BYU women's basketball star explains religious reason why team didn't practice before tourney win

The BYU Cougars women’s hoops squad was connected the extracurricular looking into the NCAA Tournament this play contempt going 26-12 nether caput manager Lee Cummard.

The Cougars played good capable to gain an invitation to the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament wherever the squad was capable to sound retired the Kansas Jayhawks past week earlier losing to the Columbia Lions connected Wednesday.

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BYU Cougars defender Delaney Gibb brings the shot upcourt against the TCU Horned Frogs during the 2nd fractional astatine T-Mobile Center successful Kansas City, Mo., connected March 6, 2026. (Nick Tre Smith/Imagn Images)

BYU drew attraction for an interesting, and faith-based, determination up of their 70-67 triumph implicit Kansas. The squad didn’t signifier due to the fact that it was a Sunday.

Delaney Gibb, who led the squad successful scoring, explained it was for spiritual reasons that the squad doesn’t signifier connected Sundays.

"When you look astatine it from a position of our squad and our civilization we’ve built and the religion that we person it’s a time that we get to person a antithetic position connected life," Gibb said, via the school’s website. "There’s things that are bigger than hoops and Jesus Christ and having religion successful Him is thing that’s bigger than basketball."

BYU's Delaney Gibb speaks to media during Big 12 Women’s Basketball Media Day astatine T-Mobile Center successful Kansas City, Mo., connected Oct. 21, 2025. (Sophia Scheller/Imagn Images)

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Gibb scored 12 points successful the three-point victory. Sydney Benally added 15.

The sophomore’s remarks went viral during the week.

Unfortunately, for the Cougars, BYU mislaid to the Lions successful their adjacent game.

Gibb is apt to instrumentality for her inferior season. She was named to the All-Big 12 Conference First Team aft being named the 2025 Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year.

BYU defender Delaney Gibb drives the shot against the TCU Horned Frogs during the 2nd fractional astatine T-Mobile Center successful Kansas City, Mo., connected March 6, 2026. (Nick Tre Smith/Imagn Images)

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During the 2025-26 season, Gibb averaged a team-leading 18.3 points per game. She besides averaged 5.1 rebounds.

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