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PROVO -- In its 2010 home opener, the BYU women’s basketball team (1-2) took down the Washington Huskies (1-1) with an 80-55 final in the Marriott Center on Saturday for their first win of the season.

“We didn’t play as well as I know we can play but we played well enough in spurts to get the win today and we did a great job of keeping the lead there in the second half,” said BYU head coach Jeff Judkins. “Really nice game by Stephanie Vermunt today, she came in and shot the ball really well for us. Jen Hamson also played great for us today with her defensive presence. We just need to quit fouling so much and execute our game plan but I think overall we did a nice job.”

Three Cougars scored in double digits for the first time this season with freshman Stephanie Vermunt leading the way off 17 points. Seniors Mindy Bonham and Coriann Fraughton contributed 15 and 11 points, respectively.

The win improves head coach Jeff Judkins’ record to 9-1 in home openers and 11-6 against Pac-10 teams.

“It’s nice to be back at home where we can get a good night’s rest before the game and be able play in our home gym,” Bonham said of the home opener. “One of our goals tonight was to come in and take care of the ball, and I feel like we did just that.”

Both teams got off to a slow offensive start in the first half. After five minutes of play the score was tied at 4-4 with BYU shooting 2-6 to start the game and Washington starting 2-10.

The Cougars took their first lead at 6-4 but it dwindled quickly as Washington converted on three straight possessions to take the lead 12-6.

With six minutes remaining in the first half the Cougars trailed 18-21 and had made 7 of 21 field goal attempts. Freshman Kim Parker sparked BYU with a 3-point basket to take the lead 24-22.

BYU ended the half on a 21-11 run and led by seven, 39-32. The Cougar defense held Washington to 31 percent shooting for the half.

Bonham scored four quick points right out of the locker room to start the second half, helping BYU go on a 10-2 run that also featured two treys, one from Fraughton and another by senior Jazmine Foreman.

The quick start continued as the Cougars stretched the lead to 24 at 68-44. Fraughton contributed eight points in the first seven minutes of the half after scoring three in the first.

BYU’s defense continued to shut down the Husky offense, holding Washington to 5-13 early in the second half while the Cougars nailed 9 of 13 shots to build the lead.

BYU refused to let up as the game continued, leading by as much as 27 at 71-44. Vermunt led the Cougars by scoring 11 of her 17 points in the second half. They held the Huskies to 31 percent shooting for the game while shooting 48 percent themselves.

The Cougars will look for their second win of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 23, against Utah State in the Marriott Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 pm MST.

BYU Game Notes

-With a 27-point lead in the second half, the Cougars recorded their largest lead of the regular season

-The Cougars are now 1-0 when they lead at the half

-Senior Mindy Bonham's 15 points was a season-high and her second game of the season she's recorded double-figures

-Senior Coriann Fraughton's 11 points was her second consecutive game of the season she's recorded double-figures

-Redshirt freshman Stephanie Vermunt recorded a career-and season-high 17 points in the victory with a career-and season-high four three-pointers

-Senior Haley Hall's 10 points was her first game of the season in double-figures and also tabs as a season-high

-The Cougars recorded a season-high 11 three-pointers against Washington

-BYU's bench outscored Washington's with a 33-10 mark

-Last season the Cougars went 13-1 when they scored above 70 points. Thus far this season, they are 1-0

-Freshman Jennifer Hamson accounted for five of BYU's 8 blocks on the night

The BYU women’s basketball team gets set to play two home games after going (0-2) in their first two road games of the year. Pac-10 foe Washington (1-0) comes to Provo on Sat. Nov. 20 in a 1 p.m. tip. The game is free.

On Tues. Nov. 23 the Cougar women host instate rival Utah State (0-2). That game tips off at 4 p.m.

2010-11 Probable Starters

2010-11 Stats Summary

-- Shooting from field: (.303, 37-122)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.291, 16-55)

-- Shooting from free-throw line: (.667, 20-30)

-- Average points per game: 55.0

-- Average rebounds per game: 39.5

-- Average assists per game: 13.5

-- Average steals per game: 11.0

-- Average blocks per game: 1.5

-- Average turnovers per game: 20.0

Record Watching

-- BYU head coach Jeff Judkins has compiled an 180-101 record as of Nov. 18 and is 20 wins away from picking up his 200th career victory.

-- In his nine years at the helm of the Cougar women's basketball program, coach Judkins has tallied an 8-1 record in home openers. He's also 10-6 against Pac-10 schools including a 1-1 mark last season.

-- With seven points against UIC, senior guard Mindy Bonham has tallied 899 points and is nearing BYU’s 1,000-point club as of Nov. 18.

Team Captains Selected

Mindy Bonham and Haley Hall have been chosen by their teammates as co-captians for the 2010-11 season. This is Hall’s third straight co-captain selection.

Player Updates/Injuries

Freshmen Morgan Bailey and Stephanie Rovetti will redshirt the 2010-11 season.

Dayna Burgess is not expected to play in the upcoming two home games due to a knee injury.

ABOUT UPCOMING OPPONENTS

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

The University of Washington has compiled a 1-0 record after a one-point 51-50 home victory over Portland State. The Huskies return 11 letterwinners including four starters from last year’s squad that compiled a 13-18, 7-11 record. They were selected to finish tied for eighth place in the 2011 Pac-10 race. In the team’s first and only game on the season, Kristi Kingma and Regina Rogers scored in double figures, each putting in 18 points in wining effort. Junior forward Molly Williams topped the team in rebounds and in assists grabbing a team and game high 13 boards and dishing out five assists. Head coach Tia Jackson enters her third season at the helm of the Huskies women’s basketball program.

Washington Probable Starters

Series History

Overall Series Record: Washington leads 5-4

Last Meeting

In last year’s meeting between the Cougars and Huskies, the two squads met in Seattle with the homestanding Washington team getting the 1-point, 66-67 on a last minute shot. Four players scored in double figures for the Cougars in the game led by 14 points from Haley Hall. Keilani Moeaki and Coriann Wood scored 11 points each with Mindy Bonham tallying 10. Hall and Wood led the team in the rebound category grabbing five boards each.

UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY

Utah State has compiled a 0-2 record and hosts the University of Montana on Sat.Nov. 20 before making the trip to Provo to play the Cougars. The Aggies returns two starters and eight letterwinners from a team that went 13-17, 5-11 last year. After three games, Ashley Brown tops the leader board in scoring averaging 13.5 points per game and grabs 5.5 rebounds a contest. Amber White also scores in double digits for USU with 12.5 points and a team high 6.0 boards per game. Head coach Raegan Pebley is in her eighth season with the Aggies women’s basketball team.

Utah State Probable Starters

Series History

Overall Series Record: BYU leads 27-3

Last Meeting

During the 2009-10 campaign these two instate rivals met in Logan where the visiting Cougars grabbed a 61-48 victory. In the game, three players scored in double figures led by Mindy Bonham and Coriann Wood who each scored 12 points. Kristen Riley was the third BYU player in double digits in points with 11 and a team high nine rebounds.

UP NEXT

After the two home contests, the Cougars will spend Thanksgiving in Concord, Calif., competing in the St. Mary’s Hilton-Concord Thanksgiving Tournament. BYU is scheduled to play Wisconsin on Fri. Nov. 26 and Northwestern, on Sat. Nov. 27.