SAN DIEGO -- Junior Mindy Bonham led BYU with 19 points, a season-high in conference play, through a tough back-and-forth battle with 16 lead changes but the Cougars couldn't get the last shot off and fell a tough 71-73 in San Diego.

"This was a tough game," said BYU head coach Jeff Judkins. "I’m proud of our team, we played really well, shot the ball well and did a good job defending Jene Morris. Now we just have to take care of the next three games, but I’m proud of how we played tonight as a team."

In all games, except one to date, at least two BYU (18-7, 9-4) players have scored in double-figures. In the game against the Aztecs, four players recorded double digits. Bonham, Coriann Wood, Jazmine Foreman and Kristen Riley all tallied 19, 18, 12 and 11 points, respectively. This was the eighth game this season to have four players in double digits.

Riley also recorded a new season-and career-high with four assists and tied her season-and career-high with three steals. Wood tied her season-and career-high with four 3-pointers on the night.

The Aztecs (16-10, 8-6) got on the board first to start the game with a 3-pointer from Quenese Davis but Bonham would respond back quickly with a layup of her own and force a turnover by the Aztecs in full court pressure.

Bonham recorded eight of BYU's first 10 points, finishing the first half with 11 points to be one of BYU's two players in double figures at the half. Wood also had 11 points as the team headed into the locker room. The second half ended with a 3-pointer from Haley Hall to put the Cougars up 38-36.

The second half started with the Aztecs again getting off the first shot but the Cougars would respond with a 4-0 run to put them up 42-38.

With two minutes to play, the Cougars found themselves down by just one point. The game would remain close until the last minute of play. A 3-pointer from Wood tied the game at 71 with 50 seconds to play but a layup from San Diego State's Paris Johnson would be the final shot of the game as the Aztecs took the win. Johnson finished with 24 points in the contest.

The Cougars finished the game shooting 45.6 percent from the field and went 84.6 percent from the charity stripe, compared to the Aztecs' 66.7 percent.

The Cougars will continue their final conference road trip at New Mexico on Saturday at 4 p.m. MT. The game will be shown live on CBS CollegeSports.

Official Basketball Box Score
BYU vs San Diego State
2-24-10 7:05 p.m. at San Diego, Calif. (Viejas Arena)
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VISITORS: BYU 18-7, 9-4 MWC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
35 RILEY,Kristen....... f  4-9    0-1    3-4    5  4  9   2  11  4  1  1  3  29
45 MOEAKI,Keilani...... f  0-4    0-0    0-0    2  0  2   0   0  0  1  0  0   7
03 FOREMAN,Jazmine..... g  4-10   2-7    2-3    2  4  6   4  12  3  5  0  0  37
22 BONHAM,Mindy........ g  8-11   1-2    2-2    0  5  5   0  19  5  5  1  2  40
33 HALL, Haley......... g  2-6    1-3    0-0    1  1  2   3   5  4  2  0  1  38
10 KAUFUSI, Alexis.....    2-5    0-0    2-2    0  1  1   0   6  0  0  0  0  16
23 WOOD,Coriann........    6-12   4-6    2-2    2  4  6   1  18  0  2  1  0  33
   TEAM................                         1  1  2             1
   Totals..............   26-57   8-19  11-13  13 20 33  10  71 16 17  3  6 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 15-34 44.1%   2nd Half: 11-23 47.8%   Game: 45.6%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  6-15 40.0%   2nd Half:  2-4  50.0%   Game: 42.1%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  2-2  100 %   2nd Half:  9-11 81.8%   Game: 84.6%   1,1
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HOME TEAM: San Diego State 16-10, 8-6 MWC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
01 BRADLEY, Jessika.... f  2-4    0-0    0-2    0  2  2   0   4  2  2  2  0  15
32 JOHNSON, Paris...... c  9-14   0-0    6-10   5  4  9   2  24  1  1  1  0  26
02 DAVIS, Coco......... g  5-6    4-4    0-0    1  4  5   2  14  7  1  1  1  37
03 DAVIS, Quenese...... g  4-10   1-4    4-4    0  3  3   3  13  7  4  0  1  37
05 MORRIS, Jene........ g  4-13   0-2    2-2    3  2  5   0  10  1  3  0  4  38
04 SPINARDI, Kim.......    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   3
23 DUFFY, Ashley.......    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   5
34 DUFFY, Allison......    3-7    0-2    0-0    0  2  2   1   6  1  1  0  2  26
55 TUTT, Kalena........    1-1    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   1   2  0  1  0  1  13
   TEAM................                         3     3
   Totals..............   28-57   5-14  12-18  12 19 31   9  73 19 13  4  9 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 14-29 48.3%   2nd Half: 14-28 50.0%   Game: 49.1%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-10 40.0%   2nd Half:  1-4  25.0%   Game: 35.7%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  4-6  66.7%   2nd Half:  8-12 66.7%   Game: 66.7%    2
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Officials: Shelly Nakasone, Jack Jones, Penny Davis
Technical fouls: BYU-None. San Diego State-None.
Attendance: 713
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
BYU...........................   38   33  -   71
San Diego State...............   36   37  -   73
ID-811953
Points in the paint-BY 28,SD 36. Points off turnovers-BY 12,SD 14.
2nd chance points-BY 10,SD 15. Fast break points-BY 4,SD 4.
Bench points-BY 24,SD 8. Score tied-14 times. Lead changed-16 times.
Last FG-BY 2nd-00:59, SD 2nd-00:35.
Largest lead-BY by 7 1st-08:17, SD by 5 1st-17:43.

Tied for first place with TCU and on a four-game winning streak, the BYU women’s basketball team takes its final MWC road trip of the season.

The Cougars (18-6, 9-3) play at San Diego State (15-10, 7-6) on Wed. Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. PT. On Saturday, Feb. 27, they are at The Pit battling the New Mexico Lobos (15-10, 7-6) in a 4 p.m. start time. That game airs live on CBS C.

BYU Probable Starters

No. Name Pos. Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

03 Jazmine Foreman G 5-5 Jr 10.1 3.2

22 Mindy Bonham (Nielson) G 5-10 Jr 11.3 4.2

33 Haley Hall G 5-4 Jr 8.7 3.9

45 Keilani Moeaki F 6-2 Jr 5.0 2.1

35 Kristen Riley C 6-3 So 8.5 5.5

2009-10 Stats Summary

-- Shooting from field: (.435, 613-1408)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.363, 169-465)

-- Shooting from free-throw line: (.649, 222-342)

-- Average points per game: 67.4

-- Average rebounds per game: 38.2

-- Average assists per game: 17.0

-- Average steals per game: 9.8

-- Average blocks per game: 3.6

-- Average turnovers per game: 16.9

Cougars in the NCAA Stats (as of Feb. 22, 2010)

Team

-- Assists Per Game - 9th (17.1)

-- Assist/Turnover Ratio - 19th (1.01)

Player

-- Assist/Turnover Ratio - Haley Hall, 15th (2.15)

Team Has Strong Showing In The MWC 2009-10 Race

With a 9-3 record in league play, the Cougar women continue to have success in the conference. As of 2/22/10, the team is tied for first place in the latest MWC standings with TCU with just four games to go. This is the second time during league play that the team has been tied for first place. BYU was picked to finish sixth in the conference.

THIS WEEK’S MWC OPPONENTS

San Diego State - Wed. Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. MST (San Diego, Calif.) - Viejas Arena

San Diego State enters this week’s MWC action in a three-way tie for fourth place with Wyoming and New Mexico in the latest league standings with a 7-6 league record and 15-10 overall. Currently, three players are scoring in double digits for SDSU led by seniors Jene Morris and Quenese Davis. Morris tops the list with 16.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game while Davis contributes 11.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and a team high 5.3 assists per contest. Junior center Paris Johnson rounds out the double figure scoring with 11.2 points and 6.5 boards. Jessika Bradley leads the way in rebounds grabbing 6.8 boards per game. Head coach Beth Burns is in her 13th season with the Aztecs women’s basketball program.

Stat Comparison

Category BYU SDSU

FG: .435 .437

3FG: .363 .323

FT: .649 .689

Points: 67.4 63.5

Reb: 38.2 36.5

Series Information

Overall Series Record: BYU leads 26-12

BYU Record in Provo: 15-3

BYU Record in San Diego: 10-9

BYU Record in Neutral Sites: 1-0

BYU Record under Jeff Judkins: 14-3

BYU Record in Overtime Games: N/A

Longest BYU Win Streak: 13 (2001-2007)

Longest SDSU Win Streak: 3 (twice, ‘95-’96; ‘81-’91)

Largest BYU Margin of Victory: 32, 82-50 in 2004

Largest SDSU Margin of Victory: 26, 85-59 in 1996

First Meeting This MWC Season

In the first match up during the 2010 MWC campaign, the teams met in Provo, Utah on Jan. 23 where the Cougars grabbed the 10-point 73-63 victory. When playing in San Diego, BYU has an 9-10 record. They last won in San Diego on Jan. 25, 2007 a 54-49 victory.

NEW MEXICO - Sat. Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. MST (Albuquerque, NM) - The Pit

The University of New Mexico has compiled a 15-10, 7-6 record and is tied for fourth place in this week’s MWC standings with Wyoming and SDSU. At home in league play, the Lobos have a 3-3 record to date. They host CSU on Feb. 24 before the matchup with BYU. Senior guard Amy Beggin leads the way in scoring with 13.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. She’s followed by sophomore guard Sara Halasz who contributes 9.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest. Jessica Kielpinski tops the leader board in the rebound category grabbing a team high 6.4 boards per contest. Beggin also ranks first in assists with a total of 82 to date, and she’s tied with Kielpinski for the most steals on the team with 38 each. Head coach Don Flanagan is in his 15th season with the women’s basketball program at New Mexico.

Stat Comparison

Category BYU UNM

FG: .435 .390

3FG: .363 .321

FT: .649 .749

Points: 67.4 65.0

Reb: 38.2 37.4

Series Information

Overall Series Record: BYU leads 38-29

BYU Record in Provo: 22-8

BYU Record in Albuquerque: 12-16

BYU Record in Neutral Sites: 4-3

BYU Record under Jeff Judkins: 6-15

BYU Record in Overtime Games: 0-1

Longest BYU Win Streak: 9 (1987-1994)

Longest UNM Win Streak: 5 (2003-2005)

Largest BYU Margin of Victory: 39, 100-61 in ‘83

Largest UNM Margin of Victory: 49, 100-51 in ‘96

First Meeting This MWC Season

In the first match up between the Cougars and the Lobos, the teams met in Provo with New Mexico picking up the 60-57 victory on Jan. 27, 2010. When BYU plays at The Pit in Albuquerque they have amassed a 12-16 record. The Cougars last won at The Pit on Jan. 26, 2008, a 41-38 win.

Cougar Travel - San Diego

Team Flight: Tues. Feb. 23 - Delta flight# 4555 departs Salt Lake City at 3:25 p.m., arriving in San Diego at 4:20 p.m.

Team Flight: Thurs. Feb. 25 - Delta flight# 4653 departs San Diego at 10:15 a.m., arriving in Salt Lake City at 1:02 p.m.

Team Hotel: The Westin, Gaslamp Quarter - 910 Broadway Circle, 619-239-2200, 619-239-0509, fax.

Team Practices - San Diego

Wed. Feb. 24 - Shootaround at Viejas Arena (12-1p.m.)

Cougar Travel - Albuquerque

Team Flight: Fri. Feb. 26 - Delta flight# 4731 departs Salt Lake City at 4:45 p.m., arriving in Albuquerque at 6:25 p.m.

Team Flight: Sun. Feb. 28 - Delta flight# 4738 departs Albuquerque at 10:48 a.m., arriving in Salt Lake City at 12:33 p.m.

Team Hotel: Marriott Albuquerque - 2101 Louisiana Blvd., NE, 505-881-6800, 505-888-2982, fax.

Team Practices - Albuquerque

Sat. Feb. 27 - Shootaround at The Pit (TBA)

WHAT’S NEXT

After the two league road games the Cougar team ends the MWC campaign at home hosting Utah and TCU. BYU battles the Utes on Wed. Mar. 3, at 7 p.m., a game that can be seen live worldwide on BYU TV. On Sat. Mar. 6, the Cougars host the Horned Frogs in a 2 p.m. tip off. Prior to the start of the game, senior Jaime Judkins, the lone senior on this year’s team, will be recognized.

After the last two MWC games, the BYU women’s basketball team prepares to play in the MWC Tournament in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center, Mar. 10-13.