BYU women’s basketball hosts Dixie State in exhibition Tuesday

PROVO, Utah – BYU women’s basketball will host Dixie State Tuesday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m., in an exhibition contest.

Tuesday’s game is free to the public and will give Cougar fans the first opportunity to see the 16-member 2018-19 team in action at the Marriott Center.  

About BYU

BYU returns two starters in junior guard Brenna Chase and sophomore center Sara Hamson. Chase was named to the West Coast Conference First Team last season and was on this year’s All-WCC Preseason Team. Hamson returns as the reigning 2017 WCC Defensive Player of the Year, while leading the nation in blocked shots per game.

Among the returning letterwinners is junior forward Shalae Salmon, who played in all games and started in 13 last season. The 6-foot-3 center from Porirua, New Zealand, averaged 4.8 points and 5.4 rebounds a game.

Jasmine Moody, a 6-foot-2 forward, is the lone senior with playing time on the team. She played in the first five games last year before a leg injury sidelined her the remainder of the season. During the 2016-17 campaign, she played in 26 games averaging 10.3 minutes of playing time and contributed 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds to a team that compiled a 20-12 record.

Sophomores Paisley Johnson and Maria Albiero are back for their second season on the team. Both played in all games last year. Johnson averaged 5.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while playing nearly 20 minutes a game. Albiero, from Londrina, Brazil, averaged almost nine minutes of playing time contributing 2.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.76 assists per contest.

With a total of 11 underclassmen, the 2018-19 will be very young. Five standout true freshmen along with three redshirt freshmen are part of the young class.

The team will also boast a talented international presence after adding one more player from Brazil, one from New Zealand and one from Sweden. A total of six foreign players with international playing experience will be part of this year's team.

Last year, the Cougars compiled a 16-14 record, going 11-7 in conference play for third place in the WCC regular season race.

About Dixie State

Dixie State finished the 2017-18 season with a 12-15 record, and 8-12 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

This year’s squad returns the second leading scorer, sophomore guard Mariah Martin, who averaged 10.5 points per game while dishing out 4.6 assists per contest. Senior Maile Richardson returns for her senior season with averages of 5.3 rebounds and 7.2 points a game.

Head coach JD Gustin enters his third season at the helm of the Trailblazers' women’s basketball program.

Up Next for BYU

The Cougar women officially open the 2018-19 season hosting UC Riverside on Friday, Nov. 9, at 5 p.m. MST. The game will be carried live on BYUtv.