SANTA CLARA, Calif. – BYU shot a blistering 60 percent for the game en route to its third 100-point game of the year, beating Santa Clara 103-66 on Thursday night at the Leavey Center.

“We came out a little flat but we changed a few things we were doing and the team really responded well," head coach Jeff Judkins said. "We started to really share the ball and it was just a great team win. I am really proud of how they came together for that win.”

BYU’s (24-2, 14-1) backcourt duo was stellar again, led by Paisley Harding’s 28 points and Shaylee Gonzales filling the stat sheet with 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals. Harding was an efficient 11 of 14 from the field.

“We got a lot of help tonight from our bench giving us good minutes," Judkins said. "They gave us a big lift defensively and on the offensive side too. I’m really happy with how the team responded tonight."

Emma Calvert had 13 points off the bench, Kaylee Smiler added seven and Sara Hamson had six points, five rebounds and two blocks.

Tegan Graham made three 3-pointers for nine points and dished out a game-high eight assists. Lauren Gustin added 13 points and five rebounds.

The Cougars finished the game shooting 60 percent, including 48 percent from behind the arc. The defense forced 18 turnovers and had 11 steals from seven different players.

Box Score

First Half
Santa Clara jumped out to an early lead with the three-point ball, knocking down three in the first five minutes to build a 13-11 advantage with 4:35 left in the first quarter.

A block by Hamson turned into a transition bucket for Harding that tied things up and another bucket from Gonzales put BYU back in front. That sparked a 9-0 run and the Cougars led 24-19 heading into the second quarter.

BYU started with an 11-2 run and continued to keep the pressure on, making 5 of 6 baskets to take a 39-25 lead with 3:59 to go in the half after a Maria Albiero steal and dish to Gonzales. Albiero added a trey on the next possession to make it 42-25.

The Cougars finished the first half hot, shooting 56 percent, including 45 percent from distance, capped off by a three-pointer by Calvert off the bench on their last possession. With 21 points by Harding at halftime, BYU led 53-30.

Second half
Graham hit two treys in the third quarter, helping BYU extend the edge to 65-39 with just over four minutes remaining in the third.

The Cougars made nine field goals in a row down the stretch of the third quarter, including nine points from Gonzales and the BYU lead ballooned to 81-48 heading into the final quarter of action.

The fourth quarter was more of the same on offense, with several freshman getting into the action including seven points from Calvert. BYU cruised to a 103-66 victory.

The Cougars play at Pacific on Saturday for the regular-season finale. The game is set to tipoff at 2 p.m. PT from the Alex G. Spanos Center.

PROVO, Utah – The No. 19 BYU women's basketball team will play its last two regular-season games on the road at Santa Clara on Thursday and at Pacific on Saturday. 

Thursday's matchup against the Broncos (14-12, 8-8) at the Leavey Center is set for a 6 p.m. PT tipoff and will be streamed on the WCC Network. Saturday's game at Pacific in the Alex G. Spanos Center will tip at 2 p.m. PT, also on the WCC Network.

BYU at Santa Clara
Thursday, Feb. 24
6 p.m. PT
TV/Stream: WCC Network
Live Stats
On Twitter: @BYUwbb

BYU at Pacific
Saturday, Feb. 26
2 p.m. PT
TV/Stream: WCC Network
Live Stats
On Twitter: @BYUwbb

BYU Game Notes (23-2, 13-1)

• LAST GAME: BYU put together another big third quarter and ran away from Gonzaga with a 63-39 win on Senior Day at the Marriott Center. A record crowd of 6,289 fans attended the game––the most to ever watch women’s basketball at the Marriott Center.
• BYU has won 30 consecutive games in the Marriott Center. The program record is 33 games, set over the 1978-80 seasons.
• Shaylee Gonzales was named to the Midseason Team for the 2021-22 Naismith Trophy for the Women’s Collegiate Player of the Year and was just named a semifinalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year.
• Lauren Gustin is 1 of 10 finalists for the Katrina McClain Award for the nation’s top power forward.
• BYU is ranked No. 3 in scoring margin at +20.2 points per game and ranks No. 11 in scoring offense at 78.2 points per game. The Cougars are No. 2 in assists per game (20.1) and No. 2 in assist to turnover ratio (1.51), No. 3 in field goal percentage (47.5) and No. 23 in field goal percentage defense (35.6).
• BYU can secure a regular-season championship Saturday against Pacific, The last time the Cougars won a regular-season title was the 2015-16 season when BYU went 16-2 in the West Coast Conference. The Cougars also won the MWC regular-season under Coach Judkins in 2010-11, 2006-07 and 2005-06.

Santa Clara Broncos (14-12, 8-8)

• Santa Clara is coming off a 74-58 loss to Gonzaga on Monday. Earlier this year, BYU beat the Broncos 76-44 in Provo. 

Pacific Tigers (6-20, 3-12)

• The Tigers have lost three in a row and face St. Mary's on Thursday before hosting the Cougars. BYU defeated Pacific 94-68 in January.