By Jeff Faraudo
#WCChoops columnist | ARCHIVES

Not even a head-to-head collision with USF’s Marta Galic could slow down BYU’s Paisley Harding in the semifinals of the University Credit Union West Coast Conference Tournament on Monday.

Hardlng went to the sidelines for a few minutes after the second-quarter spill, but she returned to complete a 23-point performance as the No. 2 seed Cougars roared to an 85-45 win over USF at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

“I thought we were in football for a second,” Harding joked afterward. “We both were going after the ball and our heads collided. I got subbed out, she stayed in. I was like, `Dang it, I should have stayed in.’ “

Harding and BYU (18-4) stayed alive in the postseason and need a victory over regular-season champion Gonzaga in Tuesday’s 1 p.m. WCC title game to secure the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth. The Cougars and Zags split two games this season.

USF (15-10) scored 86 points in a victory over the Cougars nine days earlier and entered this game having won 10 of its past 11 games. The Dons forged a 19-12 lead late in the first quarter on Monday when a 3-pointer by Harding with 43 seconds left in the period triggered a remarkable turnaround.

Down four points entering the second quarter, the Cougars outscored USF 19-3 in the second quarter, then 20-2 to open the third period. When Tegan Graham made a 3-pointer with 4 minutes left in the third, BYU had completed a 42-5 run that produced a 54-24 lead.

The Dons, who rode Ioanna Krimili’s first-quarter hot hand, missed 25 of 26 shots during that long dry spell. “That’s a tough stretch there when you can’t throw it in the ocean,” USF coach Molly Goodenbour conceded.

Harding was the MVP in the 2019 WCC tournament, when the Cougars beat Gonzaga in the championship game to claim their third crown since joining the conference a decade ago, and she was at her best again Monday. She added seven rebounds and four steals.

“It’s such a fun place to play. I love playing here,” said Harding, whose husband Connor is a junior guard on the BYU men’s team. “Honestly, last night I went to bed dreaming about making some layups. I’ve had a little bit of a rough go with those late in the season.

“We were really dialed in. We really wanted revenge against a good San Francisco team.”

Said BYU coach Jeff Judkins, “I thought Paisley came out real aggressive offensively, which is really good for our team because when she’s scoring it’s hard to guard everybody.”

Graham came off the bench to score 14 points, including 4 for 5 on 3-pointers, co-WCC Player of the Year Shaylee Gonzales contributed 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Lauren Gustin packaged 10 points and 10 rebounds for her conference-leading 14th double-double. 

COUGARS SWITCH UP DEFENSIVELY: USF red-shirt freshman Ioanna Krimili, the WCC Newcomer of the Year, scored 11 points, including three 3-point baskets, to fuel the Dons’ first-quarter lead.

Judkins knew he’d better think of something to change the equation. So he went to a box-and-one defense, with two or three players taking turns shadowing USF’s star guard from Greece.

“We started it in the second quarter. We had to do something to get her off balance. She was on fire and she’s a great player,” Judkins said. “These guys haven’t played it that much but I thought they really did a good job.”

Krimili finished with a team-high 21 points, but she didn’t score against the new defense until the final minute of the third quarter, by which time BYU had mounted a 32-point lead. Of course, almost no one scored for the Dons during that time. 

“We didn’t respond that well. We didn’t expect that. Their defense was really good,” Krimili said. “We got something today. We learned. I’m pretty sure we’re going to be better in the future.”

Harding had nothing but praise for Krimili. “She is such an amazing player. She’s a great, fearless player,” the Cougars’ senior guard said.

BYU AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: The Cougars began the day ranked No. 59 in the NCAA’s NET computer rankings and ESPN’s Charlie Creme had them as one of the “first four out” of the field.

Judkins believes his team deserves a bid, but encouraged his players to take the decision out of the hands of the NCAA selection committee. “I told my players, we’ve just got to go win it.”

“It’s going to be a fun game, let me tell you,” Harding promised.

DONS SOAR HIGH ABOVE EXPECTATIONS: USF was picked last in the WCC preseason coaches poll but wound up as the No. 3 seed in the tournament. And the Dons expect to return virtually intact next season.

“What I told the team is this loss needs to not be how they remember what they’ve done this season,” Goodenbour said. “We’ve come such a long way. We’re such a young team and they’ve gained such valuable experience over the course of the year.

“They need to be really proud of the journey. I’m not displeased at all with what we’ve been able to accomplish this year.”

STAT OF THE GAME: USF shot 1 for 19 in the second quarter and missed its final nine attempts before halftime.

QUOTE OF THE GAME: “I think we’re an NCAA team — we’re that good. It was such a great experience my sophomore year. What’s better than going to a dance? I love dancing and I want to go again.” — BYU senior Paisley Harding