Cougars Cruise to 65-52 Win Over Pacific

STOCKTON, Calif. — BYU women’s basketball jumped out to a 13-point first-quarter lead and never looked back in a 65-52 win over Pacific Thursday night at the Alex G. Spanos Center.

BYU at Pacific Final Box Score

“I’m proud of our team,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “I thought we played a really good game defensively. We were very active and didn’t give up a lot of easy baskets. We also did a good job of moving the ball on offense and getting some easy fast-break baskets. It’s hard to get a win here, so I’m happy for our team.”

Shaylee Gonzales and Paisley Johnson Harding scored 14 points apiece to lead the Cougars (13-3, 9-2) to their fourth consecutive win. Gonzales added four assists and four rebounds while Harding tallied three boards and two assists.

Lauren Gustin notched her ninth double-double of the season, pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with 10 points. Maria Albiero contributed nine points, six rebounds and three assists, while Sara Hamson tallied six points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

As a team, BYU shot a 45.6% clip from the floor while holding the Tigers (6-10, 4-9) to just 24.6% shooting on the night.

Triples from Gonzales, Albiero and Graham fueled a 13-5 BYU run to start the game. Following a Gustin three-point play, Harding got a put-back lay-in to fall and Graham found Gonzales for a reverse layup as the Cougars took a 22-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Harding opened the second quarter with a midrange jumper and a scoop layup before Albiero hit a 3-pointer to put BYU up 20, 33-13, midway through the period. Gustin scored in the post, Tahlia White drained a 3-pointer and Graham hit a runner off the glass to give the Cougars a 42-20 halftime lead. BYU shot 53% from the floor in the first half while holding Pacific to just 22% shooting.

A pair of transition baskets by Harding and another by Albiero extended the Cougars’ lead to 52-25 just three minutes into the third quarter. Gonzales knocked down a trey from the left wing and Harding hit another in the corner to put BYU up 59-35 heading into the fourth.

The Tigers refused to go down without a fight, outscoring the Cougars 17-6 in the final period, but a Hamson jumper and an Albiero free throw sealed the 65-52 win for BYU.    

The Cougars close out their California road trip on Saturday, Feb. 13, when they take on Saint Mary’s at 12 p.m. PST at the University Credit Union Pavilion. The game will be streamed live on the WCC Network.  

Player Notes

• Gonzales filled the stat sheet with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in 31 minutes of action
• Harding also tallied 14 points to go along with three rebounds and two assists
• Gustin recorded her ninth double-double of the season, racking up 13 boards and 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting while also adding a steal and an assist
• Hamson scored six points on 3 of 5 shooting and added seven rebounds, three blocks, one assist and one steal
• Albiero contributed five points, five rebounds, two assists and one block
• Coming off the bench, Tegan Graham chipped in five points, five rebounds, two assists and a block

Team Notes

• BYU shot 53.1% from the floor in the first half while holding Pacific to just 22% shooting. For the game, the Cougars shot 45.6% compared to the Tigers’ 24.6%
• BYU dominated the paint, out-rebounding Pacific 40-26 and scoring 36 points in the key to the Tigers’ 14
• The Cougars won the assist (18-12) and block (7-1) battles
• BYU tallied seven fast-break points on the night while not giving up any to Pacific
• The Tigers tallied 15 steals to the Cougars’ four and had 21 bench points to BYU’s 12
• The Cougars led throughout the entire game