OGDEN -- From the moment the Wildcats first stepped on the court at the beginning of preseason practice, they've had one focus -- to play the best defense possible.
The dividends of that attitude are beginning to shine through.
Senior point guard Tonya Schnibbe and junior forward Caitlin Anderson each scored 16 points on Wednesday night as the Weber State University women's basketball team edged rival BYU 62-61 in double overtime at the Dee Events Center.
"Our defense was huge tonight," Schnibbe said. "We work on it every day in practice and we focus on it in every game."
The Cougars (5-3) entered Wednesday's matchup averaging more than 72 points per game, but scored just 49 in regulation in the face of the Wildcats' intense defensive performance.
"We didn't really see anything on tape, it was more just getting on the court and getting in the flow of the game," Schnibbe said. "We expected them to pressure us. We were ready for that. It kind of got us early on, but we were able to settle down."
The Wildcats' defensive efforts and intensity drew high praise from coach Carla Taylor.
"I couldn't be more proud of the way we played defensively," Taylor said. "BYU is a great team and you have to pressure them. You have to be aggressive and pressure them on the ball. I thought all of our players got after it and showed great toughness."
Weber State led 23-17 at halftime, led by 10 points from Anderson, holding BYU without a field goal for the final six minutes of the first half.
"When you are aggressive defensively, good things happen," Taylor said. "BYU is a physical team and we had to be aggressive against that. I was really impressed with our post players, especially Caitlin and Mikell (Woodfield). They were physical and battled down in the post."
BYU started the second half extremely aggressive and quickly hauled themselves back into the game, taking their first lead since the opening minutes on a 3-pointer from Haley Hall with 15:11 remaining.
The teams traded the lead several times until a quick burst pushed Weber State out to a six-point lead with 2:01 left. BYU rallied to tie the game at 49-all with 30 seconds remaining, and both squads had a chance to take the lead at the end of regulation.
Trailing by two, Weber State forced a second overtime period on a basket by Sarah Conner with four seconds left and the Wildcats never trailed in the second extra session, getting the winning point on a free throw from senior guard Ali Thorderson with 26 seconds to go.
Hall, the former Clearfield High School star, finished with seven assists and six steals in 37 minutes for BYU.
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