Cougars host Westminster for exhibition matchup

PROVO, Utah — BYU will play host to the Westminster Griffins on Wednesday, Nov. 1 in an exhibition contest at the Marriott Center, with the tip set for 3 p.m. MT. 

BYU Notes (0-0, 0-0 Big 12)

• This is the third-straight season in which BYU will face Westminster in an exhibition game with both meetings being won by the Cougars, the latest in a 72-51 win last year.
• Forward Lauren Gustin was one of 20 players named to the Katrina McClain Preseason Watch List after leading all divisions of NCAA basketball, men's or women's, in rebounds per game at 16.7 boards a season ago.
• Whiting adds nine new faces to her squad from a season ago, with seven new players and two staff members. To the staff, Whiting adds assistant coach John Wardenburg who returns to BYU after serving as an assistant to men’s head coach Dave Rose from 2001-10 and Alli Winters as the director of video and strategy. 
• Newcomers include transfers Lauren Davenport (Jr.) of Boston University and Kylie Krebbs of Glendale Community College. Whiting also welcomes 33rd ranked 2023 recruit Amari Whiting (Fr.), 2023 Gatorade Players of the Year Kailey Woolston (Fr.) and A’lia Matavao (Fr.), California product McKinley Willardson and international prospect Marina Mata of Spain (Fr.).

Head Coach – Amber Whiting

• Alma Mater: BYU, 2001
• Division I Career Record: 16-17 (2^nd Season)
• Record at BYU:  16-17 (2^nd Season)

Westminster (0-0, 0-0 RMAC) 

• Westminster returns only four players from a season ago who accounted for 25.2 percent of the Griffins' 2022-23 scoring.

• Jaycee Lichtie, Elizabeth Means, Teuila Nawahine and Lily Crofts are the four remaining players from last season and total 85 games played and 32 starts. They are joined by freshman Savanna Staff as well as eight transfers.

• The Griffins are also led by a new head coach Asami Morita. Morita is a 14-year veteran in the coaching world, but the game at BYU will be her maiden voyage as the woman in charge. She has spent the last 14 seasons at Nevada, Robert Morris, the Japanese Basketball League’s Shiga Lakestars, Kansai University in Osaka, Japan and Arizona Western College.