BYU to face LMU on Thursday
PROVO, Utah — BYU women’s basketball remains on the road to face Loyola Marymount at Gersten Pavilion on Thursday, Jan. 7, at 6 p.m. PST. The matchup will be streamed live on the WCC Network.
Thursday’s contest will be the 20th all-time matchup between the two teams, dating back to the 1996-97 season. The Cougars (6-2, 2-1) swept the season series last year and hold a 19-2 series advantage over the Lions (3-6, 2-2).
ABOUT BYU (6-2, 2-1)
- The Cougars dropped to 2-1 in conference play Monday after narrowly falling to San Diego on the road, 58-56
- Lauren Gustin is averaging a team-high 13.1 rebounds per game, ranking her 4th in the nation. Gustin ranks 2nd in the country in defensive rebounds per game with 10.1
- Shaylee Gonzales leads the WCC in scoring with a 20.4 point-per-game average. She is currently the 37th highest scorer in the nation
- Sara Hamson has tallied 19 blocks this season and currently ranks 19th in the country in total blocked shots. Hamson passed her older sister, Jennifer, as No. 2 on BYU’s all-time career blocks list (343) against San Diego. Sara's mom Tresa Spaulding Hamson holds the BYU career record (494)
- In addition to Gonzales, Gustin (12.5 ppg) and Paisley Harding Johnson (11.3 ppg) are also averaging double figures in scoring
- Tegan Graham is the Cougars’ fourth leading scorer, averaging 6.9 points per game off the bench
- In assists, Maria Albiero leads the team with 4.3 apg
ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT (3-6, 2-2)
- The Lions picked up a pair of conference wins on the road last week with victories over Santa Clara (66-57) and San Francisco (72-55)
- Junior guard Ariel Johnson leads LMU in scoring (12.7 ppg) and steals (1.3 spg)
- Sophomore guard Ciera Ellington (12.4 ppg) and sophomore forward Khari Clark (10.2) are also averaging double figures in scoring this season
- Clark is pulling down a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game for the Lions
- Senior forward Meghan Mandel leads the team in blocks (2.4 bpg) while freshman guard Nicole Rodriguez is LMU’s assist leader (3.0 apg)
- Last season, the Lions finished 10th in the WCC standings with a 3-15 conference record. LMU was picked to finish 8th in this year’s Preseason WCC Poll
- Head coach Charity Elliott, in her 9th season at LMU, has a 101-157 record with the program
SERIES HISTORY
- BYU leads the all-time series with LMU, 19-2
- The Cougars are 7-2 against the Lions when playing in Los Angeles
- In 2020, BYU swept the season series. The most recent meeting resulted in a 57-42 Cougar win at the Marriott Center
UP NEXT
BYU returns to the Marriott Center next week to host a pair of WCC foes in Saint Mary’s and Pacific. The Cougars will first face Saint Mary’s on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 6 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcast live on BYUtv and on the BYUtv App.
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