BYU to face Southern Utah on Friday

BYU and Southern Utah announced today a scheduled women’s basketball game between the two schools on Friday, Dec. 18, at 12 p.m. MST at the America First Event Center in Cedar City, Utah. The game will be broadcast on Pluto TV.

The Thunderbirds were originally set to host Utah Valley on Dec. 18, but following a positive COVID-19 test within the UVU program, the Cougars agreed to play SUU instead. BYU was also slated to host the Wolverines earlier this week, but the matchup was postponed to Dec. 23.

BYU vs. SUU Game Notes

ABOUT BYU

• The Cougars won both of their games last week, beating Utah State on the road 87-66 and Montana State in BYU’s home opener 72-58 to improve to 3-1 on the year
• Three players are averaging double figures in scoring for BYU: sophomore guard Shaylee Gonzales (20.0 ppg), sophomore forward Lauren Gustin (12.0) and senior guard Paisley Johnson Harding (11.8)
• Gonzales currently ranks 21st in the nation in 3-pointers made per game (3.5)
• Gustin is averaging a double double with 12.0 ppg and a team-high 11.5 rpg. The sophomore forward ranks 16th in the country in rebounds per game
• In assists, Harding and Maria Albiero lead the team with 3.0 apg
• BYU ranks 5th in the nation in free-throw percentage (85.1%) and 26th in 3-pointers made per game (9.5). The Cougars also rank 27th in the NCAA in 3-point percentage (40.0%)
• 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

ABOUT SOUTHERN UTAH

• The Thunderbirds boast a 2-1 record on the season with wins last week over William Jessup University and Grand Canyon University. SUU’s lone loss came against Utah Valley on the road
• Senior guard Liz Graves is averaging 17.7 ppg while shooting 55.6% from the field to lead the team in scoring. Graves was named the Big Sky Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for her performances last week
• Senior forward Darri Frandsen leads the team in rebounds (10.3 rpg), steals (2 spg) and blocks (1.3 bpg). Frandsen is also averaging 9.7 points per game
• The Thunderbirds were picked to finish 8th in the 2020-21 Big Sky Preseason Polls. SUU finished 6th in last season’s conference standings with an 18-13 overall record (11-9 Big Sky)
• Third-year Thunderbird head coach Tracy Sanders has accumulated a 28-40 record with the program  thus far

SERIES HISTORY

• BYU is 18-4 all-time against SUU, dating back to the two teams’ first matchup in the 1979-80 season
• The Cougars are 7-2 against the Thunderbirds when playing in Cedar City
• The two teams last played during the 2018-19 season, when SUU defeated BYU 67-64 in the Marriott Center

UP NEXT

BYU will return to the Marriott Center on Dec. 23 to face Utah Valley at 12 p.m. MST. The two teams were originally scheduled to play on Dec. 15, but the game was postponed due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Wolverine program. The contest will be broadcast live on BYUtv and on the BYUtv App.