PROVO, Utah— With the 70-68 home win over No. 13 Gonzaga, BYU women’s basketball improved its record to 15-3, 7-0 and remains the lone team in the West Coast Conference to be undefeated. The Cougars host Portland (9-8, 1-5) Saturday, January 19, at 2 p.m. MST. The league game will air live on BYUtv and online at byutv.org.
ABOUT BYU
- The Cougars are riding a nine-game win streak and are at the top of the standings in the WCC race. Currently, BYU is averaging 67.3 points per game while shooting 41.9 percent from the field, 33 percent from the 3-point line and 68.4 percent when shooting from the free throw line. The team grabs 38.4 rebounds and has pulled down more boards in eight contests to date.
- Freshman Shaylee Gonzales, who has scored in double-digits in all games, leads in scoring with a 17.6 average. Sophomore Paisley Johnson contributes 14.1 points while teammate junior Brenna Chase puts up 12.6 points a contest. Chase leads in steals (2.7 spg) and assists (4.2 apg). Gonzales and Jasmine Moody are tied in the rebounding category, averaging 5.6 a contest. Sophomore center Sara Hamson leads in blocks with 1.7 per contest and ranks second in rebounding with a 5.0 average
- In the WCC, the Cougars rank second in scoring defense, scoring margin, field goal percentage defense and assists; are third in turnover margin, 3-point field goals made and defensive rebounds; fourth in blocked shots.
- During last year’s WCC race, BYU swept the series with the Pilots. The Cougars have a 22-4 advantage in the series. When playing in Provo, Portland has a 2-10 record. The last time the Pilots won in Provo was on January 2, 1999, a 65-37 victory.
ABOUT PORTLAND
- Portland has compiled a 9-8,1-5 record after a 69-60 win over San Diego on Thursday.
- Portland returns 10 letterwinners including three starters. Last year, the Pilots finished the season with a 7-23, 3-15 record.
- Three players are putting up double-digit points for the Pilots this year with a team-best 15.7 points from senior Julie Spencer. Another senior, Darian Slaga follows with 15.3 points with teammate freshman Haylee Andrews contributing 11.6 points a game. Spencer leads the way in rebounds with a 7.4 average. Andrews dishes out a team-high 3.8 assists per game
- Portland is averaging 74.7 points and 38.4 rebounds a contest. The team shoots 41.2 percent from the field, 32.7 percent from 3-point range and 77.5 percent from the charity stripe.
UP NEXT FOR BYU
After the two home games, the Cougar women play one league game next week. BYU travels to San Diego to take on the Toreros on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m. PST. A live video stream is available on TheW.tv