No. 23/23 Gonzaga (9-2) vs BYU (4-6)
SATURDAY, DEC. 17 | 2 P.M. | SPOKANE, WASH. | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER (6,000)
RADIO: 94.1 FM or 790 AM | TV: SWX | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS 

THE TIPOFF
- The Gonzaga women's basketball opens West Coast Conference play this Saturday, Dec. 17 against BYU. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. and the game will be televised locally on SWX.
- GU is coming off a 73-55 win over UC Davis on Sunday, Dec. 11. Five Zags scored in double figures, led by Brynna Maxwell with 19 and nine rebounds. Kaylynne Truong scored 15 and also dished out a team-high seven assists. Eliza Hollingsworth scored 13 in her first game back since Nov. 28. Calli Stokes also scored a career-high 11 points as Yvonne Ejim recorded 10.
- The Zags have four players currently averaging double digits in the first eleven games of the season, including Yvonne Ejim (17), Kaylynne Truong (13.7), Brynna Maxwell (14.4), and Eliza Hollingsworth (10.8).
- The Bulldogs are currently shooting at a program record 81.2 percent from the free throw line, which also ranks sixth in the country and first in the West Coast Conference. Brynna Maxwell leads the team individually with 97.1 percent, which is third in the nation
- Brynna Maxwell has made a three-pointer in every game so far this season. Maxwell is shooting 55.4 percent from the three-point line to rank first in the West Coast Conference and 5th nationally.
- As a team, the Bulldogs are shooting 40.8 percent from beyond the arc, which is currently ranked sixth in the nation and first in the WCC.
- Gonzaga is currently undefeated in the Kennel this year at 5-0. The average margin of victory between the four games has been 30.7 points. The largest win was against Southern Utah, when the Zags won 91-38 on Nov. 12. The 53-point win is the second-highest margin of victory in head coach Lisa Fortier's tenure.
- The Zags are ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll in the Coaches Poll.
- The Bulldogs were picked to win the West Coast Conference. The Zags received nine first-place votes that and totaled 81 points in the poll. The poll is voted on by the league's 10 head coaches, and coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team. Portland received one first-place votes and was selected to finish second with 71 points, while BYU was voted to finish third with 55 points.
- Gonzaga has amassed a conference record of 257-33 (.886) during the last 17 seasons, which includes 16 West Coast Conference regular-season titles and nine WCC Tournament championships.
- Seniors Kayleigh Truong, Kaylynne Truong and junior Yvonne Ejim were also named to the Preseason All-WCC Team. Ejim is the reigning WCC Sixth Woman of the Year while also receiving All-WCC Second Team in 2021-22. Kayleigh Truong earned All-WCC First Team honors after her performance in 2021-22.  Kaylynne Truong was named to the WCC Tournament team along with the Rainbow Wahine Showdown MVP as she was ranked third on the team in scoring last year.
- Last season, the Zags advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth-straight year under head coach Lisa Fortier.

THE SERIES
SERIES INFO: This will be the 36th matchup between the two programs and the Zags hold a 20-15 record over the Cougars.
STREAK: Gonzaga - 1
FIRST MEETING: BYU won 8-63 back in 1984 in Spokane during the Bulldog Invitational.
LAST MEETING: Gonzaga defeated BYU, 71-59, in the WCC Championship game in Las Vegas in 2022. Melody Kempton scored 15 points to help GU earn its 13th NCAA Tournament berth.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
- BYU has a new head coach in Amber Whiting this year for the first time in 21 seasons after the retirement of Jeff Judkins. Judkins, the winningest coach in school history (455 wins) paved the way for first-time head coach Amber Whiting, a Cougar alum to take the rains in 2022-23. BYU is will also need to replace the WCC Player of the Year (Shaylee Gonzales), another All-WCC First Team selection (Paisley Harding) and an All-WCC Honorable Mention (Tegan Graham). The Cougars are also replacing point guard Maria Albiero who was tied with Paisley Harding for the most played games in school history.
- Forward Lauren Gustin continues to be a force down low and leads the nation with 10 double-doubles in 10 games to start the season. BYU Hall of Famer Tina Gunn Robison began the 1979-80 season with 17 double-doubles in a row, finishing with 27 on the year. Gustin is averaging 16.0 points per game and 13.7 rebounds. She is No. 2 nationally in rebounds per game. TheJ unior from Salem, Utah, is No. 3 in total rebounds with 137. Gustin posted a season-high 20 rebounds against No. 16 Oklahoma.
-BYU is coming off a 76-59 loss to No. 15 Utah and currently sits at 4-6 overall going into WCC play. The Cougars were picked to finish third in the WCC in preseason polls.