PROVO, Utah – With the shot clock winding down and 14 seconds left to play, point guard Haley Steed broke a tie ball game with a 25-foot 3-pointer as BYU women's basketball held on to beat the University of San Diego 53-48 at the Marriott Center Thursday night.

The Cougars shot 43 percent and held San Diego to 33 percent shooting in the win. BYU improves to 16-6 on the year, 7-2 in the West Coast Conference, and remains undefeated in 11 home games. San Diego, meanwhile, moves to 15-8 on the season and 7-4 in conference play.

"Haley Steed makes big plays," head coach Jeff Judkins said. "It wasn't her best night, but she was able to keep playing. What's special about her is she doesn't let one half affect the next."

Steed had seven points and seven assists while senior Keilani Unga scored a season-high 17 points to go along with seven rebounds, including an offensive board that set up Steed's deep-range dagger.

"It's a great win," Judkins said. "It wasn't pretty, but we really needed this if we want to win the conference."

San Diego opened the game with a 14-5 run, forcing BYU into a couple of early turnovers with a full-court press. After a quick timeout, BYU's Kim Parker Beeston made a 3-pointer at the top of the key to bring the score to 14-8 with 14:43 to go in the first. Beeston had 14 points, two assists and two boards on the night.

With the Cougars trailing 17-10, Steed found Morgan Bailey on the right block for a quick move to the middle that pulled BYU within five with 11:34 to play in the opening period. A few possessions later, Bailey made a 15-foot jumper from the right baseline. It was her third consecutive basket and part of an 8-0 Cougar run that brought the Cougars within one point at 17-16. Bailey finished the game with 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.

Neither team scored in the final 2:40 of the first and the Toreros led 22-20 at halftime.

Jennifer Hamson's layup one minute into the second half tied the game at 22. Hamson played 15 minutes and scored five points while grabbing six rebounds.

After a quick San Diego jumper, Unga tied the game again on a layup. Unga was fouled on the play, and converted the old fashioned three-point play to put BYU up 25-24 with 18:19 to play. It was BYU's first lead of the game. Seconds later, San Diego turned the ball over, setting up Beeston for her second 3-pointer of the game, which put the Cougars up four at 28-24.

Torero forward Amy Kame scored inside over Beeston to tie the game at 32 with 10:35 to play. A couple possessions later, Steed pushed the ball up the court to find Unga for an easy transition bucket, giving a two-point cushion back to the Cougars.

Steed's midrange jumper put the home team up by three, but Katelyn McDaniel scored from deep to tie the game at 36. The two teams traded baskets until two jumpers in a row by McDaniel gave the visitors a 42-40 lead with five minutes to play.

After Unga tied the game at 42, BYU's defense forced McDaniel into a tough shot, which she missed. Unga grabbed the rebound and sprinted to the right block where Steed found her for another layup and the 44-42 lead.

With the game tied at 46, Unga drove left from the right elbow and finished on the opposite side of the rim, putting BYU up two with 1:14 to play. Kame drew contact on the other end and sank both free throws to even the game again with 47 seconds remaining.

After Bailey's shot with 28 seconds to go missed the rim, Unga grabbed the rebound and kicked it out to Steed for the go-ahead 3-pointer. San Diego's attempt to tie the game came up short and Beeston iced the game with a pair of free throws to make the final score 53-48.

BYU heads to Moraga, Calif. to face Saint Mary's on Saturday at 2 p.m. PST. The two schools are tied for second place in the WCC behind Gonzaga. The game will be broadcast live on BYU Radio.

Postgame notes

Team

BYU overcame a nine-point deficit in the first half, tying the game 22-22 just over a minute into the second half. The Cougars took their first lead on a free throw at 18:08.

Thursday night’s game was BYU’s 11^th with three players in double figures.

BYU shot 42.6 percent on the night, while San Diego shot 33.3 percent.

The Cougars led on the boards 39-34 and also outscored in the paint 30-20.

BYU is now 11-0 at the Marriott Center this season.

Player

Kim Parker Beeston recorded 14 points, two rebounds and two assists.

Keilani Unga totaled a season-high 17 points and seven rebounds.

Haley Steed led the game with seven assists and recorded the game-winning 3-pointer.

Morgan Bailey had 10 points and eight rebounds to lead the Cougars on the boards. She also had three assists, three steals and two blocks, all tying career highs.

With a 15-6 record and a 6-2 mark in West Coast Conference action, BYU women’s basketball resumes league play this week with two contests. This Thursday, the Cougars host San Diego (15-7, 7-3) in an early 6 p.m. MST tip. The game will air live on BYUtv.

BYU then travels to Moraga, Calif., to battle Saint Mary’s (14-6, 6-2) on Saturday at 2 p.m., PST. Fans can listen to the game live on BYU Radio, Sirius XM 143 and online at byuradio.org.

GAME PROMOTIONS - San Diego (White Out)
Everyone is encouraged to wear white.
White pom-poms will be handed out to fans.
Come participate in halftime contests
Get on the floor to do the very popular Chicken Dance with the kids

BYU Capsule
The Cougar team has outrebounded its opponents in 13 of the games played.  The BYU bench has outscored the opponent’s bench 412-254. When comparing points in the paint, the Cougars have scored 540 points to 464 from opponents. BYU has enjoyed a halftime lead in all but five games to date (vs. SMC, at USF, at Gonzaga, vs. Seattle and at Washington State). In only four contests (at USF, at Gonzaga, at Boston College and at Washington State) the Cougars did not record more assists than their opponents. Balanced scoring has added to the team’s success this year. To date, three players have put up double figures in points in 10 games and four players finished with double-digit scoring in three games.

• Head coach: Jeff Judkins (Utah, ‘78), enters his 12th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #4 Kim Beeston, 10.7 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #5 Jennifer Hamson, 7.5 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #33 Haley Steed, 7.7 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #33 Steed, 2.3 spg

BYU’S PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
#33 Haley Steed– (5-4 guard, GS.) 10.1 ppg; 4.1 rpg; 7.7 apg
#4 Kim Parker Beeston– (5-11 guard, Jr.) 10.7 ppg; 3.9 rpg; 2.1 apg
#12 Stephanie Vermunt Seaborn – (6-0 guard/forward, Jr.) 6.6 ppg; 2.5 rpg; 1.3 apg
#45 Keilani Unga– (6-2 forward, Sr.) 6.3 ppg; 4.2 rpg; 0.8 apg
#5 Jennifer Hamson– (6-7 center, Jr.) 9.8 ppg; 7.5 rpg; 0.5 apg

San Diego Capsule
Entering the week, the University of San Diego has compiled a 7-3 mark in WCC play and is 15-7 overall. The Toreros’ three conference losses have been to Gonzaga and to BYU. USD returns nine letterwinners and two starters from last year’s team that finished the year with a 26-9, 12-4 record (tied for second with BYU in WCC action) and went to the Final Four of the WNIT.

• Head coach: Cindy Fisher is in her seventh year at San Diego
• Team’s leading scorer: #10 Amy Kame, 16.8 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #21 Klara Wischer, 7.6 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #10 Kame, 4.0 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #10 Kame, 2.6 spg

Series History
The Cougars lead the series 5-0.

Last Meeting
These two teams met once already this season on Jan. 10 in San Diego. In the closely fought game, BYU came away with the three-point 57-54 win in overtime. Three Cougars scored in double figures, with Stephanie Vermunt Seaborn leading the way scoring 16. She shot 6 for 9 from the field and 3 for 5 from beyond the arc. Jennifer Hamson put up 13 points and Kim Beeston had 10, including two 3-pointers of her own. Hamson also led on the boards with nine. Haley Steed dished out 10 assists.

BYU shot 47.1 percent from 3-point land, 38.5 percent overall, and held the Toreros to shooting 31.3 percent. San Diego outrebounded BYU 47-34.

The Toreros were led in scoring by Amy Kame who had a game-best 25 points along with eight rebounds and five steals. Felicia Wijensberg also put up double digits in points with 14.

Saint Mary’s Capsule
The Gaels have compiled a 14-6, 6-2 record to date. They host Portland Thursday night before battling the Cougars on Saturday afternoon. Saint Mary’s two league losses were to San Diego in Moraga, Calif., on Jan. 17 and to BYU on Jan. 31 in Provo. On this year’s team, the Gaels return 10 letterwinners including three starters from last year’s team that went 22-11 and advanced to the second round of the WNIT.

• Head coach: Paul Thomas enters his seventh year with Saint Mary’s
• Team’s leading scorer: #3 Jackie Nared, 18.4 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #54 Danielle Maulding, 11.3 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #24 Morgan Hatten, 3.3 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #54 Maulding, 1.4 spg

Series History
BYU leads the series 2-1.

Last Meeting
On January 31, these two conference foes met in Provo where BYU picked up the 66-58 victory behind 14 points each from Kim Parker Beeston and Haley Steed.
Keilani Unga also finished with double digits in scoring with 13.  Jennifer Hamson led the Cougar team in the rebound category with eight. Steed dished out a game-high nine assists to go along with five steals.
For the game, BYU shot 38 percent form the field, 40 percent from behind the arc and 72 percent from the free-throw line. 
The Gaels shot 34 percent from the field, 29 percent from 3-point range and 67 percent from the line. Jackie Nared finished the game with a double-double from 18 points and 11 boards. Danielle Mauldin and Kate Gaze scored 10 points apiece.

What’s Next
On Feb. 14, the Cougar women return home for their next league game when they host Santa Clara at 7 p.m. MST. The game can be seen live on BYUtv. Then it’s off to southern California for a second meeting with WCC foe Pepperdine. The Cougars and Waves play Saturday, Feb. 16 in a 2 p.m. PST tip off.