PROVO, Utah – Second-chance points and a disruptive defense helped the BYU women's basketball team defeat Weber State 80-55 Friday at the Marriott Center in the Cougars' season opener.

BYU scored 16 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds and forced the visiting Wildcats to turn the ball over 27 times.

"We came out and executed well tonight," head coach Jeff Judkins said. "We did a good job of moving the ball and did a good job defending their pick and roll game. I was happy with the way we played and we're looking forward to getting better and for the games next week. Lexi played very well in the first half and our bench gave us a lot of support tonight, especially Kylie (Maeda) who was playing in her first game."

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Three players scored in double digits for BYU, with Lexi Eaton leading the pack with 24 points, three rebounds and four assists. Eaton shot 9 for 16 in 28 minutes while Kim Beeston scored 13 points on 5 for 11 shooting, making three 3-pointers on the night. Morgan Bailey grabbed seven rebounds and added 11 points for the Cougars, setting a personal career high. Keilani Unga and Stephanie Vermunt Seaborn also chipped in nine points apiece for BYU.

Eaton scored 11 of the first 12 points for the home team and scored 18 in the opening period. Eaton was six for eight in the first half and also dished out three assists.

Kylie Maeda had four steals and four assists in the first half, including a crowd-pleasing half-court lob that Eaton tipped in just before time expired.

The Cougars struggled with their free throws early, shooting roughly 55 percent from the charity stripe in the first half. Defensively, however, BYU was relentless, forcing 15 turnovers and creating multiple fast break opportunities to take a 42-25 lead at the break.

The home team pushed the lead to 21 with a layup by Bailey two minutes into the second half, but Weber State responded with a 14-0 run, closing the gap to seven. Beeston got the home team back on track with 12:38 to play as she made her second 3-pointer of the game, pushing the lead back to double digits.

Beeston made another 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down and 7:52 remaining in the game to give the home team a 13-point cushion. Seconds later, Haley Steed picked up her ninth assist of the game, feeding Unga for the fast break layup. Steed played 27 minutes and finished the game with six points and nine assists.

With 2:53 remaining and the Cougars leading 71-55, Eaton drew contact on the left baseline as she made a layup in transition. Eaton made the free throw to complete the three-point play, topping off her 24-point night.

The home team finished the game on a 20-5 run that spanned the final 8:37. Seven different players scored for BYU during the stretch, including Xojian Harry, who banked in a tough shot as she floated toward the right baseline, drawing a foul in the process. Harry finished the night with six points in 16 minutes.

The Cougars' next game is Tuesday at Dartmouth. Tipoff is 5 p.m. EST.

Notes

Team

• BYU shot 49 percent to Weber State’s 42 percent.
• BYU outscored Weber State 30-22 in the paint. Weber State outrebounded the Cougars 42-36, but BYU led in assists 25-15 and steals 12-7.
• BYU pushed Weber State to 27 turnovers. The Cougars had 14 turnovers.
• With 44 seconds left in the game, BYU reached its largest lead of the game at 80-55.

Players

• Lexi Eaton recorded the first six points for BYU and hit double figures before the 10-minute mark, finishing the first half with 18 points. Eaton ended the game with 24 points, her second-highest points total in her career, shooting 56 percent.
• Kim Beeston scored in double figures with 13 points.
• Morgan Bailey was the third Cougar to reach double figures in scoring, collecting a career-high 11 points.
• Haley Steed contributed a game-high nine assists with six points.
• Newcomer Kylie Maeda made her debut with four assists and a game-high four steals.

BYU women’s basketball is set to kick off the 2012-13 season with its first regular season game this Friday. The Cougars welcome Weber State to the Marriott Center in an afternoon game that tips off at 3 p.m., MST on Nov. 9. The game will air live on BYUtv.

BYU Capsule
In preparation for the 2012-13 season BYU hosted two exhibition games, defeating Chadron State 89-51, Dixie State 79-57.
In the two exhibition games, three Cougars scored in double digits in both contests: Ashley Garfield (15 vs. Chadron State & 10 vs. Dixie State); Lexi Eaton (10 & 13); Haley Steed (10 & 15).
The Cougars return 10 letterwinners including three starters, from last year’s team that compiled a 26-7 overall record and a 12-4 mark in West Coast Conference play and finished tied for second in the WCC regular season.BYU clinched its first WCC championship crown by defeating Gonzaga 78-66 in the title game of the WCC tournament. This year, the league’s coaches picked BYU to finish first in the WCC regular season race. Steed, Eaton and Jennifer Hamson were named to the 2012-13 Preseason All-WCC Team.

•    Head coach: Jeff Judkins, enters his 12th season
•    Returning leading scorer: Lexi Eaton, 10.5 ppg
•    Returning leading rebounder: Jennifer Hamson, 5.7 rpg
•    Returning assist leader: Haley Steed, 7.2 apg
•    Returning steals leader: Haley Steed, 2.2 spg

BYU’S PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
#4 Kim Parker Beeston – (5-11 guard, JR) 9.5 ppg; 3.1 rpg; 3.3 apg
#21 Lexi Eaton – (5-10 guard, SO) 10.5 ppg; 3.1 rpg; 1.9 apg
#12 Stephanie Vermunt Seaborn – (6-0 guard/forward, JR) 6.5 ppg; 2.2 rpg; 1.1 apg
#45 Keilani Unga – (6-2 forward, SR) 4.4 ppg; 2.2 rpg; 1.1 apg^
*stats are from the 2011-12 season
^stats are from the 2009-10 season

Weber State Capsule
The Wildcats compiled a 2-27 overall, 0-16 Big Sky record last season. They return five letterwinners and one starter.

WSU played two exhibition games in preparation for the 2012-13 campaign, defeating Concordia 78-48 and Adams State 84-44 in Ogden.

•    Head coach: Bethann Ord, enters her second year at Weber State
•    Returning leading scorer: Amanda Hughes, 10.2 ppg
•    Returning leading rebounder: Amanda Hughes, 9.1 rpg
•    Returning assist leader: Amanda Hughes, 27 total assists
•    Returning steals leader: Amanda Hughes, 41 total steals

Series History
BYU leads the series: 39-9
BYU at home: 19-1
BYU in Ogden: 15-7
BYU in neutral site: 5-1
BYU under coach Judkins: 9-1

Last meeting
BYU traveled to Ogden during the 2011-12 season and came away with an 84-67 victory.  In that game, Lexi Eaton and Kim Parker led BYU with 12 points apiece. Dani Peterson contributed 11 points. Haley Steed led the defense with nine defensive boards and dished out five assists. Center Jennifer Hamson recorded nine points and seven rebounds. BYU finished the game shooting 48.3 percent from the field while holding the Wildcats to 36.8 percent shooting and forced 14 Weber State turnovers.

Co-Team Captains
Graduate student Haley Steed and senior Keilani Unga have been chosen by their teammates as co-captains for the 2012-13 season. This is Steed’s fifth straight co-captain selection.

Receiving Votes
In the preseason  USA Today Sports/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll released on Oct. 30, BYU received votes. WCC foe Gonzaga also garnered votes. Last year the Cougars began receiving votes in December and were ranked as high as No. 23 in February.

Player Injury Report
Sophomore guard Stephanie Rovetti suffered a cartilage injury to her left knee in a team practice. She is out for the season.

What’s Next
The Cougar team will spend the next two weeks on the road. BYU will be at Darmouth on  Nov. 13, at Boston College on Nov. 15 and at Harvard on Nov. 16.  The following week they are at Arizona on Nov. 20 and at Washington State on Nov. 24.

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