OGDEN -- For only the ninth time in 45 games, BYU (4-6) lost to Weber State (5-3), 65-54, on field-trip day for local schools in Ogden Wednesday.
Freshman Mindy Nielson led the Cougars with a career and season-high 15 points. Freshman Keilani Moeaki also scored in double figures for the second time in her young career with 11 points, and junior Cassie King followed suit with her season-high of 10 points. It was the third game all season in which three Cougars scored in double figures.
"I give a lot of credit to Weber State," BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. "They played well and executed offensively.... We had our chances, but there were a couple of times when we didn't make defensive stops when we needed to."
The Wildcats jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first minute of the game, but BYU scored the next seven points to take the lead, highlighted by junior Cassie King's first three-point make of the season. The lead changed three times in the following four minutes as King tied her season high of seven points in that time with three straight buckets.
The lead teeter-tottered back and forth, but Weber State was able to earn their second five-point lead of the game with just over four minutes left in the first period. Both teams exchanged buckets until freshman Mindy Nielson drained jumper in the corner from behind the arc to pull within two. The Wildcats hit one more shot before the half to take a four-point, 25-21, lead into the locker room at the break.
The second half began with two straight Weber State buckets. BYU knocked down the next three, however, to take back the lead. The advantage was short lived as the Wildcats hit two free throws and a baby hook in the lane on their next two possessions to tip the scales back in their favor.
Weber State's lead proved to be short lived as well. BYU took their biggest lead of the game at 36-31 with 13 minutes left in the contest on a jump shot from down town from senior Mallary Gillespie-Carling at the top of the arc.
That lead would not last either, as the Cougars scored only three points in the next six minutes, and the Wildcats took a 44-39 lead. After pulling out to a 57-46 lead with just over four minutes to go, BYU closed the gap to 54-57 with just over one minute left in the game.
With time running out, BYU had to result to forcing Weber State to the charity stripe where the Wildcats sealed their own fate and did not miss a free throw shot in the last six minutes.
"We had moments where we looked great and moments where we didn't," Judkins finished. "It comes down to the will to win. Loosing is easy. Winning is hard."
BYU's next contest will be at home in the Marriott Center against UCLA on Saturday at 4 p.m. The team's last non-conference game of the regular season will be at Utah State on Dec. 29.
Official Basketball Box Score
Brigham Young Univer vs Weber State
12/12/07 12:00 p.m. at Dee Events Center -- Ogden, Utah
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VISITORS: Brigham Young Univer 4-6
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
32 SLADE, Shawnee...... f 3-8 1-1 0-1 1 1 2 3 7 3 2 0 1 34
45 MOEAKI, Keilani..... f 4-6 0-0 3-3 0 1 1 1 11 0 5 2 0 27
52 VARLEY, Lauren...... c 1-4 0-0 0-0 1 7 8 0 2 1 2 0 0 32
03 FOREMAN, Jazmine.... g 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 3 0 2 2 0 1 17
30 CARLING, Mallary.... g 3-9 3-4 0-0 0 6 6 5 9 2 5 1 1 36
05 CHEESMAN, Ashley.... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4
13 JUDKINS, Jaime...... 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 3 1 0 1 2
14 RED, Sarah.......... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+
22 NIELSON, Mindy...... 6-11 3-5 0-1 0 4 4 2 15 1 3 0 1 31
23 WOOD, Coriann....... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 5
54 KING, Cassie........ 4-6 1-1 1-1 3 1 4 3 10 2 0 0 0 12
TEAM................ 1 1
Totals.............. 21-48 8-12 4-6 6 23 29 19 54 15 20 3 5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 9-24 37.5% 2nd Half: 12-24 50.0% Game: 43.8% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-5 40.0% 2nd Half: 6-7 85.7% Game: 66.7% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 1-1 100 % 2nd Half: 3-5 60.0% Game: 66.7% 0
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HOME TEAM: Weber State 5-3
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
05 Tuomi, Sara......... f 1-11 0-4 12-12 2 5 7 3 14 2 1 0 3 36
45 Thatcher, Emily..... f 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 4 0 0 1 0 0 12
11 Taylor, Tashina..... c 1-3 0-0 0-0 0 4 4 2 2 0 3 0 0 25
23 Hunter, Ahkiah...... g 10-17 2-4 3-5 2 3 5 2 25 3 2 0 3 37
24 Schnibbe, Tonya..... g 1-7 0-0 0-0 0 3 3 0 2 6 3 0 1 29
20 Thorderson, Ali..... 5-7 3-5 3-3 0 1 1 0 16 1 0 0 0 18
21 Smith, Jessica...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
34 Weight, Karlee...... 3-3 0-0 0-0 3 5 8 2 6 0 2 1 0 26
54 Rayback, Janie...... 0-4 0-0 0-0 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 13
TEAM................ 1 1 2
Totals.............. 21-53 5-13 18-20 10 23 33 13 65 13 12 1 7 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-25 40.0% 2nd Half: 11-28 39.3% Game: 39.6% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 3-7 42.9% 2nd Half: 2-6 33.3% Game: 38.5% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 2-3 66.7% 2nd Half: 16-17 94.1% Game: 90.0% 1
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Officials: John Weeks, Bob Scofield, Penny Davis
Technical fouls: Brigham Young Univer-None. Weber State-None.
Attendance: 1921
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Brigham Young Univer.......... 21 33 - 54
Weber State................... 25 40 - 65
Points in the paint-BY 20,WSU 22. Points off turnovers-BY 7,WSU 20.
2nd chance points-BY 5,WSU 4. Fast break points-BY 0,WSU 0.
Bench points-BY 25,WSU 22. Score tied-5 times. Lead changed-8 times.
Last FG-BY 2nd-01:24, WSU 2nd-04:12.
Largest lead-BY by 5 2nd-13:11, WSU by 11 2nd-04:12.