SPOKANE, Wash. — Despite a season-high 24 points from Brenna Chase Drollinger, the BYU women’s basketball team fell 59-44 to No. 12 Gonzaga Saturday afternoon at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

BYU at Gonzaga Final Box Score

"We came out playing really well early in the game," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. "We just needed to sustain that level of play. We took them out of their offense for much of the game, but they still got some shots. We’re a good team and we’ll bounce back. I thought Brenna had an outstanding game tonight, both offensively and defensively."

Drollinger shot 10 of 17 from the field, including four of eight from three-point range to reach 24 points while also adding two rebounds and one assist. Paisley Johnson added seven points to go along with two rebounds and one assist, while Sara Hamson contributed nine rebounds, three points, two steals and two blocks. Babalu Ugwu chipped in four points, four rebounds and three steals for the Cougars (13-8, 8-3).

Hamson scored BYU’s first points of the game with a put-back layup to bring the score to 4-2 for Gonzaga (22-1, 11-0) three minutes into the contest. Drollinger then scored a floater in the lane and a 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Cougars an 8-5 lead. A Johnson pull-up jumper put BYU up 10-7 at the end of the first quarter.

A mid-range jumper by Johnson followed by a baseline floater by Drollinger and a pair of free throws by Maria Albiero put the Cougars up nine, 16-7, two minutes into the second quarter. The Bulldogs responded, however, with a 7-0 run to come back within two, 16-14.

Back-to-back triples from the left wing by Drollinger then gave BYU a 22-14 advantage with four minutes left in the half. Gonzaga answered with a 12-3 run to take a 26-25 lead into the locker room.

After the Bulldogs opened the second half on an 8-2 run, a deep trey by Drollinger and a layup by Ugwu brought the Cougars within two, 34-32. Gonzaga proceeded to score eight unanswered points before a Drollinger mid-range jumper brought BYU within six, 40-34, at the end of the third quarter.

Drollinger hit a jumper to stop an 8-1 Bulldog run and bring the Cougars within 11, 48-37, with 4:25 left in the game. Drollinger drained two more mid-range jumpers to bring the score to 51-41 for Gonzaga with 2:28 remaining. Despite a late 3-pointer by Johnson, the Bulldogs held on to secure the 59-44 win.

Up next, BYU travels to take on San Diego on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m. PST at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. A live video stream of the game will be available on the WCC Network.

Team Notes

• BYU shot 39.1 percent from the field and 50 percent from the charity stripe in the first half. For the game, the Cougars shot 37.2 percent from the field, 25 percent from 3-point range and 58.3 percent from the free-throw line.
• Gonzaga had the advantage in assists through the first half of action with six. BYU dished out three. At the conclusion of the game, the Bulldogs had recorded 15 assists to the Cougars' five.
• BYU pulled down the most rebounds in the game with 37. Gonzaga grabbed 25.

Player Notes

• Brenna Chase Drollinger led all scorers at the break with 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the field, picking up her 12th game with double-digit points. She finished the contest with a game-high and season-best 24 points on 10 of 17 shooting from the field and 4 of 8 shooting from behind the arc. Drollinger also pulled down two rebounds.
• Sara Hamson grabbed six rebounds in the first half to lead all players in that category. She finished with a game-best nine rebounds along with three points while also tying for game bests in blocks with two and had two steals.
• Babalu Ugwu scored four points, pulled down four rebounds and had a team-best three steals.

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.

BYU at Portland Notes

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.