PROVO, Utah— BYU women’s basketball begins the second half of the West Coast Conference race with road games at Portland and Gonzaga.
The Cougars take on the Pilots Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. PST from the Chiles Center. BYU then travels to Spokane to take on No. 12 Gonzaga on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. PST. A live video stream will be available on the WCC Network for both games.
ABOUT BYU
- With the 71-48 home win over Santa Clara on Saturday, BYU women’s basketball improved its record to 12-7, 7-2 on the season; is on a five-game win streak and is in second place in the WCC standings
- BYU is averaging 61.8 points and 40.7 rebounds a game; is 12-4 when they get more blocks than their opponents; is 11-1 when dishing out more assists than opponents; is 12-1 when leading at the half
- The team is nationally ranked 3rd (32.3) in field goal percentage defense; 4thin blocked shots (124) and in blocked shots per game; 23rd (55.4) in scoring defense; 24th (27.25) in defensive rebounds per game
- Two players are scoring in double digits for BYU led by 14.4 points from Paisley Johnson; Brenna Drollinger contributes 11.5 points; Drollinger ranks 24th all-time in career points with 1,168; leads in assists and steals with 4.3 and 2.0 averages
- Sara Hamson leads in rebounds and blocks, with 7.9 boards and 4.37 blocks; ranks 1st (83) in the nation in blocked shots and 2nd (4.37) in blocked shots per game
- After 19 games played, BYU is averaging 61.8 points and pulls down 40.7 rebounds a contest
- The Cougars are holding opponents to just 55.4 points and are allowing only 37.8 rebounds a game
ABOUT PORTLAND
- Portland has a 13-7, 6-3 record on the year recording league wins over BYU, St. Mary’s, San Francisco, Santa Clara, LMU and Pepperdine; the team is on a five-game win streak just like the Cougars
- Alex Fowler leads the Pilots in scoring with a team-best 17.5 points a game; teammate Haylee Andrews follows with a 17.2 point average; Kate Andersen rounds out the double-figure scoring for Portland with 14.2 points a contest; Fowler leads the way in rebounding with a 7.9 average while Andrews is tallying a team-high 5.9 assists a game
- The Pilots are averaging 70.6 points and 36 rebounds a game
- Portland was picked to finish in last place in this year’s WCC race
- Head coach Michael Meeks is in his first season at the helm of the Portland women’s program; he has a 13-7 record on the year
ABOUT GONZAGA
- Gonzaga has compiled a 20-1, 9-0 record on the year and is ranked No. 12 in the latest USA Today Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll
- In WCC play, the Bulldogs host San Diego Thursday night before Saturday’s game with BYU
- Three players are contributing double-digit points for Gonzaga led by 12 points from Jill Townsend; Jenn Wirth follows with 11.7 points; Katie Campbell rounds out the double-digit scoring with 10.9 points; Wirth tops the leaderboard in rebounds with a team-best 6.2 rebounds; Jessie Loera tops the list in assists (5.1) and steals (1.7)
- Gonzaga is averaging 70.5 points and pulls down 37.8 rebounds a contest
- The Bulldogs were picked to finish in first place in this year’s conference race
- Head coach Lisa Fortier is in her fifth season at the helm of Gonzaga’s program where she has compiled a 148-41 record
SERIES HISTORY
- In the overall series with Portland, BYU has the 24-5 advantage; in the first meeting with the Pilots this year, Portland picked up the 57-44 win in Provo on January 4; when playing In Portland, the Cougars are 12-2
- Gonzaga leads the overall series with BYU 16-12; when playing in Spokane, the Cougars have a 3-9 record, beating the Bulldogs on their home court last year, 66-64 on Feb. 16, 2019; in this year’s first matchup between the two league foes, the Bulldogs picked up the 55-43 win in Provo on Jan. 2
UP NEXT
BYU continues league play on the road next week, traveling to San Diego to take on the Toreros on Saturday, Feb.1, at 2 p.m. PST. A live video stream of the game will be available on the WCC Network.