Brigham Young University
Nov 02 | 03:00 PM
72 - 60
Westminster College (Utah)
Marriott Center

500 E University Parkway Provo UT 84604

mperry | Posted: 2 Nov 2013 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
mperry

Hamson leads Cougars in exhibition victory

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PROVO, Utah – Senior Jennifer Hamson had her second straight 20 point 10 rebound  game to lead BYU in a 72-60 win over in-state foe Westminster Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center.

“Last night was a tough game and tonight we came out flat,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “The referees really took us out of the game the way they were calling it. Our team needs to react to when they are calling it tight and understand that.”

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Hamson ended with 20 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks in 20 minutes of action. Junior forward Morgan Bailey was the only other player in double figures for the Cougars with 16 points to go along with her seven rebounds. Junior guard Stephanie Rovetti had six assists for the second straight game.

“Jen scored it and rebounded,” Judkins said. “Her timing is so much better and her understanding of what we’re doing is better. She doesn’t feel like she is being rushed out there. Right now she is one of the best players in the league.”

BYU shot 57 percent from the floor and outscored Westminster 40-10 in the paint. The Cougars’ bench outscored the Griffins 36-13. The defense held Westminster to 34 percent shooting from the field for the game.

Stuck in a tight contest with the Griffins, Hamson came through in a big way to start the second half scoring six of the first seven points to go along with three blocks to keep the Cougars in control of the game.

BYU started with a different line-up against the Griffins playing their second game in as many days. The first half saw 26 fouls in a back-and-forth contest that included nine ties and eight lead changes.

Junior Xojian Harry scored the first six points for BYU helping answer an 8-3 run from Westminster and sparkng the offense. BYU answered with a 10-2 run to retake the lead at 13-10. The game remained tight until the Cougars went on an 8-2 run to take a 32-26 lead.

The Griffins refused to go away and responded with a 6-0 run to tie the game again at 32 with 2:43 remaining. Sophomore guard Lexi Eaton then scored four points for the Cougars in a 7-2 run to take a 39-34 lead into halftime.

Bailey led all players with 12 points in the first half to go along with three rebounds and a steal. BYU shot 54 percent from the field in the first half and 73 percent from the free throw line. The Cougars held Westminster to just 36 percent shooting from the field.

Hamson’s sixth point of the second half started an 11-1 run to give BYU their first double digit lead of the game at 55-44. With the Cougars up seven with just over six minutes left, Harry’s second three-pointer of the game and a three point play by Hamson sparked a 14-5 run to give BYU a game-high sixteen point lead. The Cougars shot 61 percent from the floor in the second half on the way to the 72-60 victory.

BYU’s regular season home opener is Friday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. MST against South Dakota State at the Marriott Center.

 
Postgame Notes
Team
 
BYU opened up its largest lead of the game with 1:54 left in the game. They led 69-53.
 
With 15:10 left in the game, Westminster cut the BYU lead to one, but BYU answered with a 14-5 run.
 
The first half featured nine ties and eight lead changes. With 2:35 left in the half, the Cougars took the lead 34-32, never looking back.
 
In the second half, BYU shot 60.9 percent from the field while holding Westminster to 34 percent.
 
For the game, the Cougars finished with 23 assists compared with Westminster’s 13.
 
Players
 
Jennifer Hamson had her second straight game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. She tallied 20 points and 11 rebounds for the game in only 20 minutes of play. She also added a game-high six blocks with four coming in the second half. 
 
Morgan Bailey led BYU in scoring in the first half with 12 points, shooting a near-perfect 5 of 6 from the field. She ended the game with 16 points.
 
Stephanie Rovetti led BYU in assists for the second straight game with six assists. She also picked up four fouls, with three in the second half. .
 
Xojian Harry shot 2 of 3 from 3-point range. She also scored the first six points of the game for BYU on a three-point play and a 3-pointer.
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Norma Bertoch | Posted: 30 Oct 2013 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
Norma Bertoch

Exhibition games on tap this week

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In preparation for the 2013-14 women’s basketball season, the Cougar women will play two exhibition games this week.

BYU hosts Colorado Mesa University on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. and in-state foe Westminster College Saturday, Nov. 2 in a 3 p.m. tipoff. Both contests are free to the public and will be heard live on BYU Radio.

The Cougar women return nine letterwinners and two starters from a team that compiled a 23-11 record, finished tied for third in the West Coast Conference and competed for the second straight year in the postseason WNIT.

Senior Jennifer Hamson is one of the two returning starters. The 6-foot-7 center averaged 11.2 points and grabbed a team-best 8.8 boards per game. Also back for her final college season is senior guard Kim Beeston. The 5-foot-11 guard averaged 10.5 points and enters the year as the team’s assists leader. She concluded last season ranked 32nd nationally in 3-point field goal percentage.

Back from injuries are sophomore guard Lexi Eaton and junior guard Stephanie Rovetti. Four additional letterwinners bring a lot of playing time and depth to this year’s team. Morgan Bailey and Ashley Garfield played in every game last season. Xojian Harry averaged 15 minutes of playing time while Kylie Maeda came off the bench to relieve Cougar standout Haley Steed at the point guard spot.

Three redshirt freshmen also look to contribute this season. Utahn’s Micaelee Orton, and Makenzi Morrison along with Kristine Fuller who hails from Clearwater, Fla., come in this year ready to play.

Beginning their college careers as Cougars are freshmen Cassie Broadhead, a 5-foot-9 guard from Glenville, N. Y., who prepped at Scotia Glenville High School and Savannah Irwin, a 6-foot-5 center from Carlsbad, Calif., and La Costa Canyon High School.

Cougar fans will have on opportunity to see all of the players in the two exhibition games.

The 2013-14 season officially gets under way on Friday, Nov. 8 when the team hosts first time opponent South Dakota State. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.