In the Bay Area for two league games

BYU at USF Game Notes

PROVO, Utah —The Cougar women (11-4, 3-1) continue their road swing through the Bay area in northern California for another West Coast Conference matchup.  

BYU is at San Francisco for a game with the Dons (10-6, 1-4) on Sat. Jan. 9 at 2 p.m. PT from War Memorial Gym. The game will air live on BYU Radio.

BYU at a Glance
In week three of WCC play, BYU has three players putting up double figures in scoring, led by All-American senior guard Lexi Eaton Rydalch, who averages 23.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Junior Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher is next with 11.5 points. All-American Kalani Purcell, a JC transfer from Hutchinson Community College and Hamilton, New Zealand, rounds out the scoring with her 10.5 points and with a team best 12.1 rebounds is averaging a double-double. 

The Cougars are scoring 68.3 points per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the field, 67.1 percent from the free throw line and 36.5 percent from 3-point range. BYU is holding opponents to 60.9 points per game.

• Head coach: Jeff Judkins (Utah, ‘78) 15th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #21 L. Eaton Rydalch, 23.7 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #32 K. Purcell, 12.1 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #32 K. Purcell, 3.9 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #23 M. Morrison Pulsipher, 2.0 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #32, K. Purcell, .87 bpg

SAN FRANCISCO at a Glance
The Dons enter this week’s WCC action with a 10-6, 1-4 record and a league win over Portland. They lost at Gonzaga and at Pacific to open the conference race and most recently lost to San Diego in overtime Thursday night.

San Francisco’s roster consists of  eight letterwinners including two starters from last year’s team that compiled a 19-14, 8-10 record, played against BYU in the WCC championship game and competed in the first round of the postseason WNIT.

Three players who are scoring in double figures provide the offensive threat for the Dons this year. Taylor Proctor is atop the leaderboard with 20.4 points and a team-best 8.9 rebounds per game. She’s followed by 14.9 points from Zhane Dikes and 12.8 points from Rachel Howard.  Howard and Proctor tie in the assists category, dishing out 3.4 assists a game. 

USF is shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from behind the arc and 72.6 percent from the charity stripe while scoring 72.2 points a contest.

• Head coach: Jennifer Azzi, Sixth Season
• Team’s leading scorer: #32 T. Proctor, 20.4 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #32 T. Proctor, 8.9 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #11 R. Howard & #32 Proctor, 3.4 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #01 Z. Dikes, 2.1 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #32 Proctor, 1.4 bpg

Series History
BYU leads the series 10-2. In last year’s regular season meetings, the Cougars swept the series over the Dons. The two league foes met a third time last year in the championship game of the WCC tournament in Las Vegas. BYU won that game, 76-65 to clinch its second conference tournament crown.

In the regular season, the two foes first played on Jan. 3 in Provo with BYU getting the 65-62 win. Then on Jan. 29 in San Francisco, the Cougars defeated the Dons by five points, 68-63.

BYU has a 5-1 record when playing in  San Francisco. They last lost at War Memorial Gym on Jan. 26, 2013 when the homestanding Dons picked up a 65-56 victory.

Coming Up Next
BYU returns to Provo for two straight weeks of league games. The Cougars host Gonzaga on Jan. 14 and Portland on Jan. 16.