PROVO, Utah—In third place in the most updated West Coast Conference standings, BYU women’s basketball (14-9, 8-4 WCC) is home for two league games this week.
Thursday, Feb. 9, BYU hosts Pepperdine (6-17, 4-7 WCC) at 7 p.m. MST. On Saturday, Feb. 11, the Cougar women battle San Francisco (13-10, 7-5 WCC) at 2 p.m. MST. The Dons are at Santa Clara on Thursday night before making the trip to Provo. Both games will be carried live on BYUtv and simulcast on BYU Radio.
GAME PROMOTIONS
Thursday – Wear Pink
ROC party
FREE t-shirts to first 200 students
FREE 40 inch TV giveaway
Saturday – Wear Pink
Girls and Women in Sports Day 12 p.m.,Marriott Center. FREE food, photos, and autographs with BYU female student-athletes. FREE admission to the basketball game vs. San Francisco
BYU AT A GLANCE
Three players who are putting up double digits in points highlight BYU’s offensive threat. Junior guard Cassie Broadhead, who is at the top of the WCC in scoring, is averaging a team-best 18.7 points a game. Senior guard Makenzi Pulsipher follows with 13.2 points. Senior All-American Kalani Purcell rounds out the double figure scoring output for BYU by averaging a double-double with 11.9 points and a team-and league-high 10.7 boards per game.
After playing in 23 games, the Cougars are scoring 67.0 points per game while shooting 42.2 percent from the field, 34.0 percent from 3-point range and 71.1 percent from the free-throw line. The team also grabs 36.4 rebounds a contest.
• Head coach: Jeff Judkins (Utah, ‘78), 16th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #20 C. Broadhead, 18.7 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #32 K. Purcell, 10.7 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #32 K. Purcell, 5.2 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #32 Purcell, 2.2 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: ##32 K. Purcell, 1.0 bpg
PEPPERDINE AT A GLANCE
Pepperdine enters this week’s league action with a 6-17, 4-7 record. The Waves have captured league wins over San Diego, Gonzaga, Pacific and San Francisco. Pepperdine is tied with San Diego for seventh place in the WCC.
Yasmine Robinson-Bacote is one of two players scoring in double figures for the Waves. She’s scoring 15.3 points and pulls down a team-best 8.9 rebounds a game. Teammate Allie Green follows, contributing 14.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest.
Pepperdine is currently averaging 61.0 points per game and is shooting 36.2 percent from the field. The Waves also shoot 31.2 percent from 3-point range and 71.9 percent from the free-throw line.
•Head coach: Ryan Weisenberg (Cal Poly, ‘97), Fourth season
• Team’s leading scorer: #25 Y. Robinson-Bacote, 15.3 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #25 Y. Robinson-Bacote, 8.9 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #23 B. Sitanggan, 4.0 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #23 B. Sitanggan, 2.0 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #5 M. House, 1.9 bpg
THE SERIES
BYU leads the series 14-2. This will be the second meeting between these two league foes this season. The two played in Malibu on Jan. 19, when the Cougars picked up the 73-47 road win. The Waves have never won in Provo. Head coach Jeff Judkins is 13-1 against Pepperdine.
SAN FRANCISCO AT A GLANCE
The San Francisco Dons are in fourth place in this week’s WCC standings with a 13-10, 7-5 record. They’ve recorded league wins over Santa Clara, Portland, Pacific, LMU, BYU and already swept the series over San Diego. San Francisco is at Santa Clara on Thursday night before making the trip to Provo for Saturday’s game.
USF returns 10 letterwinners and three starters from last year’s team that compiled a 21-12, 9-9 record, won the WCC Championship and competed in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Rachel Howard leads the way in scoring for the Dons with 16.3 points and 5.1 rebounds a contest. Anna Seilund is the second player to put up double digits in points with an 11.0 average. Michaela Rakova tops the leaderboard in the rebound category pulling down a team-best 5.9 boards a game.
USF is scoring 67.3 points per game while shooting 40.3 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from 3-point range and 77.3 percent from the free-throw line. The Dons grab 38.6 rebounds a game.
• Head coach: Molly Goodenbour (Stanford, ‘93), First season
• Team’s leading scorer: #11 R. Howard, 16.3 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #14 M. Rakova, 5.9 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #21 A. Seilund, 3.8 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #21 A. Seilund, 1.3 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #14 M. Rakova/#11 R. Howard, .78 bpg
THE SERIES
BYU leads the all-time series vs. San Francisco, 12-4. These two conference foes have already played once this year in San Francisco with the Dons picking up the 70-63 home win. When playing in Provo, USF has a 1-7 mark. The last time that the Dons won at the Marriott Center was on Feb. 16, 2012, a 71-64 win. Head coach Jeff Judkins is 12-4 in the all-time series with San Francisco.
COMING UP
After hosting this week’s two games, the Cougar women take one final road trip in WCC action. BYU is at San Diego on Feb. 16 and at Saint Mary’s on Feb. 18. Both games will be carried live on BYU Radio.