PROVO, Utah –Despite a double-double by Morgan Bailey and a halftime lead, BYU women’s basketball could not hold on against Saint Mary’s, falling 61-51 Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center.

Bailey ended the game with 17 points, including a season-high 3 of 5 from three-point range and 10 rebounds. Lexi Eaton also had 17 points and helped out with seven rebounds, rounding out the only two to score in double figures for the Cougars (14-5, 6-2 West Coast Conference).

“Rough night,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “I thought we had good looks tonight, but you just can’t shoot 20 percent, especially with wide open shots, and not make it when the whole team’s in the paint.”

BYU shot 28.3 percent in the game to 40 percent for Saint Mary’s (13-5, 6-1 WCC). The Gaels also outrebounded the Cougars 52-29.

“I thought the game was won and lost defensively,” Judkins said. “We didn’t defend as well in the second half as we did the first half. We gave them a lot of easy baskets, and then we come down to the other end, can’t hit a shot. We’ve got to do a better job.”

Coming out of the half with a seven-point lead, point guard Kylie Maeda knocked down a three for BYU’s largest lead of the game, 34-24, early in the second half.

Saint Mary’s then began chipping away at the deficit, holding steady on the boards, converting a three-point play following two offensive rebounds and another layup to cut the lead to five.

Bailey then knocked down her third trey of the game to put BYU back up by eight before a scoring drought. The Gaels climbed back into the game with the Cougars holding a 37-35 lead heading into a media timeout.

Following the break, Saint Mary’s tied the game at 37 all before Bailey converted in the post for BYU’s first bucket in over six minutes for a 39-37 lead.

The two teams traded baskets until BYU took a 44-41 lead on Maeda's second made 3-pointer. The Gaels then scored four straight points to take a 45-44 advantage.

With 8:33 left Bailey tied the game at 45 with a 1-of-2 trip to the free-throw line, but Saint Mary’s took a four-point lead with 7:28 left in the game, 49-45.

Another scoring drought dampened BYU’s chance at a rally as the Gaels stormed ahead to a 53-45 lead.

With the clock at 1:34, Eaton converted two free throws to cut the lead to six and then to five, 53-48, after she went 1-for-2 from the line on the following possession.

After Saint Mary’s made two free throws with 41 seconds left, Eaton nailed a three to cut the lead to 55-51, but the Gaels went 6-for-6 from the line the rest of the game to seal the outcome.

Leading the way for BYU in the first half were Eaton’s 11 points on 50-percent shooting and Bailey’s nine points, including 2-of-2 from behind the arc and five rebounds.

The first half featured eight lead changes and three ties. BYU had a 31-24 lead due in part to 11 Gael turnovers to only three by the Cougars.

On BYU’s first possession of the game the team worked the ball around patiently before Makenzi Morrison hit a three on the left wing to open up scoring game. Saint Mary’s didn’t answer until roughly two minutes later at about the 17-minute mark.

Bailey hit a three from the top of the key to put the Cougars up 8-4 before the Gaels scored five in a row.

BYU took the lead back as Bailey, deep in the post, flipped the ball around to her right to Xojian Harry for a mid-range jumper to take a 10-9 lead with 13:43 left in the half.

With the game tied at 18, the Cougars sparked a 7-0 run. Bailey scored five-straight including her second three and Morrison added two free throws for a 25-18 lead.

Saint Mary’s broke the run, but Alohi Robins-Hardy answered with a baseline shot to help BYU go back up by seven before an Eaton jumper just inside the right elbow helped the Cougars to their largest lead of the half at nine points.

BYU women's basketball will be back in action at home next Saturday at 2 p.m. MST against San Diego. The game will be broadcast live on BYUtv and BYU Radio - Sirius XM 143. Live stats will be available on the BYU women's basketball schedule page.

Postgame Notes

Team

This 61-51 loss to Saint Mary’s snaps a six-game win streak for BYU. It is also the first time since Nov. 19 that the Cougars scored under 60 points and just the third time all season.

For the first time this season, BYU lost after having the advantage going into halftime. The Cougars led 31-24 at the half. Going into this game, the Cougars were 11-0 when leading after the first 20 minutes of action.

BYU scored 13 points off of Saint Mary’s turnovers in just the first half. The Cougars’ largest lead was by 10 points with 19:23 remaining in the game.

After the first 20 minutes of action, BYU had four blocks and Saint Mary’s had one. The stats held that way at the end of regulation.

At the half, Saint Mary’s had seven assists and BYU had just six. Both the Gaels and the Cougars ended up dishing out 11 assists each, the first time on the year that the team's ended up tying in the assists category.

BYU was outrebounded 52-29, the eighth time this season that BYU lost the rebounding battle. The Cougars are now 5-3 when an opponent grabs more boards.

Player

Morgan Bailey

Bailey scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, her ninth double-double of the season, 17th of her career. She made three 3-pointers in a game for a season-best. Bailey made four treys against Utah in the 2013-14 season.

This is the second game of the season that Bailey played all 40 minutes. The first was at Pepperdine on Jan. 10.

Lexi Eaton

At the half, Eaton led the team with 11 points. She finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. After hitting two treys tonight, Eaton has made threes in 11 games in a row.

Alohi Robins-Hardy

Robins-Hardy grabbed a career-high five rebounds in this game. She played a season-high 21 minutes, passing her previous high of 15 minutes against Gonzaga on Dec. 27.

Kylie Maeda

Maeda made two threes in the second half. She scored six points and dished out three assists.

Makenzi Morrison

Morrison had five points and three rebounds. This is the fourth game in a row that she has made a 3-pointer.

Game Notes vs. Saint Mary's

Game Notes vs. Pacific

PROVO, Utah  — After picking up two significant West Coast Conference road wins, BYU women’s basketball (13-4, 5-1) returns home to host two league games at the Marriott Center.

The Cougar women welcome Pacific (13-3, 5-0) Thursday, Jan. 15, at 7 p.m. MST and Saint Mary’s (11-5, 4-1) Saturday, Jan. 17, at 2 p.m. Both games will air live on BYUtv and will be simulcast on BYU Radio.

PACIFIC GAME PROMOTIONS: Date Night, Slow Dance on the Marriott Center floor at halftime

About BYU
BYU is riding a five-game winning streak and has won 10 of the last 11 games it has played. In the latest WCC standings, the Cougars are tied with San Diego for second place. Pacific is tied with Gonzaga for first place with perfect 5-0 marks each.

Lexi Eaton, a 5-foot-10 junior guard/forward combo, leads the Cougars in scoring, averaging 19.3 points per game. She ranks third in rebounds, pulling down 5.8 boards a contest. Morgan Bailey, a 6-foot-2 senior forward, is in second place in scoring, tallying 18.1 points while leading the way in rebounding, averaging 10.9 boards per game. The team’s assist leader is Kylie Maeda, who averages 4.4 assists a game.

After playing 17 games, BYU is averaging 69.4 points per game, while shooting 43.3 percent from the field, 68.2 percent at the free-throw line and 36.5 percent from 3-point land. In all but three games, (at LMU, vs. USF and at Gonzaga), BYU has dished out more assists than its opponents, has recorded more rebounds in 10 contests to date, has a 10-0 mark when leading at the break and has scored at least 80 points in four games (most recent 84 at Pepperdine).

The team has also had three players score in double figures in six contests, (most recent at LMU) and has had four players finish with double digit points in two, (most recent vs. UNLV).

• Head coach: Jeff Judkins (Utah, ‘78) 14th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #21 L. Eaton, 19.3 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #41 M. Bailey, 10.9 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #15 K. Maeda, 4.4 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #23 M. Morrison, 1.5 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #41, M. Bailey, .41 bpg

BYU Player Injury Report
Senior Ashley Garfield suffered a season-ending ACL knee injury in the road game at LMU on Jan. 8.

About PACIFIC
Pacific enters this week’s league action tied for first place with Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference standings with a 5-0 mark. The Tigers have an overall 13-3 record. On the road, Pacific is 3-0 in conference games.

This year’s team returns 11 players, including three starters from last year’s squad that competed in its first year as a WCC member with an 18-13, 12-6 record. In this year’s league race, Pacific was picked to finish fourth in the conference. The Tigers’ Kendall Kenyon was named to the 2014-15 Preseason All-WCC Team.

Two Pacific players are scoring in double figures, led by 6-foot-2 senior forward Kendall Kenyon, who averages 15.4 points and a team-best 11.2 rebounds per game. Junior guard, Hailie Eackles follows with 10.7 points and 2.2 boards a contest. The Tigers are averaging 70.7 points a game and pull down 37.7 rebounds, while shooting 40.7 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from behind the arc and 68.8 percent from the free-throw line. 

• Head coach: Lynne Roberts (Seattle Pacific 1997, 2000) Ninth Season
• Team’s leading scorer: #10 K. Kenyon, 15.4 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #10 K. Kenyon, 11.2 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #11 M. Parrish, 4.7 apg
• Team’s steals leader: # 20 U. Coleman, 2.1 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #10 K. Kenyon, 1.9 bpg

Series History
BYU leads the series 7-2. When playing in the Marriott Center, Pacific has a 2-2 mark. Last season, these two teams split the series with each team winning on the road. The two WCC foes met a third time, in one of two semifinals at the conference championships in Las Vegas. In that contest, the Cougars picked up the 77-64 win. Head coach Jeff Judkins is 2-1 against the Tigers.

Last Meeting
In the first meeting during last year’s league race, Pacific came to the Marriott Center and picked up a 75-62 victory on Jan. 2. Then on Feb. 1, BYU went to Stockton and the Spanos Center and came away with an 88-57 win. In the third matchup at the conference tournament, the Cougars recorded the 77-64 win to advance to the championship game.

About SAINT MARY’S
Saint Mary’s has compiled an 11-5, 4-1 record to date and is playing at San Diego on Thursday before making the trip to play the Cougars on Saturday. At the beginning of the week, SMC was in fifth place in the conference standings. In the preseason WCC poll, they were picked to finish fifth in the 2015 league race. When playing on the road, Saint Mary’s has a 4-3 overall mark and is 2-0 when playing away conference games.

The Gaels return eight letterwinners including three starters from last year’s team that had a 23-10, 11-7 record and advanced to the second round of the postseason WNIT.

Saint Mary’s has two players that are scoring in double digits, with junior guard Lauren Nicholson, averaging a team-best 18.9 points and 3.7 rebounds a contest. Another junior guard, Shannon Mauldin, is next in scoring with 10.8 points and 5.9 boards per game. The team’s leading rebounder is senior Carli Rosenthal, who grabs 7.6 boards a game.

SMC is averaging 68.4 points, recording 42.0 rebounds per game, shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 70.9 percent from the free-throw line. From 3-point range, the Gaels are shooting 28.1 percent.

• Head coach: Paul Thomas (Wayne State, 1988) Eight Year
• Team’s leading scorer: #01 L. Nicholson, 18.9 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #25 C. Rosenthal, 7.6 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #14 S. Mauldin, 3.0 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #14 S. Mauldin, 2.6 spg
• Team’s blocks leader: #14 S. Mauldin, 0.2 bpg

Series History
Saint Mary’s leads the series 4-3. When playing in Provo, the Gaels have a 1-3 mark. Last season, these two teams split the series with each team winning on its home court. Coach Judkins has a 3-4 record against SMC.

Last Meeting
The first game between the two league foes was played in Provo on Jan. 4, with the Cougars recording the 69-67 overtime win. When the two played in Moraga, the Gaels picked up the 75-70 win on Jan. 30.

Up Next
After the two home games, BYU remains at home for one more conference matchup. They will host San Diego on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 2 p.m. MST.

Follow the women's basketball team on:
Facebook
Twitter