WCC final regular season game brings Gonzaga women to Marriott Center

PROVO, Utah— With an 18-10, 12-5 record, BYU women’s basketball is tied for second place with Saint Mary’s, heading into the final game of the 2017 West Coast Conference regular season. The team looks to remain undefeated in WCC play for the second straight year.

BYU vs. Gonzaga Game Notes

Saturday (Gonzaga)
Senior Day
$2 Cougar Tails while they last
FREE long sleeve royal shirts for the first 300 fans at the game
Chocolate Milk Game - chocolate milk prizes given out during the game
Family Passes $15 (parents & dependents)
FREE admission with Pass of all Passes

The Cougar women’s team finishes its conference slate hosting WCC regular season champion Gonzaga (23-5, 14-3 WCC) Saturday, Feb. 25, at 2 p.m. MST. The game will be carried live on BYUtv and simulcast on BYU Radio. At the end of Saturday’s game, BYU’s four seniors will be recognized.

BYU AT A GLANCE
Three players are scoring in double figures for the Cougars with a team- and league-best 18.3 points a game from junior guard Cassie Broadhead. Senior guard Makenzi Pulsipher is next in scoring, contributing 13.1 points to the Cougars offensive threat. The third BYU player to put up double digits in points is senior All-American Kalani Purcell. She’s averaging a double-double with 12.3 points and a team-and league-high 10.5 boards per game.

In the last week of the 2017 WCC regular season race, the Cougars rank first in steals and in field goal percentage defense. BYU is second in the league in scoring margin, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, assists and in assist/turnover ratio.

Overall, the Cougars are scoring 67.8 points per game, while shooting 42.8 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from behind the arc and 72.1 percent from the charity stripe. BYU grabs 36.4 rebounds a contest.

• Head coach: Jeff Judkins (Utah, ‘78), 16th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #20 C. Broadhead, 18.3 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #32 K. Purcell, 10.5 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #32 K. Purcell, 4.9 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #32 Purcell, 2.4 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: ##32 K. Purcell, 1.3 bpg

GONZAGA AT A GLANCE
Gonzaga has compiled a 23-5, 14-3 record and has clinched the 2017 WCC regular season title.

The visiting Gonzaga team returns eight letterwinners including three starters. Last season, the Bulldogs advanced to the second round of the WNIT in postseason play.

Jill Barta is the lone player for Gonzaga that is putting up double digits in points with a game-best 16.6 points a game. Kiara Kudron tops the list in the rebounds category with a 7.5 average.

The Bulldogs are shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 75.6 percent from the free-throw line while scoring 71.6 points and pulling down 40.6 boards a game.

• Head coach: Lisa Fortier (Cal-State Monterey Bay, ‘04), Third season
• Team’s leading scorer: #13 J. Barta, 16.6 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #23 K. Kudron, 7.5 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #11 L. Stockton, 4.2 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #31 E. Tinkle, 1.7 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #13 J. Barta/#31 E. Tinkle, .96 bpg

THE SERIES
Gonzaga leads the series 13-8. This will be the second meeting between these two league foes this year. On Feb. 2, in Spokane, the home standing Bulldogs recorded the 87-52 win behind a school-record 17 3-pointers. When playing in Provo, Gonzaga has a 3-4 mark, winning at the Marriott Center the last time on Feb. 28, 2015, a 73-66 Bulldog victory.

COMING UP
BYU women’s basketball heads to Las Vegas to compete in the 2017 West Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Championships at the Orleans Arena, March 2 -7. The winner of the league championship receives an automatic bid into the 2017 NCAA tournament.