PROVO, Utah – The BYU women's basketball team will host Westminster on Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Marriott Center in an exhibition game to prepare for the 2021-22 season.
The game will be streamed live on BYUtv.org and the BYUtv App. Tickets are not required for the exhibition contest.
ABOUT BYU
- BYU enters the 2021-22 campaign as the favorite to win the West Coast Conference championship, having received eight first-place votes in the WCC preseason poll by the league's head coaches.
- All five starters from 2020-21 return, including preseason All-WCC selections Shaylee Gonzales (17.8 ppg), Paisley Harding (14.1 ppg) and Lauren Gustin (11.3 ppg, 12.6 rbg).
- BYU's top six scorers all return including the three preseason All-WCC picks, in addition to Tegan Graham (8.3 ppg), Sara Hamson (5.1 ppg) and Maria Albiero (5.0 ppg).
- The Cougars went 19-6 in 2020-21, making it to the second round of the NCAA tournament before falling to Arizona, the No. 3 seed who ended up runner-up to the national title.
- Head coach Jeff Judkins returns for his 21st season after earning his fifth conference coach of the year honor last season. Judkins has a career record of 430-200 at BYU, nine NCAA tournament appearances and has won at least 20 games in 12 seasons.
- Guard Shaylee Gonzales returns after earning WCC Co-Player of the Year in 2020-21. She led the team in scoring and was second in the WCC at 17.8 points per game. Also led BYU in steals (2.4 spg) and assists (3.6 apg).
- Forward Lauren Gustin was named to the Becky Hammon Player of the Year Watch List after earning earning a AP All-America honorable mention last year with 11.3 points per game and 12.6 rebounds per game – tops in the WCC and sixth nationally.
ABOUT WESTMINSTER
- Westminster is coming off of a 13-6 season in 2020-21, including an 11-4 mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
- The Griffins are led by Jenteal Jackson, beginning her first season as the head coach. Jackson spent nine years as an assistant and three years as a player at Westminster before becoming the program's fifth head coach. Jackson started her playing career at BYU.
- Westminster was voted to finish fifth in the RMAC preseason poll.
- Returners for the Griffins include three all-conference performers from a season ago, a group that is led by their two leading scorers Sarah McGinley (14.4 ppg) and Hunter Krebs (14.1 ppg). McGinley and Krebs combined for 28.5 ppg and shot a combined 44 percent from long range while also pulling in an average of 11.4 rebounds a game as a front court tandem.
UP NEXT FOR BYU
Following the exhibition game against Westminster, BYU officially opens the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. in the Marriott Center against Lipscomb. The game will be streamed live on BYUtv.org and the BYUtv App.