BYU begins conference play at Gonzaga and Portland

PROVO, Utah – The BYU women's basketball team will open its West Coast Conference Schedule against No. 23 Gonzaga and Portland this weekend on the road.

League play begins with the Bulldogs in Spokane on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. PST. The game will be streamed on the WCC Network. 

BYU then takes on Portland on Monday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. PST at the Chiles Center in Portland. The game will also be streamed on the WCC Network and available locally on Portland's CW Network. 

BYU (4-6) at No. 23 Gonzaga (9-2)
Saturday, Dec. 17
2 p.m. PST
McCarthey Center
Spokane, Washington
Stream: WCC Network
Live Stats at Gonzaga

BYU (4-6) at No. 23 Gonzaga (9-2)
Monday, Dec. 19
6 p.m. PST
Chiles Center
Portland, Oregon
Stream: WCC Network
Live Stats at Portland

BYU Game Notes

• GONZAGA (DEC. 17). The Bulldogs are coming off a 73-55 win over UC Davis and are 9-2 on the season, ranked No. 23 in the Associated Press Top 25. This will be the second consecutive game against a ranked opponent after playing No. 15 Utah the week before. The Bulldogs defeated the Cougars in the WCC Tournament Championship last season but BYU swept the regular-season series.
• PORTLAND. (DEC. 19). The Pilots beat Portland State 71-56 and will host WCC opponent San Diego on Saturday before welcoming the Cougars on Monday. Last season, BYU lost its only regular-season conference game at Portland last year.
• LAST GAME. The Cougars fought hard against the nation’s top-ranked offense but fell to No. 15 Utah 76-59. The Utes entered the game averaging 97 points per game.
• CONFERENCE PLAY. BYU is opening West Coast Conference play against Gonzaga and Portland. Last year BYU went 15-1 in league play, winning the regular season title. Portland handed BYU its only regular season loss while the Zags defeated the Cougars in the tournament.
• NEW ERA. BYU has a new head coach in Amber Whiting this year for the first time in 21 seasons after the retirement of Jeff Judkins. Judkins, the winningest coach in school history (455 wins) paved the way for first-time head coach Amber Whiting, a Cougar alum to take the rains in 2022-23. BYU is will also need to replace the WCC Player of the Year (Shaylee Gonzales), another All-WCC First Team selection (Paisley Harding) and an All-WCC Honorable Mention (Tegan Graham). The Cougars are also replacing point guard Maria Albiero who was tied with Paisley Harding for the most played games in school history.
• DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE. Forward Lauren Gustin continues to be a force down low and leads the nation with 10 double-doubles in 10 games to start the season. BYU Hall of Famer Tina Gunn Robison began the 1979-80 season with 17 double-doubles in a row, finishing with 27 on the year. Gustin is averaging 16.0 points per game and 13.7 rebounds. She is No. 2 nationally in rebounds per game. The junior from Salem, Utah, is No. 3 in total rebounds with 137. Gustin posted a season-high 20 rebounds against No. 16 Oklahoma.