BYU’s trio of guards—freshman Shaylee Gonzales (front, far right), junior Brenna M. Chase (just right of trophy), and sophomore Paisley N. Johnson (back, far right)—rained buckets from inside the arc and out, combining for 64 points in the West Coast Conference championship game on March 12 in Las Vegas as the Cougars beat Gonzaga for the third time this season.
The glow of the scoreboard—82–68—illuminated the postgame celebration: net cutting, trophy kissing, confetti swimming, and “We Are the Champions” singing.
In postseason play the women’s team received a No. 7 seed in the Big Dance. After a win against Auburn, the Cougars (26-7) fell short to the Cardinal on Stanford’s home court in the second round.
When asked by BYU SportsNation to predict the trajectory of this young team—only losing one senior—WCC Tournament MVP Paisley Johnson said, “I think it’s only going up from here,” then confidently whispered, “We’re kinda good.”