Cougar women host No. 16 Gonzaga in WCC home opener Thursday night

PROVO, Utah— With a 2-0 record in West Coast Conference play, BYU women’s basketball continues league action at home. The Cougars host No. 16 Gonzaga Thursday, Jan. 2, at 7 p.m. MDT. The game will be carried live on BYUtv and on the BYUtv App.

BYU vs. Gonzaga Game Notes

Gonzaga vs. BYU Game Notes

ABOUT BYU

• Entering the second week of league play, the Cougar women are 7-5, 2-0 on the season after picking up road wins over LMU and Pepperdine; Monday’s victory over the Waves gave coach Judkins his 400th career win; he is the all-time winningest basketball head coach for either men or women
• In nine of the 12 games played, BYU has had three players score in double figures; Paisley Johnson leads the team in scoring with a 14.7 average; Brenna Drollinger averages 12.1 ppg; she ranks 26th all-time in career points with 1,094 and is the team’s assists and steals leader with 4.0 and 1.8 averages; junior center Sara Hamson leads the way in rebounds (8.2) and blocks (3.7)
• The Cougars finished the nonconference portion of the schedule with a 5-5 record; during the month of December the team played six road games and just one at home
• BYU was picked to finish second in this year’s WCC race; Drollinger, Johnson and Hamson made the Preseason Team
• Gonzaga leads the overall series 15-12; when playing in Provo, the Bulldogs have a 4-6 record; in last year’s league race, the Cougars swept the series with Gonzaga for the first time including an 82-68 third victory in the title game of last year’s WCC Championships
• This year’s BYU roster boasts six international players: from Brazil (2) - Maria Albiero, Londrina and Babalu Ugwu from Jundai, Sao Paolo; from New Zealand (3) - Shalae Salmon, Porirua, Kaylee Smiler, Hamilton and Khaedin Taito, Hastings; from Sweden (1) - Signe Glantz from Ostersund

ABOUT GONZAGA

• Gonzaga has compiled a 12-1, 1-0 record and is ranked No. 16 in the latest USA Today Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll
• In WCC play, the Bulldogs defeated Portland in Spokane, 62-57 on Sunday
• Four players are contributing double-digit points for Gonzaga led by 11.5 points from Jenn Wirth; Jill Townsend follows with 11.2 points; Katie Campbell is scoring 11.1 with LeeAnne Wirth putting up 10.1 points; Townsend and Melody Kempton pull down a team-best 5.4 rebounds each; Jessie Loera tops the list in assists (5.9) and steals (1.9)
• Gonzaga is averaging 72.5 points and pulls down 36.4 rebounds a contest
• The Bulldogs were picked to finish in first place in this year’s conference race as voted on by the league’s head coaches last October
• Head coach Lisa Fortier is in her fifth season at the helm of Gonzaga’s program where she has compiled a 139-41 record

 UP NEXT

After Thursday’s Gonzaga game, BYU hosts WCC foe Portland on Saturday, Jan. 4, at 2 p.m. MDT. The game between the Cougars and Pilots will be carried live on BYUtv and on the BYUtv App.