Cougars host Portland on Saturday

PROVO, Utah — BYU women’s basketball gears up for its final home game of the season as it hosts Portland on Saturday, Feb. 20, at 2 p.m. MST. The matchup will be broadcast live on BYUtv and on the BYUtv App.

The Cougars (15-3, 11-2) look to cap off an undefeated home record when it welcomes the Pilots (10-10, 7-7) into town. BYU is 8-0 in the Marriott Center this season and has won 15 straight games at home, dating back to the 2019-20 campaign. The Cougars’ last home loss came by way of Portland on Jan. 4, 2020.

BYU vs. Portland Game Notes

ABOUT BYU (15-3, 11-2)

• The Cougars are coming off an emotional 61-56 win over No. 16 Gonzaga in the Marriott Center on Thursday, snapping the Bulldogs’ 17-game winning streak
• BYU remains in second place in the WCC standings, 1.5 games back from Gonzaga and 1.5 games ahead of third place San Diego
• Lauren Gustin is currently the nation’s second-leading rebounder (12.7 rpg). The sophomore forward is on pace to secure the fifth-highest single-season rebound average in program history
• Sara Hamson leads the WCC in blocks per game (2.8) and ranks 13th nationally in the category. Hamson’s 386 career blocks is the most among active players in the NCAA
• Shaylee Gonzales is the WCC’s second-leading scorer (17.7 ppg) and leads the team in assists (4.0 apg) and steals (2.6 spg)
• Following Gonzales, Paisley Johnson Harding (13.4 ppg), Gustin (12.0 ppg) and Tegan Graham (8.0 ppg) round out BYU’s top four scorers
• As a team, the Cougars lead the WCC in field goal percentage defense (.349), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.288) and defensive rebounds per game (27.2). BYU ranks 15th nationally in field goal percentage defense and 26th in assists per game (16.7)

ABOUT PORTLAND (10-10, 7-7)

• The Pilots fell to San Diego on Thursday 66-59 and currently sit in sixth place in the WCC standings
• Sophomore forward Alex Fowler and junior guard Haylee Andrews are both averaging 15.6 points per game to pace Portland in scoring
• Fowler also leads the Pilots in rebounds (7.8 rpg), steals (1.6 spg) and blocks (0.7 bpg)
• Andrews is the WCC’s assist leader with a 5.4 assist-per-game average. She currently ranks 12th in the country in total assists (102)
• Following Fowler and Andrews, senior guard Maddie Muhlheim (8.1 ppg) and freshman guard Emme Shearer (6.5 ppg) round out Portland’s top four scorers
• As a team, the Pilots rank 10th nationally in total assists (351) and steals (204). Portland leads the WCC in assists per game (17.6) and ranks second in the conference in steals per game (10.2)
• Last season, Portland won the WCC Tournament after defeating top-seeded Gonzaga in the semifinals and San Diego in the championship game

SERIES HISTORY

• BYU holds a 25-5 all-time series advantage over the Pilots
• The Cougars are 11-3 when playing Portland in the Marriott Center
• Saturday’s matchup will be the first this season between the two teams, as the Jan. 21 contest scheduled to take place in Portland was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols
• Last season, BYU and the Pilots split the season series. The Cougars won the most recent matchup 66-54 on the road

UP NEXT

BYU will close out the regular season with a pair of road matchups next week against Santa Clara and San Francisco. The Cougars will first take on the Broncos on Thursday, Feb. 25 on the WCC Network.