BYU Tips off Three-Game Road Trip at Pepperdine
MALIBU, Calif. — BYU women’s basketball will tip-off its three-game road trip this week when it plays Pepperdine on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 5 p.m. PST at the Firestone Fieldhouse. The game will be streamed live on the WCC Network.
The two teams were originally scheduled to play in Malibu on Jan. 9, but the matchup was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. The Cougars (11-3, 7-2), who have won five of their last six games, hosted the Waves (3-12, 0-11) last Thursday at the Marriott Center and won 75-61.
ABOUT BYU (11-3, 7-2)
- The Cougars went 2-1 last week, falling to No. 17 Gonzaga on the road before winning home matchups with Pepperdine and LMU
- BYU remains in second place in the WCC standings, three games back from the Zags and a game ahead of third-place San Diego
- Lauren Gustin ranks 2nd in the nation in rebounds (13.2 rpg) and defensive rebounds (9.8) per game. Gustin had a career 27-point, 20-rebound night last Thursday versus the Waves
- Sara Hamson ranks 2nd in the WCC in blocks per game (2.3)
- Shaylee Gonzales is the WCC’s second-leading scorer, averaging 18.3 points per contest. Gonzales ranks 3rd in the conference in steals per game (2.6)
- Along with Gonzales, Gustin (12.3 ppg) and Paisley Johnson Harding (11.9 ppg) are averaging double figures in scoring for BYU. Coming off the bench, Tegan Graham is the Cougars’ fourth-leading scorer (8.5 ppg)
- As a team, BYU leads the WCC in field-goal percentage defense (.356) and defensive rebounds per game (27.5). The Cougars rank 20th in the country in assists per game (17.1)
ABOUT PEPPERDINE (3-12, 0-11)
- After winning their first three games of the season, the Waves have lost 12 straight and currently sit in 10th place in the WCC standings. Pepperdine is coming off a road loss to San Diego on Saturday, 70-45
- Junior guard Malia Bambrick (11.3 ppg) and senior forward Monique Andriuolo (10.0) lead the Waves in scoring
- Andriuolo is pulling down a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game and leads the team in blocks per game (0.7)
- Freshman forward Kendyl Carson is the Waves’ assist leader (1.7 apg) while junior guard Cheyenne Givens is averaging a team-best 1.8 steals per game
- Pepperdine is averaging 57.1 points per contest while giving up 64.7 to its opponents. The Waves rank 5th in the WCC in scoring defense
SERIES HISTORY
- BYU is 22-4 all-time against Pepperdine
- The Cougars are 7-3 versus the Waves when playing in Malibu
- Last Thursday, BYU defeated Pepperdine 75-61 in the Marriott Center
UP NEXT
BYU continues its road trip this week with games on Thursday and Saturday at Pacific and Saint Mary’s, respectively. Thursday’s matchup with Pacific will tip-off at 7 p.m. PST and a live stream will be available on the WCC Network.