No. 18 BYU beats Pacific 94-68 at home

PROVO, Utah – The No. 18 BYU women’s basketball team moved to 2-0 in West Coast Conference play with a 94-68 win against Pacific on Saturday in the Marriott Center.

BYU (12-1, 2-0) sophomore Shaylee Gonzales scored 22 points making it her eighth game this year with more than 20 points. She came up short of a triple-double but added eight rebounds and seven assists. 

Today's win over the Tigers (3-9, 0-1) marks the sixth game this season that senior guard Tegan Graham scored three or more 3-pointers, totaling five on the day for 15 points and five assists. 

“I am really proud of these guys,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “I think we moved the ball really well, especially at the beginning of the game. We did a great job reading what the defense gave us and that’s when this team is good.”

The Cougars assisted on 24 of 36 baskets and shot 45.0 percent from the field. Lauren Gustin added her seventh double-double of the year with 12 points and 13 rebounds while Paisley Harding added 14 points. 

Box Score

First Half
Graham started the scoring for BYU with a quick three in the first two minutes of the game. The Cougars kept their lead through the entirety of the first quarter with a 21-0 run, holding the Tigers to just 26.7 percent from the field to lead 30-10 after one quarter. 

With a few early three-pointers in the second quarter by Graham and Nani Falatea and eight rebounds by Gustin, BYU pulled ahead by 23 points going into the half. 

Gonzales led the Cougars with 15 points, followed close behind by Graham’s 12. With strong performances on the defensive side of the ball by Gonzales and Gustin, BYU went into the half having forced 10 turnovers and snagging 24 rebounds. 

The Cougars went 7 of 7 from the line and shot 48.8 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from the three-point line in the first half. BYU played strong as a team going into the second half assisting 14 of 20 from the field. 

Second Half 
With two early points off free throws, Gustin notched a double-double for the third game in a row and her seventh this season.

BYU shot 50 percent from the field making 5 of 7 in the last two minutes of the third quarter. With the continued momentum, the Cougars ended the quarter up by 27 points for a score of 78-51.

BYU started the fourth quarter hot with a 7-0 scoring run against Pacific. With 14 points off the bench in the final quarter, BYU finished the game with a 26-point win against the Tigers for a final score of 94-68.

The Cougar defense continued to shine in the second half capitalizing on seven opponent turnovers for nine points. BYU shot a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw line tonight and had 10 players get in the scoring column. 

BYU honored the 2002 women’s basketball team who went to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament during today’s game by inviting the alumni out on the court and presenting a recap video of their historic season. Following the game, the current team and the 2002 team met together in the locker room.

The Cougars next game is Thursday, Jan. 13 at the Marriott Center against St. Mary's at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on BYUtv.