RENO -- The BYU women’s basketball team closed a 10-point deficit in the last two minutes of play but it wasn’t enough to capture the victory as the Nevada Wolfpack took the 57-53 win on their home court, Saturday.

"We came back and fought hard today," said BYU head coach Jeff Judkins. "We just made a few too many mistakes in the beginning. Jennifer Hamson played a great game and gave us the boost we needed off the bench. Haley Hall also played a great game today."

Freshman Jennifer Hamson led the BYU squad with a career-high 13 points on the road and also added seven rebounds. Teammates Coriann Fraughton and Kristen Riley added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The lead in the first half changed hands three times with both teams playing hard and Nevada taking the 28-25 advantage heading into the locker room.

The second half started with Nevada taking a further lead but the Cougars fought back and tied the game again at 30 where it would stay for over three minutes of action.

The Wolfpack, led by senior Shavon Moore who finished with 16 points, took the lead and would keep it till the end of the game. They led by as much as 10 points in the last four minutes of the second half.

As the game came to a close, the Cougars fought back to bring the score within three after a 3-pointer from senior Mindy Bonham. Freshman Jennifer Hamson found the hoop to bring BYU just one point behind the Wolfpack.

The Cougars will return home to the Marriott Center for their next game on Wednesday, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. BYU opens up Mountain West Conference play hosting UNLV. The game airs live worldwide on BYUtv.

Game Notes

Team

-For the fourth time this year three players scored in double figures with Hamson’s 13, Fraughton’s 11 and Riley’s 10.

Player

-Freshman Jennifer Hamson put up 13 points for new season and career highs in that category. The points were team highs and mark her second double digit outing of the year.

-Coriann Fraughton recorded 11 points in the game for her 10th season and 37th in her career. She was also perfect from the free throw line going 4-4.

-Kristen Riley finished the game with 10 points marking her seventh this year and her 19th overall.

-Haley Hall led BYU in assists, dishing out six.

BYU’s women’s basketball team (8-4) rounds out its nonconference schedule with one game at home and one on the road. The Cougars host Montana State (4-8) Thurs., Dec. 30 at 3 p.m. They then play at Nevada (9-2) Sat., Jan. 1 at 2 p.m.

2010-11 Stats Summary

-- Shooting from field: (.422, 328-778)

-- Shooting from three-point line: (.328, 94-287)

-- Shooting from free-throw line: (.667, 116-174)

-- Average points per game: 72.2

-- Average rebounds per game: 40.2

-- Average assists per game: 20.0

-- Average steals per game: 10.5

-- Average blocks per game: 3.3

-- Average turnovers per game: 14.9

About BYU

The Cougars are led in scoring by senior guard Mindy Bonham who averages 13.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Bonham also has the most steals on the team with 30. Senior forward Coriann Fraughton follows contributing 10.8 points and a team high 6.3 rebounds per contest.

Senior guard Haley Hall leads the way in the assist category with a total of 56 for a 4.6 average per game.

Jazmine Foreman has the team’s best free throw percentage at .846, 22-26 while junior center Kristen Riley is tops in the field goal percentage category at .533, 40-75.

Record Watching

-- BYU head coach Jeff Judkins has compiled an 188-103 record as of Dec. 22 and is 12 wins away from picking up his 200th career victory.

-- Senior guard Mindy Bonham has tallied 1,038 points as of Dec. 22. She becomes the 20th player to join BYU’s elite 1,000-point club and with her current point total she ranks 18 out of 20.

-- Bonham has dished out a total of 349 assists as of 12/22/10. She ranks eighth all-time.

-- Jazmine Foreman has 332 career assists as of 12/22/10. She needs five to tie Sullivan’s record of 337, which would place her in a tie for 10th place all-time.

Game Promotions for Montana State - White Elephant Gift Day

Anyone who brings a white elephant gift to the ticket office gets in FREE! At halftime, those who brought gifts can exchange them.

ABOUT UPCOMING OPPONENTS

MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY

Montana State has compiled a 4-8 record with their most recent wins, a 75-61 victory over CSU Bakersfield and a 107-508 win against Pacific. The Bobcats currently have four players that are scoring in double figures. Topping the list is Katie Bussey who scores 14.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Next is Lyndi Seidensticker who puts up 12.8 points and grabs 4.8 boards per contest. Chelsea Banis follows with 11.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Rounding out the double figure scoring is Sarah Balian who contributes 11.6 points, grabs a team high 9.0 rebounds and has a total of 22 steals on the year. The team’s assist leader is Ally Schmitt who has dished out a total of 53 assists. Head coach Tricia Binford is in her sixth season with the Montana State women’s basketball program.

Series History

Overall Series Record: BYU leads 12-3

BYU Record in Provo: 6-1

BYU Record in Bozeman: 6-2

Last Meeting

These two teams met last year in Bozeman where the Cougars came away with the 79-54 victory on Nov. 20, 2009.

UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA-RENO

The University of Nevada Reno has compiled a 9-2 record to date and are scheduled to play at Weber State on Dec. 30 prior to hosting BYU on Jan. 1. The team returns all its starters from a team that went 17-16, 10-6 and played in the first round of the postseason WNIT last season. Two players are scoring in double digits for the Wolf Pack led by senior guard Tahnee Robinson who averages 22.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Teammate Shavon Moore, a 6-1 senior forward contributes 15.8 points and a grabs a 8.2 boards a contest. Leading the way in the rebound category is junior forward Kayla Williams who grabs 8.6 rebounds per game. Amanda Johnson has the most assists on the team with a total of 49 while Moore has the most steals on the team with 19 to date. Head coach Jane Albright is in her third season with Nevada Reno’s women’s basketball team.

Series History

Overall Series Record: BYU leads 5-0

BYU Record in Provo: 2-0

BYU Record in Reno: 2-0

BYU Record in Neutral Sites: 1-0

Last Meeting

BYU and Nevada last played on Jan. 2, 2010 in Provo where the Cougars picked up the 61-41 home win over the Wolf Pack.

Travel Itinerary (Reno)

Team Flight: SW #881 departs Salt Lake City on Dec. 31 at 5:35 p.m., arrives in Reno at 6 p.m.

Team Flight: SW #3830 departs Reno on Jan. 2 at 1:15 p.m., arrives in Salt Lake City at 3:35 p.m.

Team Hotel: Courtyard Marriott, 6855 S. Virginia St., 775-851-8300, 775-851-8311, fax.

What’s Next

The Cougars open up MWC action hosting UNLV on Wed. Jan. 5, then head to Colorado Springs to battle the Air Force Falcons on Sat. Jan. 8.

Wednesday’s game against the Rebels tips off at 7 p.m. and airs live worldwide on BYUtv