PROVO, Utah – The No. 16 BYU women’s basketball team won its second-straight game against San Diego 70-48 on Monday night at the Marriott Center, after beating the Toreros just two days earlier on the road.

“I am proud of these guys because this is a hard team to play,” said head coach Jeff Judkins. “I thought tonight we won this game because of our defense. Playing back-to-back games is tough, especially when you play an aggressive team like San Diego, so I thought our girls did a great job.”

The Cougars (16-1, 6-0) shot 46.7 percent from the field, going 28 of 60 and made seven 3-pointers to overcome 22 turnovers forced by San Diego (10-8, 2-4). The Toreros ranked No. 14 nationally in turnovers forced entering the game. 

Sophomore forward Lauren Gustin added her ninth double-double of the year with 10 points and 13 rebounds while guards Shaylee Gonzales added 20 points and Paisley Harding added 16 points. The backcourt duo added five and four assists, respectively. 

First Half
After the first three minutes of the game remained scoreless due to strong defense on both ends of the ball, Harding started the scoring for the Cougars. BYU continued to pull ahead of the Toreros with the help of two Harding layups and a three-pointer by Gonzales. 

BYU started hot in the second quarter with two layups by Gustin and another basket by Harding to extend the Cougars lead to 18-9. Gustin would score on two straight Cougar possessions with hard drives to the basket and an offensive rebound and putback with 8:23 to go in the second. 

After Harding drew a late foul and knocked down both free throws for the Cougars, Kaylee Smiler hit a three from the top of the arc to keep momentum going for BYU with 1:51 until the break, making it 31-18. With a buzzer beater layup, BYU went into the locker room ahead of the Toreros 35-19.

Gustin and Harding led the scoring for the Cougars in the first half with 10 points each.

Box Score

Second Half
Senior Maria Albiero started the second half scoring beating the shot clock with a triple to put BYU up 38-21 after one minute of the second half. Moments later, Gustin made a driving layup and Gonzales buried another shot from the arc to push the Cougars ahead 43-21 with 7:34 remaining in the third quarter.

At the end of the third, San Diego continued to get steals and force turnovers, but senior center Sara Hamson calmed the offense down with a made layup off an assist by Harding. Freshman guard Nani Falatea knocked down a three-pointer to end the third quarter with a 57-33 Cougar lead. 

After a four-minute scoring drought in the final quarter, Gonzales made her third trey of the game for the Cougars with six minutes to go to get their momentum back. Posting nine points off the bench and forcing five San Diego turnovers, BYU finished the game with a 70-48 win over the Toreros.

“I am super excited for the games later this week, especially since they are both home games,” said Lauren Gustin. “I love our fans and the support from families who come out, and I’m excited to play some good ball against two really great teams.”

Up next, BYU hosts Santa Clara on Thursday night at 7 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed on BYUtv.org and the BYUtv App. 

PROVO, Utah – After some rescheduling, No. 17 BYU women's basketball travels to San Diego to play the Toreros on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 1 p.m. PT and after a quick turnaround, hosts San Diego at the Marriott Center on Monday at 5 p.m. MT. 

Monday's game is rescheduled from the original Dec. 30 date, postponed due to COVID-19 issues with San Diego's program.

Saturday's contest at the Jenny Craig Pavilion will be broadcast on Bally Sports San Diego, Bally Sports SoCal, NBC Sports Bay Area, Root Sports NW and available on the WCC Network (only available out of the San Diego, Bay Area and Northwest markets). 

The game in Provo on Monday at the Marriott Center will be available on BYUtv. 

Consistent with current BYU requirements, all in attendance at the Marriott Center will need to provide proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test upon entry. Masks will also be required, regardless of vaccination status. Find more details at byu.edu/coronavirus.

BYU at San Diego
Saturday, Jan. 22
1 p.m. PT
TV/Stream: Bally Sports San Diego, Bally Sports SoCal, NBC Sports Bay Area, Root Sports NW, WCC Network
Live Stats
On Twitter: @BYUwbb

San Diego at BYU
Monday, Jan. 24
5 p.m. MT
Stream: BYUtv
Live Stats
On Twitter: @BYUwbb

BYU Game Notes (14-1, 4-0)

• LAST GAME: BYU was dominant with back-to-back 40-point wins over Saint Mary’s and LMU on the road. BYU’s Thursday game scheduled at Pepperdine was postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Pepperdine.
• The Cougars moved up to at No. 17 in the AP Top 25 this week. BYU is ranked for the eighth consecutive week for the first time since 2006. The program’s highest ranking ever came earlier this year at No. 16.
• BYU is ranked No. 10 in scoring margin at +19.1 points per game and ranks No. 16 in scoring offense at 78.7 points per game. The Cougars are also No. 4 in assist to turnover ratio (1.49), No. 4 in assists per game (19.9), No. 14 in field goal percentage (46.3) and No. 24 in field goal percentage defense (35.1).
• As of Jan. 20, Lauren Gustin ranks No. 2 nationally in rebounds per game (12.4), No. 3 in offensive boards per game (4.9), Maria Albiero is No. 6 in assist to turnover ratio (2.91), Sara Hamson is No. 10 in total blocks 41) and No. 12 in blocked shots per game (2.73), Tegan Graham is No. 23 in 3-pointers per game (2.87) and Shaylee Gonzales is No. 47 in points per game (18.2).
• Shaylee Gonzales was named one of 15 players on the Becky Hammon Mid-major Player of the Year Midseason Watch List

About San Diego (10-6, 2-2)

• The Toreros are off a 2-2 in WCC play and are coming off back-to-back losses to Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s.
• San Diego's last matchup against the Cougars took place on January 4, 2021 and resulted in a 58-56 win under head coach Cindy Fisher.