PROVO -- The BYU women’s basketball team (8-5) fell in a hard-fought contest at the Marriott Center against Montana State (5-8) Thursday, ending with a 49-58 final score.

"We just didn't make baskets when we needed to," said BYU head coach Jeff Judkins. "This was not a really good game for us, we were a bit slow and it was tough to get our confidence back. We did do a good job, though, of getting rebounds down low."

Coriann Fraughton and Jazmine Foreman led the Cougars with 11 points each, the total being a season-high for Foreman. Fraughton also had six rebounds. Mindy Bonham helped out with seven assists to lead the team while Kristen Riley and Dani Peterson led on the boards with seven each.

Foreman hit a three-pointer from the corner early in the first half to tie the game 9-9 after the team got behind in the opening minutes.

The Cougars struggled to shake their opponents off, finally pulling ahead with 13 minutes left in the second half after a jumper from redshirt freshman Kim Parker for a 17-13 score.

After almost four minutes without scoring, Foreman put up a free throw followed by two points from freshman Jennifer Hamson.

The Bobcats wouldn’t let the Cougars get too far ahead, coming back within one with free throws from Chelsea Banis. Katie Bussey took the 24-22 lead for the Bobcats with a three-pointer to end the half.

Riley led the Cougars in the first half with eight points and six rebounds.

Foreman opened the second half with a momentum-changing jump shot to tie the game and followed it up with a three-pointer to take the lead. Foreman’s points took the Cougars on a 9-0 run.

Cougar steals and Bobcat traveling kept Montana State from scoring until seven minutes into the second half, giving the Cougars a 33-24 lead.

Montana State's Bussey and Sarah Balian stopped the run with a three-pointer and jumpshot. The Bobcats cut into the Cougars lead and jumped ahead with free throws.

The lead changed hands five times in the last 10 minutes of the game with Montana State coming out on top.

Entering the last minute, the Cougars were down 46-41. The Bobcats tacked on 12 more points and, despite two 3-pointers from Bonham well beyond the arch and a Foreman layup, Montana Stake took the game 58-49.

Bobcat Balian led all scorers with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Bussey had 11 points and Rachel Semansky had 10.

The Cougars set out next for Reno to take on Nevada this Saturday at 3 p.m. MT to start the new year and finish their nonconference play.

Post-game Notes

Player

-Coriann Fraughton recorded her second consecutive double figure scoring performance with 11 points against Montana State.

-Jazmine Foreman tallied 11 points against Montana State for a new season-high and had four assists.

Team

-The Cougars haven’t lost more than two games in a row this season and have only lost once at home.

-BYU is now 0-5 when their opponent leads at the half, 2-3 when they have more than 16 turnovers and 4-1 when they play in the Marriott Center.

BYU’s women’s basketball team (8-4) rounds out its nonconference schedule with one game at home and one on the road. The Cougars host Montana State (4-8) Thurs., Dec. 30 at 3 p.m. They then play at Nevada (9-2) Sat., Jan. 1 at 2 p.m.

2010-11 Stats Summary

-- Shooting from field: (.422, 328-778)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.328, 94-287)

-- Shooting from free-throw line: (.667, 116-174)

-- Average points per game: 72.2

-- Average rebounds per game: 40.2

-- Average assists per game: 20.0

-- Average steals per game: 10.5

-- Average blocks per game: 3.3

-- Average turnovers per game: 14.9

About BYU

The Cougars are led in scoring by senior guard Mindy Bonham who averages 13.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Bonham also has the most steals on the team with 30. Senior forward Coriann Fraughton follows contributing 10.8 points and a team high 6.3 rebounds per contest.

Senior guard Haley Hall leads the way in the assist category with a total of 56 for a 4.6 average per game.

Jazmine Foreman has the team’s best free throw percentage at .846, 22-26 while junior center Kristen Riley is tops in the field goal percentage category at .533, 40-75.

Record Watching

-- BYU head coach Jeff Judkins has compiled an 188-103 record as of Dec. 22 and is 12 wins away from picking up his 200th career victory.

-- Senior guard Mindy Bonham has tallied 1,038 points as of Dec. 22. She becomes the 20th player to join BYU’s elite 1,000-point club and with her current point total she ranks 18 out of 20.

-- Bonham has dished out a total of 349 assists as of 12/22/10. She ranks eighth all-time.

-- Jazmine Foreman has 332 career assists as of 12/22/10. She needs five to tie Sullivan’s record of 337, which would place her in a tie for 10th place all-time.

Game Promotions for Montana State - White Elephant Gift Day

Anyone who brings a white elephant gift to the ticket office gets in FREE! At halftime, those who brought gifts can exchange them.

ABOUT UPCOMING OPPONENTS

MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY

Montana State has compiled a 4-8 record with their most recent wins, a 75-61 victory over CSU Bakersfield and a 107-508 win against Pacific. The Bobcats currently have four players that are scoring in double figures. Topping the list is Katie Bussey who scores 14.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Next is Lyndi Seidensticker who puts up 12.8 points and grabs 4.8 boards per contest. Chelsea Banis follows with 11.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Rounding out the double figure scoring is Sarah Balian who contributes 11.6 points, grabs a team high 9.0 rebounds and has a total of 22 steals on the year. The team’s assist leader is Ally Schmitt who has dished out a total of 53 assists. Head coach Tricia Binford is in her sixth season with the Montana State women’s basketball program.

Series History

Overall Series Record: BYU leads 12-3

BYU Record in Provo: 6-1

BYU Record in Bozeman: 6-2

Last Meeting

These two teams met last year in Bozeman where the Cougars came away with the 79-54 victory on Nov. 20, 2009.

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA-RENO

The University of Nevada Reno has compiled a 9-2 record to date and are scheduled to play at Weber State on Dec. 30 prior to hosting BYU on Jan. 1. The team returns all its starters from a team that went 17-16, 10-6 and played in the first round of the postseason WNIT last season. Two players are scoring in double digits for the Wolf Pack led by senior guard Tahnee Robinson who averages 22.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Teammate Shavon Moore, a 6-1 senior forward contributes 15.8 points and a grabs a 8.2 boards a contest. Leading the way in the rebound category is junior forward Kayla Williams who grabs 8.6 rebounds per game. Amanda Johnson has the most assists on the team with a total of 49 while Moore has the most steals on the team with 19 to date. Head coach Jane Albright is in her third season with Nevada Reno’s women’s basketball team.

Series History

Overall Series Record: BYU leads 5-0

BYU Record in Provo: 2-0

BYU Record in Reno: 2-0

BYU Record in Neutral Sites: 1-0

Last Meeting

BYU and Nevada last played on Jan. 2, 2010 in Provo where the Cougars picked up the 61-41 home win over the Wolf Pack.

Travel Itinerary (Reno)

Team Flight: SW #881 departs Salt Lake City on Dec. 31 at 5:35 p.m., arrives in Reno at 6 p.m.

Team Flight: SW #3830 departs Reno on Jan. 2 at 1:15 p.m., arrives in Salt Lake City at 3:35 p.m.

Team Hotel: Courtyard Marriott, 6855 S. Virginia St., 775-851-8300, 775-851-8311, fax.

What’s Next

The Cougars open up MWC action hosting UNLV on Wed. Jan. 5, then head to Colorado Springs to battle the Air Force Falcons on Sat. Jan. 8.

Wednesday’s game against the Rebels tips off at 7 p.m. and airs live worldwide on BYUtv