BYU women drop 4 spots in AP Top 25 after split with Portland, Gonzaga

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PROVO — Imagine what would've happened if BYU hadn't split its most recent road trip to the Pacific Northwest.

It could've been worse had the Cougars not rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit in Spokane. But BYU women's basketball still fell four spots to No. 20 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 released Monday.

It's the second-largest drop in the AP poll, behind Tennessee, which fell six spots to No. 13 after losses to Florida and UConn. The Lady Vols have lost three of four games, likely sparked by Keyen Green's season-ending knee injury in a win over Georgia.

BYU was staring at a similar drop — or possibly worse — after dropping its first game in West Coast Conference play, a stunning 75-64 upset at Portland on Thursday. But Paisley Harding's 22 points rallied BYU to a 62-50 win over Gonzaga, as the fifth-year senior overcame four stitches received under her eye in the visiting locker room to help overturn a 35-20 halftime deficit with a 19-3 third-quarter spurt that earned the Cougars just their second win in Spokane in head coach Jeff Judkins' 21-year tenure.

It was also the "best game of her career" for BYU fifth-year center Sara Hamson, the 6-foot-7 shot blocker who took advantage of the extra season of eligibility provided by the COVID-19 disruption — even if it meant giving up her starting spot.

"Sara came in and set a great tone defensively. It was a real positive thing," Judkins said after the game. "She is better in these kind of games and it was a good matchup. It is nice to have a player that has started for three years and come in and give us that. She was great tonight."

South Carolina is the unanimous No. 1 team in the AP Top 25, followed by Stanford, Louisville, Michigan and North Carolina State. Arizona is the second-highest Pac-12 team at No. 6, followed by Indiana, UConn, Iowa State and Baylor.

BYU is the highest-ranked team from outside the Power Six conferences, and one of just two alongside No. 22 Florida Gulf Coast (22-1) from the ASUN.

The Cougars return to the Marriott Center to host Pepperdine on Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT on BYUtv before traveling to Saint Mary's for a 2 p.m. Saturday tip.

"We still have a lot of games left. Gonzaga will have to come to our place and they play just as good on the road," said Judkins, whose team will host the Zags on Feb. 19. "That might decide who wins the conference. It will be exciting."

AP Top 25 women's basketball poll

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' women's college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Feb. 6, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking.