Cougars return home to host Saint Mary's

PROVO, Utah — BYU women’s basketball is back in the Marriott Center to take on Saint Mary’s on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 6 p.m. MST. The matchup will be broadcast live on BYUtv as well as the BYUtv App.

The Cougars (7-2, 3-1) split their first WCC road trip of the season last week, falling narrowly to San Diego 58-56 before beating LMU 71-57. The Gaels (2-9, 0-5) travel to Provo after dropping a pair of home contests last week to Santa Clara, 77-59, and San Francisco, 73-56.

BYU vs. Saint Mary's Game Notes

Live Stats

ABOUT BYU (7-2, 3-1)

• BYU bounced back from its first WCC loss of the season by using a balanced offensive attack and a smothering defensive effort to defeat LMU 71-57. Four different Cougars scored in double figures versus the Lions for the first time this season.
• Shaylee Gonzales currently leads the WCC in scoring (20.4 ppg) and is the 33rd highest scorer in the nation.
• Lauren Gustin is averaging 13.2 rebounds per contest, ranking her 3rd in the country. Her 9.9 defensive rebounds per game rank her 2nd throughout the NCAA.
• Gustin has also tallied six double-doubles on the season, the 9th most in the nation.
• Sara Hamson’s 21 blocked shots this season ranks her 23rd in the country. She is currently averaging 2.3 blocks per game.
• Gonzales, Gustin (12.3 ppg) and Paisley Johnson Harding (11.1 ppg) are all averaging double figures in scoring. Coming off the bench, Tegan Graham (7.7 ppg) is BYU’s fourth leading scorer.
• As a team, the Cougars rank 32nd in the nation in field-goal percentage (.460) and 44th in field-goal percentage defense (.357).

ABOUT SMC (2-9, 0-5)

• The Gaels are looking to secure their first WCC win of the season after falling at home last week to Santa Clara and San Francisco.
• Junior guard Taycee Wedin leads Saint Mary’s in scoring with an 11.7 point-per-game average.
• Freshman forward Finau Tonga (10.6) and senior guard Madeline Holland (10.2) are also averaging double figures in scoring for the Gaels.
• Senior guard Brianna Simonich leads the team in rebounds (8.5 rpg), assists (2.9 apg) and steals (1.5 spg).
• Last season, Saint Mary’s finished 7th in the WCC regular season standings with a 6-12 conference record. The Gaels were picked to finish 5th in the 2020-21 WCC Preseason Poll.
• Head coach Paul Thomas, who is in his 15th season at the helm of the program, has accumulated a 270-188 record at Saint Mary’s.

SERIES HISTORY

• BYU holds an 11-10 all-time series lead over Saint Mary’s.
• The Cougars are 6-3 against the Gaels when playing in the Marriott Center.
• Last season, BYU swept the season series, most recently defeating Saint Mary’s at home 60-39.

UP NEXT

Following their matchup with Saint Mary’s, the Cougars remain at home to face Pacific (4-3, 2-2) on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 2 p.m. MST. The contest will be carried live on BYUtv and on the BYUtv App.