LAS VEGAS – Xojian Harry came off the bench to lead BYU women’s basketball to a 71-64 road win over UNLV, Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

“(UNLV) was on fire tonight, but I give (Harry) a lot of credit,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “She gave us a big spark, there’s no question. She came in and hit shots and did things that she really doesn’t practice.”

Harry had career-highs in points, 13, and 3-pointers, three, in the Cougar win. Jennifer Hamson also had 13 points to go along with four boards. Kim Beeston went 3 for 7 from the 3-point line to get in double-digit points with 10, along with a team-leading six assists. Morgan Bailey got her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

BYU (2-0) and UNLV (1-1) both finished the game shooting 42 percent from the field, but the Cougars shot 15 more free throws than the Rebels. BYU scored 24 points off of UNLV turnovers in the win, compared to just 10 for the Rebels.

Bailey got things started for the Cougars in the first half with two quick layups for BYU’s first four points.  

The Rebels’ Mia Bell went 2 for 3 early on from the 3-point line to tie the score at 8-8. The Cougars then went on an 11-0 run to take a double-digit lead at 19-8.

Turnovers were a source of concern in the first half for UNLV, losing the ball 12 times compared to BYU’s eight. The Rebels also had seven fouls in the first nine minutes of action.

Lexi Eaton picked up a third foul in the first half of play with 6:10 remaining after a technical was called after a turnover. Both Eaton and Hamson sat for the last six minutes of play, having each picked up three fouls.

The Cougars led by as many as 12 points with 1:05 left to go in the first half. UNLV quickly scored a bucket and shortly after got two free throws to go down. The Rebels held for the last shot of the first half and Jehiah Cook scored an acrobatic layup to cut BYU’s lead to 33-26 at halftime.

Coming out of the break, Hamson got the first bucket from a Kylie Maeda assist. UNLV then went on a 10-0 run to take a 36-35 lead from another Bell three. It was the Rebels’ first lead since the 5-4 mark.

Harry came off the bench for the Cougars, quickly scoring 2 of 3 from the 3-point stripe, to help BYU take the lead again. All of Harry’s points were scored in the second half.

There were a total of six ties and six lead changes in the game before the Cougars took control again.

The Rebels went on a late surge, but it wasn’t enough as BYU won its first road game of the season 71-64.   

BYU heads back home to the Marriott Center on Saturday, Nov. 16, to face Boston College at 4 p.m. MST. Links to live stats can be found on the BYU women’s basketball schedule page.

Postgame Notes

Team

At the break, BYU had a 17 to 7 advantage in points made off of UNLV miscues and finished the game scoring 24 points from Rebel turnovers.

The Cougars edged out the Rebels in the rebound category pulling down 36 to 33.

BYU’s bench came up big in the win over UNLV scoring 31 points. UNLV finished with 11 points from its bench.

Player

Jennifer Hamson (13) Kim Beeston (10) and Morgan Bailey (10) all recorded double figure scoring for the second straight time this year.

Bailey finished the game with her first double-double of the season adding 10 boards to her 10 points.

Xojian Harry came off the bench picking up career highs in points with 13 and in 3-pointers made with 3.

For the second straight time, Beeston led the way in assists with a game high six.

Stephanie Rovetti came off the bench to record her first game of the year scoring in double figures with 10, all from the free throw line.

With one regular season game under its belt, the BYU women’s basketball team takes its 1-0 record on the road. The Cougar women head to Las Vegas to take on former Mountain West Conference foe UNLV (1-0) Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. PST. The game can be heard live on BYU Radio.

About BYU 
The team picked up its first win of the season defeating South Dakota State 81-53 last Friday in Provo. In the victory, four players scored in double figures led by Lexi Eaton and Kim Beeston who scored 18 points each. Jennifer Hamson recorded her first double double of the year with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Morgan Bailey rounded out the scoring output with 13 points.

This year’s squad returns 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.

Last month, the Cougar women were picked to finish fourth in the West Coast Conference regular season race behind San Diego and Saint Mary’s. Gonzaga was selected to repeat as regular season champs. Senior center Jennifer Hamson was named to the preseason poll, her second such honor. 

• Head coach: Jeff Judkins (Utah, ‘78) enters his 13th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #21 Lexi Eaton & #4 Kim Beeston, 18.0 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #5 Jennifer Hamson, 10.0 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #4 Beeston, 5.0 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #4 Beeston & #41 Morgan Bailey, 3.0 spg 

About UNLV 
UNLV opened up the 2013-14 campaign at home defeating Santa Clara 77-70 last Friday afternoon. Three players scored in double digits in the win. The Rebels, who return five starters from last season, were picked to finish fifth in the 2013-14 Mountain West preseason poll. Last season UNLV concluded the year tied in fourth place in the league race.

• Head coach: Kathy Olivier (UNLV, ‘82), 6th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #42 D. Miller & #24 A. Cesarz, 16.0 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #10 R. Verin & #14 A. Rohde, 9.0 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #30 Mia Bell, 8.0 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #22 R. Haynes, 5.0 spg 

Series History 
BYU leads the series 27-12 

Last Meeting 
These two former conference foes played last during the 2010-11 season when the Cougars swept the series over the Rebels. BYU beat UNLV 75-64 in Provo on Jan. 5, 2011 and then picked up a 79-44 road win at the Cox Pavilion on Feb. 5, 2011. In the game at the Cox Pavilion, the only current player who saw action in that contest was Kim Beeston. She came off the bench scoring 10 points in 17 minutes of playing time. Heading into that second meeting with the Rebels, the Cougars were on a four-game winning streak. The victory lifted BYU to a first place standing in MWC action at that time and extended its win streak to five games. For UNLV, Mia Bell and Amanda Anderson played in the game on Feb. 5. Bell scored three points, dished out two assists and had one steal. Anderson came off the bench, played 12 minutes and grabbed three rebounds. 

What’s Next 
The Cougar women return to the Marriott Center on Nov. 16 when they host Boston College, who is making its first trip to Provo. The game vs. the Eagles tips off at 4 p.m.