BYU women’s basketball 2018-19 schedule released

PROVO, Utah— BYU women’s basketball has announced the team’s 2018-19 schedule, featuring seven programs that competed in post season play last year and five home nonconference contests.

The 11-game nonconference schedule brings UC Riverside, Pac-12 foe Cal, Eastern Washington, Colorado State and Northern Colorado to the Marriott Center.

In West Coast Conference action, 18 games will decide the league’s regular season champion with nine of those games being played in Provo.

Three-straight home games open up the 2018-19 campaign for the Cougar women with a Nov. 9 matchup versus UC Riverside. The Highlanders finished in seventh place in the Big West Conference last year.

Pac-12 powerhouse Cal competed in the NCAA championships in 2018 after a 21-11, 11-7 record, and finishing fifth in league play. The Bears will be making their first ever trip to Provo on Nov. 13.

Eastern Washington comes to the Marriott Center on Nov. 17. The Eagles concluded the 2017-18 year with a 17-14, 12-6 record including  a third place finish in the Big Sky conference. EW last played in Provo in 2011.

Five-straight road games takes BYU to in-state rival Utah State on Nov. 20. The Aggies placed ninth in the Mountain West Conference standings last year with a 5-13 mark and went 7-23 overall. The seven wins included a 76-69 upset victory over the Cougars in Provo.

BYU will then travel to San Diego during the Thanksgiving holiday, competing in a tournament hosted by San Diego State. The Cougars take on TCU on Nov. 23 and Cal Baptist on Nov. 24. The Horned Frogs advanced to the semifinals of last year’s WNIT postseason tournament after a 23-13, 9-9 record. TCU competes in the Big-12 conference. Cal Baptist compiled a 17-12, 14-6 record finishing third in the PacWest.

Road contests at three in-state foes’ home arenas round out the month of November for BYU. The Cougars are at SUU on Nov. 27, at UVU on Nov. 29 and start the month of December at Utah on the 8th. The Thunderbirds went 3-27, 2-16 last year, placing 12th in the Big Sky conference. BYU last played in Cedar City in 2009.

Utah Valley University concluded last year with an 11-19, 5-9 record and a sixth place standing in the Western Athletic Conference. The Cougars have a 3-0 record when playing in Orem and will battle the Wolverines on Nov. 29.

In-state rival Utah hosts BYU in Salt Lake City on Dec. 8. The Utes went 18-14, 8-10 on the year, placed eighth in the Pac-12 and played in the postseason WNIT.

The team’s final two nonconference games are at home with a contest against Colorado State on Dec. 15 and a game vs. Northern Colorado on Dec. 21.

Two of the seven teams that competed in postseason play in 2018 make trips to Provo in December. Colorado State, who finished with a 21-12 overall and 11-7 in Mountain West conference play make an appearance in the Marriott Center on Dec. 15. The Rams participated in the postseason WNIT.

Northern Colorado, who played in the NCAA tournament in 2018, represented the Big Sky with a first-place 15-3 mark in league play. They went 26-7 overall. The Bears are in Provo on Dec. 21 and round out the nonconference portion of the 2018-19 campaign.

In WCC play, the Cougars open the slate on the road with games at Santa Clara and San Francisco on Dec. 29 and Dec. 31. During last year’s league race, the Cougars swept the series versus Santa Clara and split with the Dons with each team winning on its home court.

Pepperdine and LMU travel to Provo the first week of January. BYU hosts the Waves on Jan. 3 and the Lions on Jan. 5. The Cougars swept the series versus these two league foes in 2017-18.

Two road games follow for BYU with games at Pacific and Saint Mary’s on Jan. 10 and 12, respectively. In the league series, the Cougars split the series against the Tigers and the Gaels with each team winning at home.

Gonzaga, the last team on the BYU schedule that competed in postseason play, comes to Provo on Jan.17. The Cougars then host Portland on Jan. 19.  The Bulldogs, who competed in the first round of the NCAA tournament, swept the series with BYU while the Pilots lost both meetings against the Cougars.

Three road league games are on the slate for the Cougars beginning with a contest at San Diego on Jan. 26. The Toreros won both games against BYU during the regular league season and then in the quarterfinal of the WCC championships, San Diego also won. The team is at LMU and at Pepperdine on Jan. 31 and Feb. 2, respectively.

The second half of league play continues with home games against SMC and Pacific on Feb. 7 and Feb. 9.

BYU’s final conference road trip finishes in the Pacific Northwest with a contest at Portland on Feb. 14 and at Gonzaga on Feb. 16.

Rounding out the WCC schedule, the Cougars are at home for three-straight home games. They host San Diego on Feb. 23 and then battle San Francisco on Feb. 28 and Santa Clara on Mar. 2.

BYU will host Dixie State in one exhibition game on Nov. 6.