STOCKTON, Calif. ­– Sophomore guard Nani Falatea had a career-high 27 points and six 3-pointers but the BYU women’s basketball team suffered a 79-66 loss on the road to Pacific on Saturday afternoon.

Falatea made 9 of 19 from the field and 6 of 12 from distance, keeping pace with a Pacific team that shot 45.2 percent from the field and made 17 of 22 free throws to ice the game in the end. Falatea also had five steals and three blocks, also career bests.

The Cougars (12-10, 7-4) made a season-high 12 shots from behind the arc and shot 40.0 percent from the field overall but were outrebounded 38 to 32 and outscored in the paint 30 to 18. BYU cut the lead to one point midway through the third quarter but Pacific controlled the remainder of the game.  

Forward Lauren Gustin grabbed 17 rebounds but scored only eight points to miss out on a double-double for just the second time in 22 games this year. Her 17 boards gave her 1,000 career rebounds at BYU.

Gustin is just the second Cougar to notch 1,000 boards, trailing only BYU Hall of Famer and All-American Tina Gunn Robison’s 1,482 on the all-time list at BYU.

Emma Calvert added 11 points while Kaylee Smiler had nine points on three 3-pointers. Arielle Mackey-Williams dished out six assists to tie a career-best.

Box Score

First half
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams tied at 20-20 at the end of 10 minutes. Pacific shot 60 percent from the field while BYU got four makes from downtown to keep pace.

The Tigers continued to work the paint and took a 30-25 lead in the first few minutes of the second quarter. After a Rose Bubakar three, Pacific added one more layup and led 41-34 at the break thanks to a 51.5 percent clip from the field.

Second half
Calvert hit a 3-pointer to give her 10 points and keep the Pacific lead at seven, trailing 44-37 with eight minutes to go in the third quarter. Smiler added another trey and Falatea drained her fourth of the game to make it a one-point game two minutes later with a 9-0 run.

Pacific answered however, with a 14-3 run to make it 58-46 with 1:36 left in the third quarter. Calvert made one and Falatea hit two freebies to make it 58-49 heading into the final frame.

The Tigers stayed in control and despite Falatea hitting her fifth and sixth triples in the fourth quarter, Pacific continued to cash in at the charity stripe and handed the Cougars a 79-66 loss.

BYU next plays on the road for the third consecutive game with a trip to San Diego on Feb. 4. The Cougars and Toreros will match up at 2 p.m. PST in the Jenny Craig Pavilion on the WCC Network.

PROVO, Utah – The BYU women's basketball team will head back out on the road for games against Saint Mary's on Thursday and Pacific on Saturday. Thursday's game at the University Credit Union Pavilion vs. the Gaels will begin at 6:30 p.m. PT while Saturday's matchup at Pacific is set for 2 p.m. PT at the Alex G. Spanos Center. Both games will be streamed on the WCC Network. 

BYU (11-9, 6-3) at Saint Mary's (10-10, 4-5)
Thursday, Jan. 26
6:30 p.m. PT
University Credit Union Pavilion
Moraga, California
Stream: WCC Network
Live Stats

BYU (11-9, 6-3) at Pacific (7-13, 2-7)
Saturday, Jan. 28
2 p.m. PT
Alex G. Spanos Center
Stockton, California
Stream: WCC Network
Live Stats
On Twitter: @BYUwbb

BYU Game Notes

• SAINT MARY’S (JAN. 26). The Gaels are 10-10 on the season, coming off back-to-back losses against Portland and Gonzaga at home. The Gaels visited Provo earlier in the season, going home with a 66-41 loss.
• PACIFIC (JAN 28). Pacific has lost four in a row and will play San Diego on Thursday before taking on BYU. The Cougars beat the Tigers 69-51 at the Marriott Center in game one of the season series .
• CONFERENCE PLAY. The Cougars are into West Coast Conference action for the remainder of the 2022-23 season. BYU is 6-3 in league play and currently sit in third place behind Gonzaga (9-0) and Portland (8-1) in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.
• SCORING DUO. BYU has two players averaging double-figure scoring with Lauren Gustin and Nani Falatea. Gustin leads the squad and is fifth in the WCC at 15.8 points while Falatea is ninth at 14.7 points. Falatea is coming off back-to-back 20-point efforts.
• NATION’S BEST. Forward Lauren Gustin continues to be a force down low, leading the nation with 16.3 rebounds per game. She is No. 2 in double-doubles with 19 in 20 games. Gustin is averaging 15.8 points per game and 16.2 rebounds. She is No. 1 nationally in total rebounds with 325. The junior from Salem, Utah has posted 20 or more rebounds six times this year to lead the country. She had 20 against Oklahoma, 23 against Monmouth, 22 against Pacific, a career-high 24 against San Diego, 24 at LMU and 20 against Pepperdine. She has posted two 20-20 games this year. Gustin was recently named to the Naismith College Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Award watch list.
• MILESTONES. Gustin is also approaching two major milestones. With 48 double-doubles, No. 50 is on the horizon and with 963 career rebounds, the 1,000 mark is getting close. She would join Tina Gunn Robison as the only other BYU player to hit both marks.