while the Cougars had three blocks to stretch the lead to 58-36 ahead of the final quarter.
BYU never led by fewer than 11 points the rest of the way, even as San Jose State scored 18 points off 17 turnovers.
“We didn’t shoot it great in the first half,” Cummard said. “Overall, I’m pleased to hold a team to 51, even when we didn’t play that great in the second half.”
Maya Anderson had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead San Jose State (0-1), Rylei Waugh added 14 for the Spartans.
BYU plays five of its first six games at home, including Thursday, Nov. 13 against Omaha (7 p.m. MST, ESPN+).
BYU coach Lee Cummard during a women’s basketball game against San Jose State, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Provo, Utah. (Photo: Courtesy, BYU Photo)
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