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Mar 29 | 02:30 PM
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Royce Hinton
| Posted: 29 Mar 2014 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
LINCOLN, Neb. — No. 12 seed BYU women’s basketball fell 70-51 to No. 1 seed Connecticut Saturday afternoon in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
“I’m really proud of my team,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “I thought we really came out tonight with a lot of heart and energy. We played some of our best basketball. Sometimes in a game like this it comes down to being physical. We just didn’t play that sharp in the second half. I’m really proud of this team and its effort.”
BYU (28-7) led Connecticut (37-0) in 3-point shooting, 30 to 16 percent. The Huskies outshot the Cougars by just two percent, 39-37.
Kim Beeston led BYU with 16 points, including going 4 for 8 from downtown. Jennifer Hamson had 9 points and a team-leading 13 rebounds to go along with all of the team’s six blocks. Morgan Bailey was the only other Cougar to score in double figures, getting 14 to go along with seven boards. Kylie Maeda had a team-high four assists.
The Cougars took a 3-2 lead after Bailey hit a 3-pointer to give BYU its first points of the game. She hit her second 3-pointer of the game to tie things up at 8-8 at the first timeout.
Beeston hit her first 3-pointer of the game to put the Cougars back up 13-12 with under 11 minutes left to play in the first half.
Hamson followed three points from UConn with four-straight points of her own to bring the score to 17-15, BYU.
BYU led by as many as six points in the first half after Beeston made a jumper, giving her a game-high 13 points on 3 for 4 shooting from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes. It was the second-largest deficit Connecticut has faced this season.
The Cougars trailed by just one point at halftime, 30-29, making the score the closest it’s been all season at the break for the Huskies.
Lexi Eaton scored BYU’s first six points coming out of the break to help the Cougars go back up 35-34. UConn quickly followed with a 10-2 run to go up 44-37, which forced coach Judkins to call a timeout.
The Huskies led by as many as 11 before Hamson collected an offensive board and hit the put-back layup. Beeston followed that make with another 3-pointer to cut the UConn lead to six at 52-46.
Fouls were an issue for BYU in the second half. The Cougars led in fouls 8-2 with under six minutes left in the game as the Huskies took a 67-48 advantage.
UConn continued with its double-digit lead throughout the rest of the game as the Huskies came out with a 70-51 victory.
During the game the score was tied four times and the lead changed 12 different times, all within the first 24 minutes of game time.
The loss ends the BYU women’s basketball season at 28 wins, most in program history. In addition, the Cougars advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for just the second time. BYU loses two seniors to the 2014-15 roster, starters Kim Beeston and Jennifer Hamson.
Postgame Notes
Team
After the loss to No. 1 Connecticut, the Cougars conclude the 2013-14 season with a 28-7 record, advancing to the Sweet 16 for just the second time in school history. The 28 wins are a new school record for the women’s basketball team.
With 4:42 minutes left in the first half BYU had a six-point, 27-21 advantage. The largest lead by either team in the first half. They went into the break down by just one, 30-29. In the second half the Huskies took a 10-point lead with 14:30 remaining in the game, eventually winning by 19, 70-51. They closed the game on an 18-5 run.
After 20 minutes of action, the Cougars had dished out 10 assists compare with five for the Huskies. At the end of the contest, Connecticut edged out BYU with 13 assists to the Cougars' 12. It’s just the fifth time this season that an opponent has recorded more assists than BYU.
Player
Kim Beeston tallied 13 points in the first half to lead all scorers in the first 20 minutes of action. She finished the game with a team-best 16 points making it the 23rd game this year that she’s recorded double digits in points. Twelve of the 16 points were from 3-point range.
With 16:47 remaining in the game Morgan Bailey scored her 10th point to tie up the score at 37-37. She finished the game with 14 points to go along with seven rebounds.
Kylie Maeda led the way in assists for the Cougars, dishing out four. She also had four points and pulled down four rebounds.
Norma Bertoch
| Posted: 26 Mar 2014 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
Norma Bertoch
Sweet 16 bound Cougar women play No. 1 UConn Saturday
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With its second upset over a higher-seeded team, an 80-76 win over No. 4 seed Nebraska on Monday, the BYU women’s basketball team (28-6) advances to the Sweet 16 of this year’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Championships.
The Cougars travel to Lincoln, Neb., to take on No. 1 seed Connecticut (36-0), Saturday, Mar. 29, at 3:30 p.m. CDT. The game is on ESPN and online at BYU Radio.
About BYU
This is the second time that BYU has advanced to the Sweet 16 under head coach Jeff Judkins and the second in the program’s history. The Cougars are just the third No. 12 seed that has ever advanced to the Sweet 16. Kansas did it in 2013 and San Francisco in 1996.
The 28 wins that BYU has recorded this year are both the most under coach Judkins and in the school’s women’s basketball program.
WCC Player and Defensive Player of the Year Jennifer Hamson tops the list in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots for BYU. She averages 18.0 ppg, 11.5 rpg and 4.1 bpg. Hamson ranks first in the nation in blocked shots, 11th in double-doubles, 14th in rebounds per game and 15th in field goal percentage.
Three other Cougars are averaging double figures in points with Lexi Eaton chipping in 17.1 followed by 11.2 points from Kim Beeston. Junior forward Morgan Bailey rounds out the scoring output, contributing 10.6 points. She is second on the team in rebounding, pulling down 7.0 per contest.
BYU is averaging 72.6 points per game, while holding opponents to 64.0 points. The Cougars, who are tied in fourth place in the nation in blocked shots, have recorded more blocks than opponents in 29 games, including a season-best 15 vs. NC State. In 27 games, BYU has dished out more assists and recorded more rebounds than opponents in 26 contests.
About Connecticut
The top-seeded Huskies (36-0) advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a decisive 91-52 win over Saint Joseph’s. The defending national champions enter this year’s NCAA tournament with an unblemished record for the sixth time in school history.
UConn captured its sixth Conference Tournament championship in the last seven years when it beat Louisville in the inaugural American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship on March 10. The Huskies also clinched the AAC regular season crown with a perfect 18-0 mark. UConn has a 19-2 record when playing in the Sweet 16.
Connecticut has five players scoring in double digits with Breanna Stewart at the top with 19.7 points per game. Bria Hartley follows with 16.5 points, while Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis contributes 12.7 points a contest. Rounding out the offensive prowess for the Huskies are Stefanie Dolson who chips in 12.4 points and Moriah Jefferson tallies 10.1 points per contest. Dolson tops the list in rebounds, pulling down 9.0 boards a game. Jefferson leads in assists, averaging 4.9 per game.
The Huskies are averaging 83.1 points per game while holding opponents to just 47.1 points.
Series History
UConn leads the series with BYU 2-0. This will be the first time the teams have played on a neutral court.
Last Meeting
The team’s first meeting was on Nov. 27, 2007 when the Cougars made their first and only visit to Hartford, Conn. In that game the Huskies picked up the 80-34 win.
In the two school’s second matchup, UConn made its first ever visit to Provo, Utah on Nov. 25, 2008. The Huskies were ranked No. 1 nationally, becoming the highest ranked basketball team to ever play in the Marriott Center. In front of over 3,000 fans, Connecticut beat the Cougars 96-47.
Up Next
A win over top-seeded Connecticut would send the Cougar women to the Elite Eight for the first time in the program’s history. BYU would play the winner of the DePaul/Texas A&M game on Monday night.
