Cougars Down Aggies for 10th-Straight Win

LOGAN, Utah – The BYU women’s basketball team (10-2) added another victory to push its win streak to 10 games after defeating the Utah State Aggies (5-5) Saturday, 73-65.

“I'm really proud of these girls because in the first half we didn’t have any energy or intensity, but we were able to fight back and play really well in the second half,” said BYU head coach Jeff Judkins. “They played the way I know they can play.

“Dani Peterson had a really good game for us and is playing really well. Stephanie Vermunt is coming off the bench and has been a good asset for us as well.”

Peterson, Kim Parker, Vermunt and Lexi Eaton proved strong on offense, with all four scoring in double digits. Haley Steed provided game highs of eight assists and 10 rebounds.

At the start of the game, Peterson put the Cougars on the board with a quick layup just a minute into the game. Vermunt followed just a few minutes later with a 3-pointer to put the Cougars ahead by a score of 7-6. 

BYU struggled to get their shots to drop as Utah State went on a 6-0 run to gain the lead at 16-14. Shots from Peterson and Eaton eventually tied up the game at 19-19, but it wasn’t enough to build on before the Aggies were able to gain a quick eight-point lead with the help of two 3-pointers.

After a timeout, Vermunt took advantage of the zone defense and retaliated with a 3-pointer of her own to bring the score to 27-22. Jennifer Hamson was able to contribute a shot down low before the half, but it wasn’t enough to dent the Aggie lead and the Cougars went into the locker room down 34-24.

Parker set the standard for the Cougars by coming out hot in the second half, scoring the first two points of the second frame before draining two 3-pointers. Both Kristen Riley and Eaton added 3-pointers of their own to cut the score to 46-38.

Back-and-forth play made up some of the deficit for the Cougars until consecutive 3-pointers by Steed and Parker brought the game within two points at 50-48.

Vermunt scored another from behind the arc to give BYU its first lead in the second half at 53-50. A 6-0 run for the Cougars helped them to gain momentum and another 3-pointer from Vermunt along with scores in the paint helped the Cougars complete the turnaround and give them a 10-point lead, 68-58.

The Aggies tried to make a showing of their own late, but BYU's free-throw shooting held the Cougar lead.

The BYU women’s basketball team will see one more team in the Marriott Center before 2011 closes when they take on Nevada, on Thursday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m.
 

Postgame Notes

Team

Four players scored in double figures in the game at Utah State for the third time on the year. Dani Peterson led the Cougars with 14 points. Lexi Eaton and Stephanie Vermunt tallied 12 each with Kim Parker putting up 11. 

BYU improved its record to 6-1 when outrebounding opponents. BYU grabbed 45 while Utah State had 30.

Player

Kim Parker put up three 3-pointers in the game for season bests and tying her career high in treys made in a game.  She also tallied 11 points for the ninth double digit outing of the year and her 14^th overall.

Lexi Eaton finished the game with 12 points for her seventh double digit outing of the year and her career.

Dani Peterson recorded 14 points for the fifth of the season, second straight and the 7^th of her career.

Stephanie Vermunt picked up 12 points marking her second straight, third of the season and her sixth overall double figure performance.

Haley Steed dished out eight assists for team and game highs. It also marked the second straight time she’s recorded eight assists in a game and the third this season.

Haley Steed grabbed a team and game high 10 rebounds in the game. She also had four steals for team and game highs in that category.