STOCKTON, Calif. — BYU women’s basketball jumped out to a 13-point first-quarter lead and never looked back in a 65-52 win over Pacific Thursday night at the Alex G. Spanos Center.

BYU at Pacific Final Box Score

“I’m proud of our team,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “I thought we played a really good game defensively. We were very active and didn’t give up a lot of easy baskets. We also did a good job of moving the ball on offense and getting some easy fast-break baskets. It’s hard to get a win here, so I’m happy for our team.”

Shaylee Gonzales and Paisley Johnson Harding scored 14 points apiece to lead the Cougars (13-3, 9-2) to their fourth consecutive win. Gonzales added four assists and four rebounds while Harding tallied three boards and two assists.

Lauren Gustin notched her ninth double-double of the season, pulling down a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with 10 points. Maria Albiero contributed nine points, six rebounds and three assists, while Sara Hamson tallied six points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

As a team, BYU shot a 45.6% clip from the floor while holding the Tigers (6-10, 4-9) to just 24.6% shooting on the night.

Triples from Gonzales, Albiero and Graham fueled a 13-5 BYU run to start the game. Following a Gustin three-point play, Harding got a put-back lay-in to fall and Graham found Gonzales for a reverse layup as the Cougars took a 22-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Harding opened the second quarter with a midrange jumper and a scoop layup before Albiero hit a 3-pointer to put BYU up 20, 33-13, midway through the period. Gustin scored in the post, Tahlia White drained a 3-pointer and Graham hit a runner off the glass to give the Cougars a 42-20 halftime lead. BYU shot 53% from the floor in the first half while holding Pacific to just 22% shooting.

A pair of transition baskets by Harding and another by Albiero extended the Cougars’ lead to 52-25 just three minutes into the third quarter. Gonzales knocked down a trey from the left wing and Harding hit another in the corner to put BYU up 59-35 heading into the fourth.

The Tigers refused to go down without a fight, outscoring the Cougars 17-6 in the final period, but a Hamson jumper and an Albiero free throw sealed the 65-52 win for BYU.    

The Cougars close out their California road trip on Saturday, Feb. 13, when they take on Saint Mary’s at 12 p.m. PST at the University Credit Union Pavilion. The game will be streamed live on the WCC Network.  

Player Notes

• Gonzales filled the stat sheet with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in 31 minutes of action
• Harding also tallied 14 points to go along with three rebounds and two assists
• Gustin recorded her ninth double-double of the season, racking up 13 boards and 10 points on 4 of 7 shooting while also adding a steal and an assist
• Hamson scored six points on 3 of 5 shooting and added seven rebounds, three blocks, one assist and one steal
• Albiero contributed five points, five rebounds, two assists and one block
• Coming off the bench, Tegan Graham chipped in five points, five rebounds, two assists and a block

Team Notes

• BYU shot 53.1% from the floor in the first half while holding Pacific to just 22% shooting. For the game, the Cougars shot 45.6% compared to the Tigers’ 24.6%
• BYU dominated the paint, out-rebounding Pacific 40-26 and scoring 36 points in the key to the Tigers’ 14
• The Cougars won the assist (18-12) and block (7-1) battles
• BYU tallied seven fast-break points on the night while not giving up any to Pacific
• The Tigers tallied 15 steals to the Cougars’ four and had 21 bench points to BYU’s 12
• The Cougars led throughout the entire game

STOCKTON, Calif. — Fresh off a 57-43 win at Pepperdine, BYU women’s basketball continues its road trip at Pacific on Thursday, Feb. 11, at the Alex G. Spanos Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST and the game will be streamed live on the WCC Network.

BYU at Pacific Game Notes

ABOUT BYU

• The Cougars relied on their stifling defense to overcome the Waves on Tuesday, giving up a season-low 43 points to move to 8-2 in WCC play
• BYU remains in second place in the WCC standings, 2.5 games back from No. 17 Gonzaga and a game ahead of third-place San Diego
• Lauren Gustin is the nation’s second-leading rebounder, pulling down 12.9 rebounds per contest. She also ranks second in the country in defensive rebounds per game (9.6)
• Sara Hamson tied her career high with nine blocks vs. Pepperdine and ranks 15th in the NCAA in blocks per game (2.7)
• Shaylee Gonzales is the WCC’s second-leading scorer (18.1 ppg) and leads the team in steals (2.6) and assists (3.9) per contest
• Paisley Johnson Harding (12.5 ppg) and Gustin (12.0) are also averaging double figures in scoring for BYU
• As a team, the Cougars rank 20th in the nation in assists per game (17.1) and 22nd in field-goal percengage defense (.353)

ABOUT PACIFIC (6-9, 4-8)

• The Tigers, who fell 69-67 in the final seconds to Portland on Monday, currently sit in eighth place in the WCC standings
• Senior guard Valerie Higgins (16.5 ppg) and senior forward Brooklyn McDavid (11.7 ppg) pace Pacific in scoring. Higgins (8.8 rpg) and McDavid (5.6 rpg) also lead the Tigers in rebounds
• Senior guard Lianna Tillman (4.3 apg) is Pacific’s assist leader while Higgins is averaging a team-best 3.3 steals per contest
• The Tigers are averaging 69.4 points per contest while giving up 72.5 to their opponents
• Pacific ranks fourth in the WCC in scoring offense (69.4), third in three-point percentage (.337) and fourth in steals per game (9.0)

SERIES HISTORY

• The Cougars boast an 18-4 all-time series advantage over Pacific
• BYU is 7-2 when playing against the Tigers in Stockton
• The Cougars cruised to an 81-60 win over Pacific earlier this season in Provo

UP NEXT

BYU will conclude its road trip on Saturday, Feb. 13, when it plays Saint Mary’s at the University Credit Union Pavilion. The game will tip-off at 12 p.m. PST and a live stream will be available on the WCC Network.