Pili’s 28 points power No. 15 Utah women past BYU, 76-59

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Alissa Pili hit 13 of 18 shots from the floor and scored 28 points to lead No. 15 Utah to a 76-59 win over in-state rival BYU on Saturday night in the 110th meeting between the schools.

Utah now leads the all-time series, 68-42.

The Utes came into the game with the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation, averaging 97 points and scoring 90 or more points in five of their first seven games, topping 100 points twice. Their 76 points were the second-fewest (surpassing a 69-67 win over Ole Miss).

Pili scored the Utes’ first seven points, knocking down a 3-pointer to give them a 7-4 lead with 6:26 to play en route to an 18-10 lead after one quarter.

Pili has converted 25 of 34 field goal attempts over her last two games, hitting 12 of 16 against Mississippi Valley State. Gianna Kneepkens hit 6 of 8 from the field and added 18 points for the Utes (8-0).

Utah improved on their top-ranked shooting percentage (52.6%) against the Cougars, hitting 29 of 53 shots from the floor (54.7%), but its 16 assists were below its top-ranked average of 21.7.

Lauren Gustin posted her 10th straight double-double to start the season for BYU, scoring 18 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Nani Falatea also had 18 points for the Cougars (4-6).

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AP women’s college basketball:https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25