PROVO, Utah— BYU women’s basketball is back on the road this week for one game. The Cougars will play their second-straight Pac-12 team, taking on Arizona State in Tempe, on Friday, Dec. 6, at 6 p.m. MST. The game will have a live video stream on the Pac-12 Network.
ABOUT BYU
- The Cougars (3-2) look to get back to winning after a disappointing closely-fought overtime loss to in-state rival Utah 77-73
- With 396 total wins, head coach Jeff Judkins is the all-time winningest men’s or women’s BYU basketball head coach. He needs four wins to reach 400 victories, a coaching milestone
- Friday’s game at ASU is the third of four teams from the Pac-12 that the Cougar women will play; they are slated to play Oregon State on Dec. 19
- In this week’s USA Today Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll, the Cougars play two teams ranked in the top-25; Oregon State (No. 5) and Gonzaga (No. 21); ASU is receiving votes (31)
- Three players are putting up double figures in scoring led by 15.2 points from junior guard Paisley Johnson; senior guard Brenna Chase Drollinger is second with her 11.4 average; Jasmine Moody follows contributing 11 points a game
- The team’s assist leader is junior guard Maria Albiero (4.0 apg); in steals, the team is led by Drollinger (2.6 spg); junior center Sara Hamson leads the way in rebounds (11.3) and blocks (3.3)
- After finishing second in last year’s West Coast Conference race and winning the league’s tournament crown, BYU was selected to finish second in the conference race
- Three Cougar players were named to the 2019-20 Preseason All-WCC Team: Brenna Chase Drollinger, Paisley Johnson and Sara Hamson
ABOUT ARIZONA STATE
- Arizona State enters this week’s action with a 5-2 record after taking third place in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida; WCC foe Gonzaga won the tournament
- The Sun Devils were picked to finish fifth in the 2019-20 Pac-12 race
- When playing at home, ASU is 3-0 on the season
- The team returns 10 letterwinners, including two starters
- Senior transfer Ja’Tavia Tapley tops the leaderboard in scoring with a 12.9 average; Jayde Van Hyfte grabs the most boards on the team averaging 7.1 rebounds a game
- Head coach Charlie Turner Thorn is in her 23rd season at the helm of ASU’s program where she has compiled a 449-259 record
SERIES HISTORY
BYU leads the series 6-3. When playing in Tempe, the Cougars have a 5-2 mark. The last time the two teams met was on March 23, 2010, in the second round of the postseason WNIT. In that contest, the Cougars picked up the 61-53 victory at Wells Fargo Arena. Head coach Jeff Judkins has a 1-0 record in the series with ASU.
UP NEXT FOR BYU
The Cougars remain on the road, traveling to Boise, to take on the Broncos on Wednesday, Dec. 11, before returning home to host in-state foe UVU on Saturday, Dec. 14. The Cougars and Wolverines take the court at 2 p.m. in a game that will be carried live on BYUtv and on the BYUtv App.