Cougars look to end skid at Arizona State on Saturday

PROVO, Utah — BYU takes on the Arizona State Sun Devils on Feb. 1 at Desert Financial Arena in the first matchup as conference opponents since 1979. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. MT with the game streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast live on BYU Radio with Jason Shepherd on the call. 

Matchup Breakdown
The Cougars and Sun Devils last met on Nov. 17, 2021, as BYU edged Arizona State 55-44 at the Marriott Center to take a 7-4 lead in the all-time series. The last meeting in Tempe came on Dec. 17, 2019, as ASU handed BYU a 60-52 defeat. 

The last conference matchup between the two schools came on Feb. 24, 1979, when the Cougars and Sun Devils faced off as members of the Intermountain Athletic Conference. On that day, Jackie Beene scored 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting while Tina Gunn went for a 27-point, 12-rebound double-double in the Cougars 107-56 rout of the Arizona State.

All-Time: 7-4

At Arizona State: 4-3

Whiting vs. Arizona State: Never Played

BYU Cougars  ||  10-10, 1-8  ||  Big 12 Conference

WHAT'S AT STAKE  ||  With a win, BYU would snap a five-game skid and hand Arizona State its eighth-straight conference defeat. The Cougars would also earn their first win over the Sun Devils as Big 12 Conference foes.

DELANEY'S DREAM SEASON  ||  Delaney Gibb has been named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week six times – Nov. 11, Dec. 16 & 23, Jan. 13, 20 & 27. The Canada native leads BYU in scoring at 17.3 points per game on 48 percent shooting and 41.4 percent from deep. Gibb averages 5.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals. The freshman has scored over 14 points in 17-of-20 games this year including seven games of 20 or more points.

With Gibb's sixth Big 12 Freshman of the Week recognition, the freshman phenom is one weekly award away from tying Texas' Joyner Holmes and Baylor's Brittney Griner and Nina Davis for third-most Freshman of the Week awards in a single season. 

CONGDON IS ON A ROLL  ||  Kemery Congdon is a senior leader for the Cougars and has shown her experience over the last three games. The fifth-year senior has scored 13.7 points on 45.4 percent shooting and a 47.6 percent clip from three. She also recorded five assists, two steals and a block in the Jan. 25 matchup against Utah, the team with whom she started her career.

REBOUNDING BY COMMITTEE  ||  Last season, Lauren Gustin accounted for nearly 40 percent of all rebounds (504 of 1,294). This season, Amari Whiting and Emma Calvert lead BYU in rebounding but each only accounts for 15.1 percent of the Cougars’ 37.4 boards per game. In the win over Houston, Barber grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds with Calvert and Whiting each tallying seven, Gibb grabbing four and Cannon and Congdon each with three. 

SECOND-HALF CONFERENCE WOES  ||  BYU started the year dominating the third quarter, outscoring opponents by 6.5 points in the frame while shooting 50.6 percent in non-conference play. In Big 12 play, the Cougars have struggled coming out of the half. BYU has been outscored 19.2-15.9 in the third and 19.9-17.4 in the fourth while surrendering 43 percent shooting in the third and 44.5 percent in the fourth.

VALUING THE BASKETBALL  ||  Ball security is crucial for BYU. In Big 12 play, the Cougars have committed 18 turnovers per game and opponents have scored 18.8 points off giveaways. In wins this season, BYU only coughs it up 13.6 times and surrenders 11.0 points off turnovers. In losses, BYU averages 18.7 giveaways and 18.4 points given up.

Head Coach – Amber Whiting

• Alma Mater: BYU, 2001
• Division I Career Record: 42-44  ||  3rd Season
• Record at BYU: 42-44  ||  3rd Season

Arizona State Sun Devils  ||  8-14, 2-8  ||  Big 12 Conference

BROWN'S GETTING BUCKETS  ||  Jalyn Brown is the leading scorer for the Sun Devils at 17.6 per game. The junior guard shoots 42.4 percent from the field on the second-most field goal attempts on the team at 283. In home games, Brown’s production jumps from 17.6 to 19 points per game and 42.4 to 46.2 percent from the floor.

Brown only shoots 26.8 percent from behind the arc and does most of her damage at the rim and from the mid-range. She also averages 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals on the season. 

SKINNER'S LAST RIDE  ||  Tyi Skinner is the second-leading scorer for Arizona State at 15.9 points per game. The grad student shoots 39.6 percent from the floor and boasts the most made 3-point makes for this Sun Devils team with 54 connections from deep, 2.5 per game. Skinner also leads ASU in assists per game with 2.95.

In games played at Desert Financial Arena, the senior’s efficiency skyrockets to 47.9 percent shooting from the floor and 39.6 percent from deep en route to 16.1 points per game. 

One streak has to end  ||  Both BYU and Arizona State hit rough patches as conference play ensued. The Sun Devils have lost seven-straight games to conference opponents while the Cougars are on a five-game skid. Both team’s last win came against the Houston Cougars. Arizona State took down the Cougars on the road 69-60 on Jan. 4. BYU handed Houston its next loss on Jan. 8 by a score of 89-75 at the Marriott Center. Since then, BYU and ASU have a combined record of 0-12.

Head Coach – Natasha Adair

• Alma Mater: South Florida, 1994
• Career Record: 194-197  ||  13th Season
• Record at Arizona State: 27-54  ||  3th Season