by Mike Miller
The BYU women’s basketball team met an unfortunate end to a historic season on Saturday. The men’s basketball team continues to stay alive in the NIT, and gymnastics faltered at the conference championships.
Baseball
With WCC play underway, the Cougars traveled to Portland for a three-game series. After picking up a win in game one by a score of 6-2, BYU was outgunned in the next two games, losing 11–1 and 3–1.
Next Up: There is a mix of in-state and conference action this week. On Tuesday, BYU takes a long trip to Orem for a game at UVU. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. MDT on ESPN+. No. 23 Gonzaga then comes to Provo for three games from Thursday–Saturday. The Thursday and Friday games start at 6:00 p.m. MST, followed by a 1:00 p.m. MST game on Saturday. All games will be available through BYUtv.
Men’s Basketball
The Cougars are on to the NIT quarterfinals with a convincing 90-71 win over Northern Iowa Saturday night. The rest of the team not named Alex Barcello finally found ways to score consistently, which is a big boost to the BYU offense.
Next Up: The official final home game of the season for BYU welcomes Washington State to the Marriott Center with a trip to Madison Square Garden on the line. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. MST on ESPN2.
Women’s Basketball
After a successful season that saw the program receive its highest ranking ever, the sixth-seeded Cougars were upset by 11-seed Villanova in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. BYU had no answer for Maddy Siegrist, whose 25 points led the Wildcats to a 61–57 victory.
Gymnastics
Despite being one of the better teams in the MRGC all season, the Cougars had one of their worst performances of the season, finishing in last at the conference championship. After previous wins over Utah State, Boise State, and Southern Utah, all three defeated BYU when a trophy was on the line. The Cougars’ 196.375 was almost a full point behind USU’s 197.025. The one silver lining was Sadie Miner-Van Tassell scoring a career-high 39.000 on vault.
Next Up: BYU will have a chance to redeem themselves and qualify for nationals at the regional championships next week.
Softball
Three more wins, including two shutouts, puts BYU at an impressive 19–6 on the season. A comfortable 5–2 win over Idaho State was just the beginning before a sweep over SUU. The double-header resulted in a combined 15 runs for the Cougars.
Next Up: Future Big 12 foe Iowa State visits for a series this weekend. There will be a double-header on Friday before a third game on Saturday.
Men’s Volleyball
The team got a needed break this week to regroup and prepare for the rest of the season.
Next Up: Two games at Pepperdine, one on Friday and one on Saturday. Unfortunately, neither will be broadcast in any capacity.