Women battle USF in Championship game

BYU vs. USF Game Notes

LAS VEGAS— With the 87-67 win over Santa Clara, BYU women’s basketball (26-5) advances to the finals of the 2016 WCC tournament for the third straight time, fourth since joining the league in 2011-12. The Cougars won the league championship crown in 2012 and in 2015.

The No. 1 seeded Cougars will battle No. 6 seed San Francisco (20-11), Tuesday, March 8 at 1 p.m. PT. The game can be seen live on ESPNU. It will also be carried live on BYU Radio on Sirius XM 143 and streamed online.

The Dons advanced into the finals with an upset 67-65 victory over No. 2 seed Saint Mary’s.

BYU and USF met last year in the championship game where the Cougars picked up the 76-65 win as the No. 5 seed

BYU at a Glance
Three Cougar players are scoring in double figures with a team-best 24.3 points from WCC Player of the Year and senior All-American Lexi Eaton Rydalch. She’s BYU’s second all-time leading scorer and the WCC’s all-time leading scorer. Rydalch ranks second on the team in rebounds, pulling down 6.0 boards a game. Junior Makenzi Morrison Pulsipher is second contributing 12.6 points to the Cougars’ offensive threat. The WCC’s Newcomer of Year and All-American Kalani Purcell, a JC transfer from Hutchinson Community College and Hamilton, New Zealand, rounds out the scoring with 11.6 points, and with a team-best 12.6 rebounds is averaging a double-double. Purcell tops the league in rebounds and in assists while Rydalch leads the way in scoring.

The Cougars are scoring 69.7 points and grabbing 38.0 rebounds while shooting 42.5 percent from the field, 69.9 percent from the free throw line and 37.3 percent from 3-point range. BYU is holding opponents to 61.3 points per game.

• Head coach: Jeff Judkins (Utah, ‘78) 15th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #21 L. Eaton Rydalch, 24.3 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #32 K. Purcell, 12.6 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #32 K. Purcell, 4.8 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #23 M. Pulsipher, 2.0 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #32, K. Purcell, .81 bpg

SAN FRANCISCO at a Glance
The Dons enter this year’s title game of the WCC Championship with a 20-11 record. They advanced by picking up an 84-80 OT win over San Diego and a two-point 67-65 win over Saint Mary’s.

Three players who are scoring in double figures provide the offensive threat for the Dons this year. Taylor Proctor is atop the leaderboard with 18.3 points and a team-best 8.4 rebounds per game. She’s followed by 13.9 points from Zhane Dikes and 11.6 points from Rachel Howard.

USF is shooting 43.1 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from behind the arc and 75.0 percent from the charity stripe while scoring 72.1 points a contest.

• Head coach: Jennifer Azzi, Sixth season
• Team’s leading scorer: #32 T. Proctor, 18.3 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #32 T. Proctor, 8.4 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #32 Proctor, 3.4 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #01 Z. Dikes, 2.2 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #32 Proctor, 1.1 bpg

Series History
BYU leads the series 12-2.

The Cougars won both games during this year’s WCC race. They played in San Francisco on January 9 where they picked up the 66-57 win. Then in their second matchup played on Feb. 11 in Provo, BYU won 65-62 on a 3-point half-court basket by Lexi Rydalch.

This will be the second straight time that the two have met in the championship game. In last year’s title contest, the Cougars clinched their second WCC Championship crown with a 76-65 victory over the Dons.

Coming Up
The winner of the WCC Championships receives an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.