LOGAN, Utah – The BYU women’s basketball team (10-2) added another victory to push its win streak to 10 games after defeating the Utah State Aggies (5-5) Saturday, 73-65.

“I'm really proud of these girls because in the first half we didn’t have any energy or intensity, but we were able to fight back and play really well in the second half,” said BYU head coach Jeff Judkins. “They played the way I know they can play.

“Dani Peterson had a really good game for us and is playing really well. Stephanie Vermunt is coming off the bench and has been a good asset for us as well.”

Peterson, Kim Parker, Vermunt and Lexi Eaton proved strong on offense, with all four scoring in double digits. Haley Steed provided game highs of eight assists and 10 rebounds.

At the start of the game, Peterson put the Cougars on the board with a quick layup just a minute into the game. Vermunt followed just a few minutes later with a 3-pointer to put the Cougars ahead by a score of 7-6. 

BYU struggled to get their shots to drop as Utah State went on a 6-0 run to gain the lead at 16-14. Shots from Peterson and Eaton eventually tied up the game at 19-19, but it wasn’t enough to build on before the Aggies were able to gain a quick eight-point lead with the help of two 3-pointers.

After a timeout, Vermunt took advantage of the zone defense and retaliated with a 3-pointer of her own to bring the score to 27-22. Jennifer Hamson was able to contribute a shot down low before the half, but it wasn’t enough to dent the Aggie lead and the Cougars went into the locker room down 34-24.

Parker set the standard for the Cougars by coming out hot in the second half, scoring the first two points of the second frame before draining two 3-pointers. Both Kristen Riley and Eaton added 3-pointers of their own to cut the score to 46-38.

Back-and-forth play made up some of the deficit for the Cougars until consecutive 3-pointers by Steed and Parker brought the game within two points at 50-48.

Vermunt scored another from behind the arc to give BYU its first lead in the second half at 53-50. A 6-0 run for the Cougars helped them to gain momentum and another 3-pointer from Vermunt along with scores in the paint helped the Cougars complete the turnaround and give them a 10-point lead, 68-58.

The Aggies tried to make a showing of their own late, but BYU's free-throw shooting held the Cougar lead.

The BYU women’s basketball team will see one more team in the Marriott Center before 2011 closes when they take on Nevada, on Thursday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m.
 

Postgame Notes

Team

Four players scored in double figures in the game at Utah State for the third time on the year. Dani Peterson led the Cougars with 14 points. Lexi Eaton and Stephanie Vermunt tallied 12 each with Kim Parker putting up 11. 

BYU improved its record to 6-1 when outrebounding opponents. BYU grabbed 45 while Utah State had 30.

Player

Kim Parker put up three 3-pointers in the game for season bests and tying her career high in treys made in a game.  She also tallied 11 points for the ninth double digit outing of the year and her 14^th overall.

Lexi Eaton finished the game with 12 points for her seventh double digit outing of the year and her career.

Dani Peterson recorded 14 points for the fifth of the season, second straight and the 7^th of her career.

Stephanie Vermunt picked up 12 points marking her second straight, third of the season and her sixth overall double figure performance.

Haley Steed dished out eight assists for team and game highs. It also marked the second straight time she’s recorded eight assists in a game and the third this season.

Haley Steed grabbed a team and game high 10 rebounds in the game. She also had four steals for team and game highs in that category.

With a (9-2) record and on an eight-game win streak, BYU women’s basketball plays one more in-state rival this week.

The Cougars travel to Logan to battle Utah State (5-4) on Sat. Dec. 17 at 3 p.m.

The game airs live on KCSG-TV and on BYU Radio.

2011-12 Stats Summary
-- Shooting from field: (.430, 288-669)
-- Shooting from three-point line: (.347, 69-199)
-- Shooting from free-throw line: (.726, 156-215)
-- Average points per game: 72.8
-- Average rebounds per game: 40.3
-- Average assists per game: 19.2
-- Average steals per game: 10.8
-- Average blocks per game: 5.3
-- Average turnovers per game: 15.8

About BYU
--The Cougars leading scorer is sophomore Kim Parker who averages 12.7 points per game.
--Kristen Riley and Haley Steed, both seniors and co-captains are tied in the rebound category averaging 6.1 boards a contest. Senior forward Dani Peterson follows grabbing 4.4 boards a contest.
--Steed leads the way in assists and steals with 67 and 25 respectively.
--Jennifer Hamson tops the list in blocks with 24.
-- Peterson has the team’s best field goal percentage (.561, 32-57).
--True freshman Lexi Eaton has the team’s best free throw percentage (.885, 23-26).

Cougs Receiving Votes
With a 9-2 overall record, the BYU women’s basketball is receiving (2) votes in this week’s (12/12/11) Associated Press Poll.

Win Streak
The Cougars have won eight games in a row, which is the longest current winning streak in the West Coast Conference and the sixth longest in the NCAA.

SATURDAY OPPONENT
Utah State
Utah State has a 5-4 record so far this year including a 3-0 mark at home. They return 10 letterwinners including three starters from last year’s team that tallied an 18-15 record, finished third in the WAC and advanced to the second round of the WNIT. The Aggies are led by Ashlee Brown who averages 17.2 points and 10.1 boards a game.  She’s followed by Brooke Jackson who puts up 12.4 points and grabs 2.7 rebounds a contest. Devyn Christensen has the most assists for Utah State with 25 while Brown tops the list in steals with a team best 22. The team is shooting 41 percent from the field, 82 percent from the free throw line while averaging 70.1 points per game. Head coach Raegan Pebley is in her eighth season with Utah State’s women’s basketball program. 

Series Breakdown
Overall Series Record: BYU leads 29-3
BYU Record in Provo: 14-1
BYU Record in Logan: 12-2
BYU Record in Neutral Sites: 2-0
BYU Record under coach Judkins: 5-0
BYU Record in Overtime Games: 1-0

Last Meeting
These two in-state rivals met twice last year. In the regular season game in Provo, the Cougars captured the 84-52 victory on 11/23/10. BYU had six players in double figures including a double-double from Kristen Riley with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The two schools battled again in the second round of the WNIT with BYU getting the 102-63 win on 3/19/11. The Cougars once again had six players with double digits in points led by 19 points a piece from Haley Hall and Kim Parker.

What’s Next
The Cougars host one more home game before the Christmas break and prior to beginning play in the West Coast Conference. BYU hosts Nevada on Dec. 22 in a 1 p.m. tip from the Marriott Center. The game can be seen live worldwide on BYUtv.