PROVO, Utah – Behind Jennifer Hamson’s 21 points, BYU women’s basketball beat San Diego 71-58 at the last home game of the season on senior night.

"There are moments when this team can be a machine," head coach Jeff Judkins said. "They executed defensively and offensively. We have so many weapons, tonight we had four girls in double figures. Each of them had their turn in spurts and that's what makes this team great."

Highlights and Interviews

With the win over San Diego (22-7, 11-7), BYU (24-5, 14-4) will be guaranteed a No. 2 seed in the WCC tournament. 

Amy Kane was the leading scorer for the Toreros with 16 points.

At the start of the game Lexi Eaton put up the Cougars’ first points with a 3-pointer at 16:26, bringing the score to 6-3 San Diego.

BYU then went on a 13-0 run spanning over 3:14. An additional 3-pointer was put up by Xojian Harry while Kim Beeston added two more to the mix. The Cougars went 5 for 9 in the first half from downtown with Beeston as the leader, while the Toreros went 0 for 2.

The run quickly progressed to 22-4 over a five minute span, capped off by a final total of three 3-pointers by Beeston to end the half.

BYU led in assists at the break, earning 12, while San Diego earned just four. The Cougars took a 17-point lead, 39-22 after the first 20 minutes of action.

The Toreros started the second half with a 6-0 run, which the Cougars didn’t let last very long. With 14:50 showing on the clock the score was 46-33, giving BYU a comfortable lead.

San Diego went on 13-4 run cutting the lead to 10, 38-48, but that's as close as they would get.

The Cougars picked things up again with a 3-pointer from Beeston to bring the score to 59-48. With 2:06 left on the clock, BYU had comfortable19-point advantage, 70-51.

At the conclusion of the game Hamson and Beeston, the team's two seniors, were honored. 

BYU will play next in the West Coast Conference tournament which takes place at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, beginning Mar. 6. The officisl seedings will be announced tomorrow.

Postgame Notes

Quotes on Senior Night - Coach Judkins
“It’s been a great season," Judkins said. "I can’t be more proud of those two seniors and what they’ve done at BYU. Both of them are great players but probably more importantly they set a great example for the team by doing all the things good seniors do. You’re lucky as a coach to have a player like Jen once every 10 years. The way she dominates the game inside is hard to replace. I think Kim has really come to her own and knowing what her role is. She’s a great passer, a great leader and her shot has gotten better every single year.”

Senior Kim Beeston -
“This has been one of the best experiences of my life," Beeston said. "Not only just playing basketball but the people I’ve met and the memories I’ve made here, it’s been incredible and will be something I’ll never forget.” 

Senior Jennifer Hamson -
“It’s a little bitter-sweet but it’s so fun being around these girls," Hamson said. "I’m so excited about the next two weeks, about the tournaments we’ll be in. I’m just really excited about the end.” 

Team
The Cougars ended the game with a 22-13 advantage in assists and 36-22 in points in the point. BYU also outrebounded the Toreros 39-24.

San Diego led in points off turnovers 27-13 as well as in steals 14-7.

San Diego’s largest lead was at 6-0 to start the game. BYU’s largest advantage was at 19 with :24 left to go in the first half.

Player
Lexi Eaton and Kim Beeston led all BYU players at halftime with 11 points each. Eaton finished with 18 points and six boards while Beeston ended the game with 13 points and a team-high five assists. Beeston

Jennifer Hamson finished the game with 21 points, giving her 1,353 career points and putting her ahead of Thais Kidd as the 14th all-time scorer in women’s basketball history. She also collected team highs in nine rebounds and had four boards.

Morgan Bailey was the fourth player to score in double digit points with 13. She also had seven boards.

PROVO, Utah—Riding a seven-game winning streak and coming off a road sweep over Pepperdine and LMU, BYU women’s basketball (23-5, 13-4) finishes West Coast Conference regular season play at home, Saturday.

The league finale brings San Diego to the Marriott Center in a 1 p.m. tip. The game will be televised live on BYUtv. BYU’s two seniors, Kim Beeston and Jennifer Hamson, will be recognized at the game.

About BYU
In second place in the league standings, the Cougars are led by senior center Jennifer Hamson who tops the list in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. She’s averaging 18.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game. Hamson leads the nation in blocked shots, ranks 11th in double-doubles, 13th in rebounds per game and 19th in field goal percentage.

Three other Cougars are recording double figures in points, with Lexi Eaton chipping in 16.9 followed by 11.6 points from Kim Beeston. Junior forward Morgan Bailey rounds out the scoring output, contributing 10.3 points. She is second in rebounds, pulling down 7.1 per contest.

BYU is averaging 72.6 points per game, while holding opponents to 64.3 points. The Cougars, who rank sixth in the country in blocked shots per game, have recorded more blocks than opponents in 24 games and have dished out more assists in 22 of the 28 games played to date. The team has also recorded more rebounds than opponents in 21 contests.

About San Diego
San Diego enters the last week of WCC play with a 22-6, 11-6 record, in fourth place in the league standings. It is currently on a three-game win streak.

The Toreros have a very balanced team with four players scoring in double figures. Amy Kame tops the leaderboard with 16.8 points per game followed by 12.7 points from Malina Hood and 10.5 from Felicia Wijenberg. Katelyn McDaniel rounds out the double-digit scoring contributing 10.3 points while leading in rebounds pulling down 8.1 per contest.

San Diego is averaging 70.4 points per game and is pulling down 42.8 rebounds per game.

Series History
BYU leads the overall series 6-1. When playing in Provo, the Toreros are 0-2.

Last Meeting
The Cougars fell to 14-4, 4-3 after a 60-45 loss at San Diego on Jan.18, the first time the two teams played.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half with the Toreros going just 1 of 15 from the field in the first eight minutes of play. In that same span of time, BYU turned the ball over seven times.

The Cougars led 28-26 at halftime before San Diego sparked a comeback, including an 18-2 run, in the final 20 minutes.

Jennifer Hamson tied a previous career-high 17 rebounds to go along with five blocks, but ended the game with just three points. Lexi Eaton scored a game-best 16 points for the Cougars, while Kim Beeston chipped in a double-digit outing of her own with 12.

Up Next
Following the home game vs. San Diego, the BYU women’s basketball team gets set to compete in the 2014 WCC women’s basketball championships in Las Vegas. The league tournament begins on March 6 and concludes Mar. 11. The winner of the tournament advances to the NCAA championships representing the WCC.