First WCC Games Are On The Road

Competing in its first year as a West Coast Conference school, BYU takes its 10-game streak on the road to open up the 2012 league season. The Cougars (11-2, 0-0) play at St. Mary’s (9-4, 0-0) on New Year’s Eve at 2 p.m.

The team then travels to Portland (7-7, 0-0) for a matchup against the Portland Pilots on Monday, Jan. 2 in a 2 p.m. tip off. That game can be heard live on BYU Radio.

2011-12 Stats Summary
-- Shooting from field: (.440, 348-791)
-- Shooting from three-point line: (.347, 83-229)
-- Shooting from free-throw line: (.728, 179-246)
-- Average points per game: 73.7
-- Average rebounds per game: 40.6
-- Average assists per game: 20.0
-- Average steals per game: 11.2
-- Average blocks per game: 5.2
-- Average turnovers per game: 16.3

About BYU
--The Cougars leading scorer is sophomore guard Kim Parker who averages 12.5 points per game.
--Haley Steed and Kristen Riley are tied on the glass grabbing 6.1 rebounds a game each.
--Steed leads the way in assists and steals with 86 and 30 respectively.
--Jennifer Hamson tops the list in blocks with 27.
--Hamson has the team’s best field goal percentage (.580, 29-50).
--True freshman Lexi Eaton has the team’s best free throw percentage (.893, 25-28).

Cougs Receiving Votes
With a 11-2 overall record, the BYU women’s basketball is receiving (2) votes in this week’s (12/26/11) Associated Press Poll. They are also receiving one vote in this week’s USA Today ESPN Coaches Poll.

Win Streak
The Cougars have won 10 games in a row, which is the longest current winning streak in the West Coast Conference.
Last season BYU went on a 12-game win streak during the 2011 Mountain West Conference race.
The longest win streak in the program’s history is 15 games played from 12/31/92 to 2/26/93.

SATURDAY OPPONENT
ST. MARY’S
St. Mary’s enters the first week of WCC action with a 9-4, 0-0 record and is scheduled to play at Loyola Marymount on Thursday, Dec. 29 before battling the Cougars on New Year’s Eve. The Gaels have won four straight including big victories over Pac-12 foes Oregon State and Oregon and are 4-2 at home. Senior point guard Jasmine Smith is one of two players putting up double digits in points with 17.5 while grabbing 2.6 rebounds per game. She’s followed by Jackie Nared who averages 12.2 points and ranks second in the rebound category, getting 7.1 boards a contest. Forward Danielle Mauldin tops the team on the glass grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game. St. Mary’s shoots 40 percent from the field and scores 67.9 points per game. Head coach Paul Thomas is in his sixth season with the Gaels women’s basketball program.

Series Breakdown
This will be the first meeting between these two new conference foes.

MONDAY OPPONENT
PORTLAND
The University of Portland has compiled a 7-7, 0-0 record to date winning their last two games with victories over Boise State and CS Northridge and have a 5-3 mark on its home court. They open up WCC action hosting Gonzaga on December 29. The Pilots have two players scoring in double figures with 18.6 points from Natalie Day and 10.9 points from ReZina TecleMariam. Day tops the list in the rebound category grabbing 7.6 boards per game. TechleMariam has the most assists and steals on the team with 71 and 32 respectively. Portland shoots 39 percent from the field and is scoring 62.8 points per game. Head coach Jim Sollars has been at the helm of the women’s basketball program for the past 25 years.

Series Breakdown
Overall Series Record: BYU leads the series 8-4
BYU Record in Provo: 3-2
BYU Record in Portland: 4-2
BYU Record in Neutral Sites: 1-0
BYU Record under coach Judkins: 4-0
BYU Record in Overtime Games: n/a

Travel Plans
Team Flight: Delta #1160 departs Salt Lake City on Fri., Dec. 30 at 11:20 a.m., arriving in Oakland at 12:25 p.m.
Team Flight: Alaska/Horizon Air #225 departs Oakland on Sat. Dec. 31 at 8:30 p.m., arriving in Portland at 10:12 p.m.
Team Flight: Delta #0952 departs Portland on Mon. Jan. 2 at 6:30 p.m., arriving in Salt Lake City at 9:15 p.m.
Team Hotel: Walnut Creek Marriott, 2355 N. Main Street, 925-934-2000, 925-934-6374, fax.
Team Hotel: Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, 1401 SW Naito Parkway, 503-226-7600, 503-221-1789, fax.

What’s Next
After the two WCC road games, BYU returns home for their first WCC contest in the Marriott Center hosting LMU on Jan. 5 at 5 p.m. Then it’s back on the road again to northern California for a game at San Francisco on Sat. Jan. 7.