Cougars head to Montana State for season opener

PROVO, Utah — BYU women's basketball will open its 2023-24 season with a visit to the Montana State Bobcats on Nov. 7 with tip set for 11 a.m. MT.

Tuesday's morning matinee will be broadcast on ESPN+. It will also be broadcast live on BYU Radio 107.9, BYURadio.org and the BYU Radio app with Jason Shepherd on the call.

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

• Familiar Foe: This is the fourth straight season in which BYU will take on the Bobcats. Two of the last three meetings have been won by the Cougars, however, Montana State earned a 69-60 win at the Marriott Center last year.
• Double-double Queen: 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. Gustin also led the BYU in scoring last year with 16.1 points per game.
  Defense + Scoring = Wins: The Cougar defense held opponents to 61.6 points per game a season ago while scoring 63.7 points per contest. Whiting’s squad posted a 12-2 record when they scored 65+ points in 2022-23. In 18 games, BYU’s defense held its opposition under the 60-point threshold and notched a 14-4 record in such games.
• New Year, New Look: The Cougars have nine new faces on this year’s roster with seven new players and two new staff members. At the Big 12 Tipoff, Coach Whiting said, “We want to get out in transition a whole lot more than we did last year. I feel like we have a little more depth this year to do that. Obviously, defensively we have to crank it up higher than what we did last year and lock in a little bit better that way."

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)

Montana State (0-0, 0-0 Big Sky) 

• Exhibition Recap: The Bobcats scored 73 points in their final exhibition contest against Carroll College in a 73-63 win. Montana State had three players finish with 12+ points, Katelynn Limardo leading the way with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Limardo also grabbed seven rebounds, four steals, two assists and a block in the win.
  Pounding the Paint: Montana State only attempted 10 threes, in the exhibition contest against the Saints, making only one, while scoring 50 of 73 points in the painted area. Despite going 1-for-10 from behind the arc, the Bobcats still shot 49.2 percent from the field to earn the 10-point win.
  Finishing Possesions: The Saints of Carroll College outrebounded the Bobcats 33-28 in the game. Montana State also gave up 10 offensive rebounds to Carroll College, which turned into five second-chance points. Head coach Tricia Binford said, “We have some things to clean up. We need to focus on rebounding, and our offensive game, but I loved how hard we played."

Head Coach – Tricia Binford

• Alma Mater: Boise State, 1995
• Division I Career Record: 312-233 (19^th Season)
• Record at Montana State: 312-233 (19^th Season)