PROVO, Utah — After picking up two significant West Coast Conference road wins, BYU women’s basketball (13-4, 5-1) returns home to host two league games at the Marriott Center.
The Cougar women welcome Pacific (13-3, 5-0) Thursday, Jan. 15, at 7 p.m. MST and Saint Mary’s (11-5, 4-1) Saturday, Jan. 17, at 2 p.m. Both games will air live on BYUtv and will be simulcast on BYU Radio.
PACIFIC GAME PROMOTIONS: Date Night, Slow Dance on the Marriott Center floor at halftime
About BYU
BYU is riding a five-game winning streak and has won 10 of the last 11 games it has played. In the latest WCC standings, the Cougars are tied with San Diego for second place. Pacific is tied with Gonzaga for first place with perfect 5-0 marks each.
Lexi Eaton, a 5-foot-10 junior guard/forward combo, leads the Cougars in scoring, averaging 19.3 points per game. She ranks third in rebounds, pulling down 5.8 boards a contest. Morgan Bailey, a 6-foot-2 senior forward, is in second place in scoring, tallying 18.1 points while leading the way in rebounding, averaging 10.9 boards per game. The team’s assist leader is Kylie Maeda, who averages 4.4 assists a game.
After playing 17 games, BYU is averaging 69.4 points per game, while shooting 43.3 percent from the field, 68.2 percent at the free-throw line and 36.5 percent from 3-point land. In all but three games, (at LMU, vs. USF and at Gonzaga), BYU has dished out more assists than its opponents, has recorded more rebounds in 10 contests to date, has a 10-0 mark when leading at the break and has scored at least 80 points in four games (most recent 84 at Pepperdine).
The team has also had three players score in double figures in six contests, (most recent at LMU) and has had four players finish with double digit points in two, (most recent vs. UNLV).
• Head coach: Jeff Judkins (Utah, ‘78) 14th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #21 L. Eaton, 19.3 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #41 M. Bailey, 10.9 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #15 K. Maeda, 4.4 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #23 M. Morrison, 1.5 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #41, M. Bailey, .41 bpg
BYU Player Injury Report
Senior Ashley Garfield suffered a season-ending ACL knee injury in the road game at LMU on Jan. 8.
About PACIFIC
Pacific enters this week’s league action tied for first place with Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference standings with a 5-0 mark. The Tigers have an overall 13-3 record. On the road, Pacific is 3-0 in conference games.
This year’s team returns 11 players, including three starters from last year’s squad that competed in its first year as a WCC member with an 18-13, 12-6 record. In this year’s league race, Pacific was picked to finish fourth in the conference. The Tigers’ Kendall Kenyon was named to the 2014-15 Preseason All-WCC Team.
Two Pacific players are scoring in double figures, led by 6-foot-2 senior forward Kendall Kenyon, who averages 15.4 points and a team-best 11.2 rebounds per game. Junior guard, Hailie Eackles follows with 10.7 points and 2.2 boards a contest. The Tigers are averaging 70.7 points a game and pull down 37.7 rebounds, while shooting 40.7 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from behind the arc and 68.8 percent from the free-throw line.
• Head coach: Lynne Roberts (Seattle Pacific 1997, 2000) Ninth Season
• Team’s leading scorer: #10 K. Kenyon, 15.4 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #10 K. Kenyon, 11.2 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #11 M. Parrish, 4.7 apg
• Team’s steals leader: # 20 U. Coleman, 2.1 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #10 K. Kenyon, 1.9 bpg
Series History
BYU leads the series 7-2. When playing in the Marriott Center, Pacific has a 2-2 mark. Last season, these two teams split the series with each team winning on the road. The two WCC foes met a third time, in one of two semifinals at the conference championships in Las Vegas. In that contest, the Cougars picked up the 77-64 win. Head coach Jeff Judkins is 2-1 against the Tigers.
Last Meeting
In the first meeting during last year’s league race, Pacific came to the Marriott Center and picked up a 75-62 victory on Jan. 2. Then on Feb. 1, BYU went to Stockton and the Spanos Center and came away with an 88-57 win. In the third matchup at the conference tournament, the Cougars recorded the 77-64 win to advance to the championship game.
About SAINT MARY’S
Saint Mary’s has compiled an 11-5, 4-1 record to date and is playing at San Diego on Thursday before making the trip to play the Cougars on Saturday. At the beginning of the week, SMC was in fifth place in the conference standings. In the preseason WCC poll, they were picked to finish fifth in the 2015 league race. When playing on the road, Saint Mary’s has a 4-3 overall mark and is 2-0 when playing away conference games.
The Gaels return eight letterwinners including three starters from last year’s team that had a 23-10, 11-7 record and advanced to the second round of the postseason WNIT.
Saint Mary’s has two players that are scoring in double digits, with junior guard Lauren Nicholson, averaging a team-best 18.9 points and 3.7 rebounds a contest. Another junior guard, Shannon Mauldin, is next in scoring with 10.8 points and 5.9 boards per game. The team’s leading rebounder is senior Carli Rosenthal, who grabs 7.6 boards a game.
SMC is averaging 68.4 points, recording 42.0 rebounds per game, shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 70.9 percent from the free-throw line. From 3-point range, the Gaels are shooting 28.1 percent.
• Head coach: Paul Thomas (Wayne State, 1988) Eight Year
• Team’s leading scorer: #01 L. Nicholson, 18.9 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #25 C. Rosenthal, 7.6 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #14 S. Mauldin, 3.0 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #14 S. Mauldin, 2.6 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #14 S. Mauldin, 0.2 bpg
Series History
Saint Mary’s leads the series 4-3. When playing in Provo, the Gaels have a 1-3 mark. Last season, these two teams split the series with each team winning on its home court. Coach Judkins has a 3-4 record against SMC.
Last Meeting
The first game between the two league foes was played in Provo on Jan. 4, with the Cougars recording the 69-67 overtime win. When the two played in Moraga, the Gaels picked up the 75-70 win on Jan. 30.
Up Next
After the two home games, BYU remains at home for one more conference matchup. They will host San Diego on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 2 p.m. MST.