BYU Women’s Basketball Strengthens NCAA Resume By Upsetting No. 16 Gonzaga

PROVO, Utah – BYU women’s basketball pulled off the biggest win of their season by taking down No. 16 Gonzaga at the Marriott Center.

Coming into the game against the nationally-ranked Zags, BYU was projected as the last team in the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN Bracketology. A home date with a nationally-ranked Zags team was exactly what BYU needed to bolster their at-large resume.

𝓢𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮 𝓦𝓲𝓷. pic.twitter.com/ZHdHMZx2pb

— BYU Women's Hoops (@byuwbb) February 19, 2021

BYU defeated Gonzaga 61-56 from a well-rounded effort from their top players. Sophomore sensation Shaylee Gonzales led the way with 16 points and double-double machine Lauren Gustin scored 10 and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Paisley Johnson Harding comes up clutch for BYU Women’s Basketball

Sara Hamson scored 10 points to go with five rebounds and five blocked shots. But the biggest plays down the stretch came courtesy of senior guard Paisley Johnson Harding. With BYU up by one and less than a minute in regulation remaining, Harding went into the paint and knocked down a layup to give BYU a 59-56 lead.

“There were still 44 seconds left in the game and they wanted us to run the clock just a bit,” said Harding.  “We got set in our play, I went and drove and they kind of stopped me. And then I realized the shot clock was still winding down, so I needed to attack. I went up with a little left-handed floater, and luckily it went in. That was so much fun.”

Big time W 😤 pic.twitter.com/0pOv6CARzN

— BYU Women's Hoops (@byuwbb) February 19, 2021

Gonzaga still had 13 seconds remaining and was looking to keep their undefeated WCC record intact. The Zags were down by 10 with 5:40 left to play, but mounted a comeback. Gonzaga star Jenn Wirth put up a three to tie it, but it didn’t fall. The loose ball became a tie-up and initially, possession was ruled in favor of Gonzaga. After officials gathered, the possession arrow was never switched giving BYU the possession.

Harding iced the game with a pair of free throws to give BYU the five-point victory and their first win over Gonzaga since 2019.

“I think both we and Gonzaga didn’t play our best, but we respect each other. This game has always been like this. Both of us compete so hard. Gonzaga is a very good team and they make it difficult,” said BYU women’s basketball coach Jeff Judkins. “Tonight I felt like their bench and our bench were pretty equal, but we made some plays at the end that got us the win. It was a great team effort. We had a hard time with the ball screen. We did better in the second half and didn’t give them as many second and third opportunities. This is how this game has been since I’ve been here. It’s a dog fight and it’s a game you look forward to. It’s a game as a coach and as players, you look forward to and I’m really proud of them. Paisley had a big-time basket in the clutch, and it was awesome.”

Shaylee Gonzales buzzer-beater

BYU found themselves down 41-38 with 2:02 remaining in the third quarter. That’s where Gonzales started to take over. Gonzales scored seven of BYU’s next nine points, including a buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter to give BYU a four-point advantage going into the fourth.

#BYU women’s basketball star @shayleegonzales buries a buzzer beater at the end of the 3rd quarter against No. 16 Gonzaga.#BYUWBB #GoCougs

🎥: @byuwbb
pic.twitter.com/TknBxTEk3f

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) February 19, 2021

“It just brought tons of energy,” Gonzales said on the impact that buzzer-beater had on the team. “We had a couple of those shots when the shot clock goes down, and it just brings the energy to our team that we need and gets in our head that we have control over this game and it just gets us so hyped. It felt so good to hit that shot. My team came around, and I know they have my back, and they support me. We just went crazy, and it brought us all together.”

Gonzales is now averaging 17.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game this season.

BYU now improves to 15-3 overall on the season and 11-2 in WCC play, one game behind Gonzaga who falls to 18-3 overall, 13-1 in the league. The Cougars are back in action on Saturday when they host Portland at 2 p.m. (MST) at the Marriott Center.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m., KSL Newsradio). Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper and the KSL Sports app.