Conference play continues on the road for BYU, at Portland and Gonzaga this week

PROVO, Utah— BYU women’s basketball begins the second half of the West Coast Conference race with road games at Portland and Gonzaga.

The Cougars take on the Pilots Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. PST from the Chiles Center.  BYU then travels to Spokane to take on No. 12 Gonzaga on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. PST. A live video stream will be available on the WCC Network for both games.

BYU at Portland Notes

ABOUT BYU

• With the 71-48 home win over Santa Clara on Saturday, BYU women’s basketball improved its record to 12-7, 7-2 on the season; is on a five-game win streak and is in second place in the WCC standings
• BYU is averaging 61.8 points and 40.7 rebounds a game; is 12-4 when they get more blocks than their opponents; is 11-1 when dishing out more assists than opponents; is 12-1 when leading at the half
• The team is nationally ranked 3rd (32.3) in field goal percentage defense; 4thin blocked shots (124) and in blocked shots per game; 23rd (55.4) in scoring defense; 24th (27.25) in defensive rebounds per game
• Two players are scoring in double digits for BYU led by 14.4 points from Paisley Johnson; Brenna Drollinger contributes 11.5 points; Drollinger ranks 24th all-time in career points with 1,168; leads in assists and steals with 4.3 and 2.0 averages
• Sara Hamson leads in rebounds and blocks, with 7.9 boards and 4.37 blocks; ranks 1st (83) in the nation in blocked shots and 2nd (4.37) in blocked shots per game
• After 19 games played, BYU is averaging 61.8 points and pulls down 40.7 rebounds a contest
• The Cougars are holding opponents to just 55.4 points and are allowing only 37.8 rebounds a game

ABOUT PORTLAND

• Portland has a 13-7, 6-3 record on the year recording league wins over BYU, St. Mary’s, San Francisco, Santa Clara, LMU and Pepperdine; the team is on a five-game win streak just like the Cougars 
• Alex Fowler leads the Pilots in scoring with a team-best 17.5 points a game; teammate Haylee Andrews follows with a 17.2 point average; Kate Andersen rounds out the double-figure scoring for Portland with 14.2 points a contest; Fowler leads the way in rebounding with a 7.9 average while Andrews is tallying a team-high 5.9 assists a game
• The Pilots are averaging 70.6 points and 36 rebounds a game
• Portland was picked to finish in last place in this year’s WCC race
• Head coach Michael Meeks is in his first season at the helm of the Portland women’s program; he has a 13-7 record on the year

ABOUT GONZAGA

• Gonzaga has compiled a 20-1, 9-0 record on the year and is ranked No. 12 in the latest USA Today Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll
• In WCC play, the Bulldogs host San Diego Thursday night before Saturday’s game with BYU
• Three players are contributing double-digit points for Gonzaga led by 12 points from Jill Townsend; Jenn Wirth follows with 11.7 points; Katie Campbell rounds out the double-digit scoring with 10.9 points; Wirth tops the leaderboard in rebounds with a team-best 6.2 rebounds; Jessie Loera tops the list in assists (5.1) and steals (1.7)
• Gonzaga is averaging 70.5 points and pulls down 37.8 rebounds a contest
• The Bulldogs were picked to finish in first place in this year’s conference race
• Head coach Lisa Fortier is in her fifth season at the helm of Gonzaga’s program where she has compiled a 148-41 record

SERIES HISTORY

• In the overall series with Portland, BYU has the 24-5 advantage; in the first meeting with the Pilots this year, Portland picked up the 57-44 win in Provo on January 4; when playing In Portland, the Cougars are 12-2
• Gonzaga leads the overall series with BYU 16-12; when playing in Spokane, the Cougars have a 3-9 record, beating the Bulldogs on their home court last year, 66-64 on Feb. 16, 2019; in this year’s first matchup between the two league foes, the Bulldogs picked up the 55-43 win in Provo on Jan. 2

UP NEXT
BYU continues league play on the road next week, traveling to San Diego to take on the Toreros on Saturday, Feb.1, at 2 p.m. PST. A live video stream of the game will be available on the WCC Network.