Johnson and Gonzales help BYU beat Pacific 77-74, remain undefeated in WCC play

STOCKTON, Calif – Paisley Johnson and Shaylee Gonzales scored in double digits in the 77-74 win over Pacific and secure the Cougars unblemished 5-0 league record, Thursday at Alex G. Spanos Center.

BYU vs. Pacific Final Box Score

“We had some great plays from several players in the win tonight,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “ I thought Paisley played a great game, they had a hard time guarding her. Brenna did a good job on their top player and Shaylee had another great game. Defensively, I thought Sara had a really good game, played like herself tonight.”

Johnson and Gonzales led BYU (13-3, 5-0) with 24 points and two 3-pointers each. Gonzales also contributed three assists and nine rebounds. Moody added eight points and nine rebounds, while Salmon brought six points and four assists. Chase also put five points on the board with one 3-pointer.  

A defensive rebound and a layup by Shalae Salmon started the scoring for the Cougars who quickly took a 6-4 lead in the sixth minute. The two teams traded baskets until Johnson came in with a jumper for a 10-9 lead. Scores by Gonzales, Johnson, Brenna Chase and Sara Hamson gave the Cougars a 22-13 lead as the team closed out the first period leading the Tigers (9-5, 2-2) 22-17.

Two made free throws by Jasmine Moody maintained the Cougar lead. Midway through the quarter, Johnson knocked down two 3-pointers to give BYU a 32-24 advantage.  Moody and Gonzales contributed layups of their own and Chase came in with a 3-pointer for a 39-31 BYU lead. Another jumper and a final 3-pointer by Gonzales closed the first half with the Cougars leading 44-37.

Two easy layups from Salmon started the second half for the Cougars. Johnson took advantage of a fast break and scored in the paint, bringing the score to 50-42 in favor of the visiting BYU team. Gonzales made her second 3-pointer of the night near the end of the third quarter. Pacific cut into the lead with four made free throws before Johnson responded with a jumper. Baskets by Hamson, Maria Albiero and Gonzales gave BYU a nine-point, 63-54 lead to close out the third period.

A quick basket in the post from Moody pushed the Cougars’ lead to 11, 65-54 to start the final period. The Tigers made a comeback, cutting the lead to just two points, 65-63 on a three-pointer. A basket by Gonzales put BYU up 67-63. Back-and-forth points from both teams brought the first tie of the night at 69-69 with 2:13 left on the clock before a Moody layup gave BYU the lead. Pacific answered with a layup and free throw to get them within one, 73-72, with 20 seconds left. After two fouls on the Tigers and four critical made free throws by Gonzales, the Cougars secured the win at 77-74.

BYU will next travel to Moraga, California, to face Saint Mary’s at McKeon Pavilion on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 2 p.m. PST. The game will have a live video stream on TheW.tv.

Team Notes

• With the win over Pacific, BYU improved its record to 13-3, 5-0 on the season and is riding a seven-game win streak.

• BYU had five steals in the first half to Pacific’s two. The Cougars finished with 12 while the Tigers got 11.

• In the rebounds category, each time had 15 in the first half of play. For the game, the Tigers grabbed 32 boards to the Cougars 30.

• The Cougar bench contributed 18 points in the win, compared with 13 for the Tigers.

Player Notes

• Paisley Johnson reached double-digit points (10) on a layup with 1:10 left in the first quarter. By halftime, she had a game-high 16 points. She finished tied for game highs in points with 24. The points are her third game with 20+ points this season. Johnson went 8 of 14 from the field and made six of her eight attempted free throws. She also grabbed two rebounds, dished out three assists and had one steal in the win.

• Freshman Shaylee Gonzales had scored 13 points in the first half, making it the 16th  time she’s recorded double-figure points. For the game, she ended tied for game highs with 24 points. She nearly had a double-double with nine rebounds. Gonzales recorded team bests in steals with three and dished out three assists.

• Despite fouling out of the game, Shalae Salmon led the way in assists with four, tallied six points and pulled down two rebounds.

• Jasmine Moody was close to getting a double-double in the game finishing with eight points and nine rebounds. She also had one steal.