Hamson and Bailey power BYU to 70-69 win

PROVO, Utah – Jennifer Hamson and Morgan Bailey both had a double-double to lead BYU to a 70-69 win over Boston College in overtime.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take the win,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “Early in the season you don’t spend a lot of time attacking the zone and when you practice attacking the zone those jump shots go in a lot easier. I told my team today, we have to practice and realize when we can’t get the ball in the basket from the outside we need to penetrate and move the ball better.’”

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Hamson led the Cougars in scoring with a career-high 28 points with 12 rebounds and seven blocks, while Bailey chipped in 11 points and a game- and career-high 14 rebounds. Kim Beeston added 13 points and Stephanie Rovetti had six assists and four steals for BYU.

BYU (3-0) shot 40.3 percent from the floor while holding Boston College (1-2) to 32.4 percent shooting. The Cougars also outscored the Eagles 38-12 in the paint.

With BYU clinging to a two-point lead, Ashley Garfield collected an offensive rebound and made an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Cougars the 69-64 lead. Hamson added a free-throw in the closing seconds to clinch the victory.

The first half saw a series of small runs as neither team was able to gain much separation. Hamson scored the first six points for the Cougars, helping them build their largest lead of the half at 10-4. Boston College went on an 8-0 run to take the lead 12-10. Both teams continued to trade baskets and BYU entered halftime trailing 34-32.

The Cougars were led in the first half by Hamson’s 10 points, two blocks and four rebounds. Kim Beeston added 10 points in the half and Bailey led BYU with nine rebounds. There were seven lead changes and four ties in the first.

The second half started in a similar fashion with Boston College building its largest lead of the game at 41-36. BYU then went on a 13-0 run to retake the lead at 49-41, led by eight points from their frontcourt duo of Hamson and Bailey.

The Eagles answered with a 7-0 run of their own to cut the Cougars’ lead to one. Strong defensive play allowed them to retain the lead until a Boston College 3-pointer gave the Eagles a 58-57 lead with just under three minutes remaining.

Hamson answered with three points to help the Cougars regain the lead at 60-58. Boston College scored on a jumper to tie the score at 60 and neither team scored in the final minute of regulation to send the game to overtime.

After Hamson hit a free-throw to open overtime, Boston College answered with two free-throws of their own to take the slim 62-61 advantage. Xojian Harry drained a three-pointer for her first bucket of the game to give BYU the lead back at 64-62.

BYU will take the court next against Cal State Northridge on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 4 p.m. PST in Northridge, Calif. The game can be heard live on BYU Radio.

Postgame Notes
Team
The Cougars outrebounded the Eagles in the first half 25 to 18 and finished the game with a 52-41 rebound advantage.

BYU shot 40 percent from the field, compared to just 32 percent for Boston College. The Eagles outshot the Cougars from the 3-point line 41 percent to 22 percent.

There were 12 lead changes and eight ties in the game.

Boston College’s largest lead was in the second half at 39-34 with 17:17 left to play. On the heels of a 13-0 run, BYU’s largest lead of the game was at 49-41 with 12:30 left in the second half.

Player
Both Kim Beeston and Jennifer Hamson scored in double figures in the first half with 10 apiece. Hamson finished with a double-double from a career-high  28 points to go along with 12 rebounds while Beeston finished with 13, including three of seven from the 3-point line.

Morgan Bailey got a double-double for the second consecutive game, scoring 11 points and grabbing a career-high 14 boards.

Stephanie Rovetti came off the bench to lead the team in assists with six and steals with four.