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All 12 months lengthy, the BYU girls’s basketball workforce had a goal squarely on its again.
However the No. 19 Cougars didn’t let that concentrate on hamper them in any respect. If something, it bolstered them.
With an 82-52 pounding of Pacific Saturday afternoon in Stockton, BYU, the preseason favorites to win the West Coast Convention championship, made good on that prediction and captured the outright regular-season crown.
The Cougars (25-2, 15-1) capped the common season in resounding trend, identical to they've just about all season lengthy.
“What I realized a very long time in the past is that you just don’t cover from stress — you assault it,” stated coach Jeff Judkins. “So when the season began, we had our targets and after we bought picked first, I instructed them they've a bullseye on their again.
“You possibly can have a look at it in one in all two methods — both relish it and reap the benefits of it and win a championship, or let it slip via your fingers. They’re opponents. I’m not one to draw back from stress and my workforce’s not that means both.”
Now No. 1 seed BYU enters this week’s WCC Match at Orleans Enviornment in Las Vegas. Because the WCC’s high seed, the Cougars gained’t must play till the semifinals on Monday, March 7.
BYU might face an intriguing rematch within the semifinals with No. 4 Portland, the one WCC workforce that beat the Cougars within the common season.
Apart from that, BYU won't be competing simply to win a WCC Match title, as vital as that's. It will likely be taking part in for NCAA Match seeding. The Cougars are presently projected as a No. 5 seed. If they will obtain a No. 4 seed or higher, they might have a possibility to host the primary two rounds of the NCAA Match.
That might be a well-deserved reward, since BYU performed championship-quality basketball all season lengthy. All of their convention wins had been by double digits.
After dropping at Portland on Feb. 3, the Cougars bounced again to beat Gonzaga at The Kennel by rallying from a double-digit deficit.
Sure, among the many Cougars’ accomplishments this season — they swept the Zags.
“I knew that this workforce had an opportunity to be among the best we’ve had at BYU,” Judkins stated. “Loads of gamers sacrificed to get right here and now they've likelihood to do one thing particular. We now have much more work to do however I couldn’t be extra happy with the laborious work they’ve put on this 12 months.”
Towards Pacific, Shaylee Gonzales was one in all 4 Cougars to attain in double figures. Gonzales scored 18, Paisley Harding added 14, Tegan Graham completed with 12 and Lauren Gustin recorded her 14th double-double of the season by scoring 11 factors and flattening 13 rebounds.
The Cougars are gifted, they’ve bought depth, they’re skilled, they usually’re motivated.
“This can be a particular workforce; you’ve heard me say this all 12 months. They work laborious and do all of the little issues,” Judkins stated. “They need to win. That is huge for our program to have the ability to win this convention. Gonzaga has gained it for thus a few years. It’s good for us to do it.”
Subsequent up for the Cougars? Profitable the WCC Match championship. Then will probably be on to the NCAA Match.