BYU Cougars (12-8, 2-5 Big 12 Conference)
GUSTIN STANDS ALONE: With her fourth of 17 rebounds on Saturday, senior forward Lauren Gustin became the all-time leading rebounder in BYU women’s basketball history. She finished the game with 17 rebounds, increasing her career total to 1,493. The previous record was set by 1980 National Player of the Year and BYU Hall of Famer Tina Gunn Robison and has stood for 44 years.
BEHIND THE 1ST QUARTER 8-BALL: The Cougars are 2-7 when trailing after the opening quarter this season. In its first seven Big 12 games, BYU has trailed after the first 10 minutes in five of seven contests. In 280 total minutes of Big 12 play, the Cougars have only led for 85:52 (.307) of game time. In their five Big 12 losses, the Cougars have led for a grand total of 17:01 (3.4 min/game) with three wire-to-wire losses. In two wins, BYU has led for 68:51 (34.5 min/game).
FAITH OVER FEAR: Coach Whiting spoke on the mantra of Faith over Fear saying, “That’s me. I wear it every day, faith over fear, it’s how I live my life. I feel like if you’re prepared, and not just in basketball, but specifically in basketball when you go into a game you can’t go into it fearful. You have to go into it fearless. The only way to get there is to make sure you’ve prepared and done everything up to that point.”
TURNOVER TROUBLE: Coach Whiting has made it clear that ball security is key to the Cougars’ success, however, her squad averages 17.7 turnovers per game so far this season. BYU has turned the ball over more than its opponent in all but two games this season and holds a 22-23 record when posting a negative turnover margin under Whiting. The Cougars average 15.7 turnovers per game in conference play, but against Houston and Oklahoma State combined for 50 turnovers with 65 points off turnovers for the opposition.
Head Coach – Amber Whiting
- Alma Mater: BYU, 2001
- Division I Career Record: 28-25 (2nd Season)
- Record at BYU: 28-25 (2nd Season)
Kansas State Wildcats (19-1, 11-0 Big 12 Conference)
TOP 5 IN BOTH POLLS: For the first time since the 2002-03 season, K-State is top-5 in both national polls. The Wildcats are 4th in the Associated Press poll and second in the WBCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. The number two ranking is the program’s highest in the coaches poll since the third poll of 2002-03.
DEFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT: K-State leads the Big 12 and ranks 4th in the nation in scoring defense (52.1 ppg). The Wildcats lead the league and are 2nd in the nation in FG percentage defense (.326) and lead the nation in 3-point FG percentage defense (.216). K-State has held 18 foes to under 60 points in a game this season, including 13 straight games.
THE OCTAGON OF DOOM: K-State owns a 13-game home-court winning streak, the 9th longest in the program history and tied for the 12th-longest active home-court winning streak in the nation.
Head Coach – Jeff Mittie
- Alma Mater: Missouri Western, 1989
- Division I Career Record: 637-363 (32nd Season)
- Record at Oklahoma State: 183-128 (10th Season)
