Cougars back in action Monday night at Utah State

BYU women’s basketball (1-1) returns to the hardwood Monday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. MST to take on in-state rival Utah State (1-2) at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan, Utah. The game will be streamed live by the Mountain West Network. A video link is available at byucougars.com.

BYU vs. Utah State Game Notes

Utah State vs. BYU Game Notes

ABOUT BYU

• The Cougars enter the matchup with a 1-1 record after splitting their first two games of the season at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout in Las Vegas; BYU beat LSU 67-51 and fell to Washington 77-48
• Sophomore guard Shaylee Gonzales currently leads the team in scoring (17.5 ppg) and steals (1.5 spg) through the first two games. Gonzales was named the WCC Player of the Week for Nov. 30, 2020
• The team’s leading rebounder is sophomore forward Lauren Gustin (12 rpg); in assists, Gustin and senior guard Maria Albiero lead the way with 3.0 apg each
• The Cougars were picked to finish second in the 2020-21 West Coast Conference Preseason Poll after tying for second in the WCC regular season standings last season. BYU finished the 2019-20 campaign with a 13-5 record in WCC play and a 18-11 record overall
• Three Cougars were selected to the 2020-21 Preseason All-WCC Team: Gonzales, senior guard Paisley Johnson Harding and senior center Sara Hamson. Harding was named to the All-WCC First Team last season while Hamson is the reigning WCC Defensive Player of the Year
• Head coach Jeff Judkins, in his 20th season at the helm of the BYU women’s basketball program, is the all-time winningest women’s head coach in school history with a career record of 412-195

ABOUT UTAH STATE

• Utah State enters the game with a 1-2 record on the year. The Aggies opened the season with a 81-74 win over Montana before falling to Idaho State and Seattle
• Senior forward Jessica Chatman, a former Cougar, and freshman guard Meagan Mendazona are both averaging 14 ppg to lead Utah State
• The Aggies’ leading rebounder is Chatman (9 rpg) while sophomore guard Faith Brantley leads the team in assists (3 apg)
• As a team, Utah State is shooting 37.8% from the floor this season and 23.4% from three-point range
• Utah State was picked to finish last in the 2020-21 Mountain West Conference Preseason Poll. The Aggies finished last in last season’s conference standings, posting an 8-23 overall record and going 2-16 in MWC play
• Head coach Kayla Ard is in her first year at the helm of the Utah State women’s basketball program.
• Ard spent the previous three seasons as an associate head coach at the University of Denver

SERIES HISTORY

• BYU has an all-time 37-4 series advantage over the Aggies. The Cougars are 16-2 against Utah State in Logan
• Under head coach Jeff Judkins, BYU is 13-1 against the Aggies
• Last season, the Cougars beat Utah State 67-50 in the Marriott Center

UP NEXT

• Following the matchup with Utah State, BYU hosts Montana State on Thursday, Dec. 10 for the Cougars’ home-opener. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT and the game will be broadcast live on the BYUtv App.