BYU Plays at No. 19 Gonzaga Tuesday

PROVO, Utah — BYU women’s basketball travels to Spokane, Washington to take on No. 19 Gonzaga on Tuesday, Feb. 2. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 6 p.m. PST with a live stream available on the WCC Network.

The Zags (15-2, 10-0) and Cougars (9-2, 5-1) currently sit in first and second place, respectively, in the WCC standings. BYU is coming off a commanding 81-60 win over Pacific last Tuesday while Gonzaga won a pair of road matchups last week over the Tigers and Saint Mary’s.

BYU at Gonzaga Game Notes

ABOUT BYU (9-2, 5-1) 

• The Cougars returned to the court last Tuesday, Jan. 26, after having three consecutive games postponed due to COVID-19 protocols and dominated Pacific at home, 81-60
• Shaylee Gonzales, who tallied 23 points and a career-high six steals against the Tigers, leads the WCC in scoring (20.5 ppg) and is the 26th highest scorer in the nation
• Sara Hamson tallied five blocks versus Pacific and ranks 16th in the country in blocks per game (2.7)
• Lauren Gustin is the 2nd highest rebounder (13.5 rpg) and defensive rebounder (10.0) in the nation. Gustin’s seven double-doubles on the season also put her at 21st in the category throughout the NCAA
• In addition to Gonzales, Gustin (12.3 ppg) and Paisley Johnson Harding (11.5 ppg) are also averaging double figures in scoring for BYU
• Maria Albiero leads the team in assists (4.2 apg) and is the WCC’s assist-turnover ratio leader (2.2)
• As a team, the Cougars rank 21st in the country in field-goal percentage (.467) and 24th in field-goal percentage defense (.351). BYU also leads the WCC in 3-pointers per game (7.6)

ABOUT GONZAGA (15-2, 10-0)

• The Zags climbed up to No. 18 in the latest AP Poll following road wins last week over Pacific and Saint Mary’s. Gonzaga is on a 14-game winning streak and has not lost since Dec. 6
• Senior forward Jenn Wirth leads the Zags in scoring (13.6 ppg) and rebounds (8.6 rpg). Wirth was named WCC Player of the Week for Jan. 11 and received 2020-21 Preseason All-WCC honors
• Senior guard Jill Townsend, who was also named to the 2020-21 Preseason All-WCC Team, is averaging 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game
• Sophomore guard Kayleigh Truong is Gonzaga’s assist leader with 4.3 assists per contest while senior guard Cierra Walker leads the team in steals (1.1 spg)
• As a team, the Zags lead the WCC in scoring offense (72.8 ppg), scoring defense (56.2), field-goal percentage (.477), rebounding margin (+13.8) and assists (18.4 apg)
• Last season, Gonzaga went 17-1 in conference play to finish atop the WCC regular season standings before losing to Portland in the semifinals of the WCC Tournament. The Zags were picked to win the conference in the 2020-21 Preseason WCC Poll

SERIES HISTORY

• Gonzaga leads the all-time series over BYU 17-12
• The Cougars are 3-10 against the Zags when playing in Spokane
• Last season, Gonzaga swept the season series, most recently beating BYU 59-44 in the Kennel

UP NEXT

BYU will return to the Marriott Center for a pair of home matchups later this week, first taking on Pepperdine on Thursday, Feb. 4. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. MST and the contest will be streamed live on the BYUtv App.