After a closely fought 52-51 road win at Creighton on Saturday, the BYU women’s basketball team (8-0) takes its undefeated record on the road for one last time in December. The Cougar women take a short trip to Ogden to battle in-state foe Weber State (4-3) on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. Fans can follow the action live on BYU Radio.
About BYU
The 8-0 start to the 2013-14 season is the team’s best start since the 2005-06 campaign when they went 8-0 before losing a home game to NC State. They finished with a 10-1 record heading into league play that season.
BYU has three players scoring in double figures while averaging 71 points per game and holding opponents to 62 points. The Cougars have recorded more blocks than opponents in all games and have dished out more assists in seven of the eight games played to date. They tied with Arizona at 18 assists each.
In the coaches’ preseason poll, BYU was picked to finish fourth in the WCC regular season race behind San Diego, Saint Mary’s and league favorite Gonzaga. Senior center Jennifer Hamson was named to the preseason all-conference team, her second such honor.
• Head coach: Jeff Judkins (Utah, ‘78) enters his 13th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #5 Jennifer Hamson, 18.5 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #5 J. Hamson, 9.9 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #4 Kim Beeston, 4.1 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #4 Beeston, 1.6 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #5 Hamson, 3.8 bpg
About Weber State
Weber State has compiled a 4-3 record to date getting wins over Walla Walla, Montana Western, Air Force and Utah Valley Univ.
The Wildcats return 11 players from last year’s squad including all five starters. Weber State is averaging 73 points per game and pulling down 40 rebounds. They are holding opponents to scoring 61 points per contest. Four players on the team are putting up double figures in points in all games played to date.
The Wildcats were picked to finish 11th in the Big Sky Conference this year.
• Head coach: Bethann Ord (Maryland-Baltimore County, 1989) 2nd season
• Team’s leading scorer: #21 Desiree Ramos, 14.4 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #14 Taysia Gray, 8.0 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #21 Ramos, 4.4 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #34 Regina Okoye, 4.3 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #34 Okoye, 1.5 bpg
Series History
BYU leads the series 40-9. When playing in Ogden, the Cougars have a 15-7 edge
Last Meeting
Second-chance points and a disruptive defense helped the BYU women’s basketball team defeat Weber State 80-55 on Nov. 9, 2012 in Provo in the team’s home opener.
BYU scored 16 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds and forced the visiting Wildcats to turn the ball over 27 times.
Three players scored in double digits for BYU, with Lexi Eaton leading the pack with 24 points, three rebounds and four assists. 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.
After leading by 17, 42-25 at halftime, Bailey gave BYU a 21-point advantage on a layup two minutes into the second half before the Wildcats went on a 14-0 run closing the gap to seven.
The Cougars fought back and regained a 13-point cushion with just over seven minutes remaining in the game and would lead by 16, 71-55 with 2:53 showing on the clock.
Up Next
After the road game in Ogden, BYU women’s basketball returns to the comfort of the Marriott Center for its next two games against in-state rivals.
The Cougar women host Utah on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. The following Saturday, Dec. 21, Utah State comes to Provo for a 2 p.m., matchup. Both of the games are scheduled to air live on BYUtv.