PROVO, Utah—Senior Kristen Riley’s season-high 17 points led the BYU women’s basketball team to an 84-53 victory against Nevada Thursday at the Marriott Center in its last game before Christmas.

Riley had six rebounds to go with her 17 points and was joined in double figures by Kim Parker with 11, Jennifer Hamson with 10 and Lexi Eaton with 10. Hamson ended the game with a double-double, her first of the season and second of her career, adding a team-high 10 rebounds. Hamson also had three blocks and Eaton swiped four steals.

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"I'm real proud of these guys," said BYU coach Jeff Judkins. "I thought today we played a lot better than we did in Logan [at Utah State]. I challenged them and they responded."

Haley Steed led the team with a season-high 11 assists, also tying her career high.

The Cougars (11-2) shot 59.3 percent from the field. The team had 28 assists and 15 steals, holding the Wolf Pack (3-8) to 32.1 percent shooting and forcing 23 turnovers.

BYU went up 6-3 in the early minutes of the contest before the Wolf Pack’s Danika Sharp tied the game 6-6 on a 3-pointer, then teammate Kate Kevorken extended their lead to 10-8. A trey by Nevada gave the Wolf Pack its largest lead at 15-10 early in the game. Riley responded for BYU with a jumper and a layup, hitting double-figures after five minutes of play and putting the Cougars within one at 15-14.

Hamson knocked down a bucket to tie the score at 16-16 and Parker drained a 3-pointer to take a 19-16 lead. From there, the Cougars took off on a 16-2 run for a 30-18 lead. Another 12-2 scoring streak put BYU at double Nevada’s points at 44-22 going into the locker room at halftime.

A 20-4 run in the first nine minutes of the second half gave BYU a comfortable 64-26 lead from which the Cougars coasted to the win.

"I think we moved the ball well and took what they gave us," Judkins said. "The press also took effect and they got tired which gave us easy baskets. When this team executes, plays defense and plays with pressure then we're a tough team."

BYU, which ranks No. 4 in the NCAA in assists, had 14 in the first half and held Nevada to only two assists. The Cougars forced 13 turnovers and held the Wolf Pack to 29.6 percent shooting from the field. BYU was 64.3 percent from the field in the first half.

Next on the schedule the Cougars take on St. Mary’s in their West Coast Conference debut Saturday, Dec. 31, at 2 p.m. PT on the Gaels' home court.


Additional Quotes from BYU coach Jeff Judkins

"This was one of the best games I've seen [Kristen] Riley play in a long time. She really presents mismatches."

"Haley [Hall], what do you say? She didn't take a shot tonight but whatever the team needs she does and that's why she's a coach's dream to have."

"These guys believe in each other and in the system and that if they do what they're supposed to do then they're tough."

Postgame Notes
Team
The Cougars started the second half on a 20-4 run to take a commanding 64-26 lead with 11:25 remaining in the game.

With the 84-53 win over Nevada, the Cougars extend their win streak to 10.  During last season, BYU went on a 12-game win streak during the 2011 Mountain West Conference race.  The longest win streak in the program’s history is 15 games played from 12/31/92 to 2/26/93.

Four different players put up double digits in points for the fourth time this season. Riley (17), Parker (11), Eaton (10), Hamson (10).

BYU finished the game shooting 59 percent from the field, the best shooting percentage of the 2011-12 campaign.

The Cougars dished out season-high 28 assists vs. Nevada.

Player
Kristen Riley picked up season highs in points with 17 marking her third double digit outing of the season and the 30^th overall.

Jennifer Hamson came off the bench to pick up her first double double of the year and the second in her career with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The points mark the fourth double digit outing of the season and the 13^th in her career while the 10 boards are season bests.

Kim Parker tallied 11 points for her 10^th double digit performance of the year and the 15^th overall.

True freshman Lexi Eaton scored 10 points in the game picking up her eighth double figure game of the season. Eaton also recorded four steals for career bests in that category,

Senior guard Haley Steed tied her career high in assists dishing out 11 vs. Nevada.

Playing their final home nonconference game, BYU women’s basketball (10-2) puts its nine-game win streak on the line at home this week. The Cougars host WAC foe Nevada (3-7) Thursday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m. The game can be seen live worldwide on BYUtv and online at byutv.org

2011-12 Stats Summary
-- Shooting from field: (.428, 313-732)
-- Shooting from three-point line: (.349, 80-229)
-- Shooting from free-throw line: (.727, 168-231)
-- Average points per game: 72.8
-- Average rebounds per game: 40.7
-- Average assists per game: 19.3
-- Average steals per game: 10.9
-- Average blocks per game: 5.1
-- Average turnovers per game: 15.8

About BYU
--The Cougars leading scorer is sophomore guard Kim Parker who averages 12.6 points per game.
--Haley Steed leads the way on the glass grabbing 6.4 rebounds a game. Senior center Kristen Riley follows grabbing 6.1 boards a contest.
--Steed leads the way in assists and steals with 75 and 29 respectively.
--Jennifer Hamson tops the list in blocks with 24.
--Dani Peterson has the team’s best field goal percentage (.569, 37-65).
--True freshman Lexi Eaton has the team’s best free throw percentage (.885, 23-26).

Record Watching
-- Haley Steed has recorded 397 assists as of 12/19/11, placing her in ninth place all-time. She needs 17 to tie for eighth place with former teammate Jazmine Foreman’s (414).
-- Haley Steed has a total of 176 steals to date and needs 53 to tie for seventh place with Karina Zapata who finished her BYU career with 229.
-- Haley Steed has made 152 three pointers as of 12/19/11 which puts her in sixth place overall. She needs 19 to tie for fifth place with Thais Kidd's career best 171.
-- Kristen Riley has 61 blocks as of 12/19/11. She needs nine to tie for sixth place all-time with former teammate Mindy Bonham’s 70.
-- As of 12/19/11, 6-7 sophomore center Jennifer Hamson has tallied 69 blocks and needs one to tie for sixth place with former teammate Mindy Bonham’s 70.

Cougs Receiving Votes
With a 10-2 overall record, the BYU women’s basketball is receiving (2) votes in this week’s (12/19/11) Associated Press Poll.

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

THURSDAY OPPONENT
Nevada
Nevada comes to Provo with a 3-7 record that includes a 76-74 home victory over Oregon. The Wolf Pack returns six letterwinners including two starters from last year’s team that compiled a 22-11, 9-7 record finishing in fourth place in the WAC. They advanced to the second round of last year’s postseason WNIT. Currently, Nevada has three players scoring in double figures with Kate Kevorken averaging 16.7 points and 6.4 rebounds. Kayla Williams contributes 13.0 points and a team-best 9.5 boards per game. Rounding out the double digit in scoring is Danika Sharp who tallies 12.5 points and 3.7 boards a contest. Amanda Johnson has the most assists and steals on the team with 39 and 16. The Wolf Pack is shooting 40 percent from the field while putting up 67.7 points a game. Head coach Jane Albright is in her fourth season with Nevada’s women’s basketball program. 

Series Breakdown
Overall Series Record: BYU leads 5-1
BYU Record in Provo: 2-0
BYU Record in Reno: 2-1
BYU Record in Neutral Sites: 1-0
BYU Record under coach Judkins: 4-1
BYU Record in Overtime Games: N/A

Last Meeting
The teams met last season on New Year’s Day in Reno with the Wolf Pack picking up a closely fought 57-53 win. BYU closed a 10-point deficit in the last two minutes of play but it wasn’t enough coming up short at the end. Freshman Jennifer Hamson came off the bench to lead the Cougars with 13 points and seven rebounds. Kristen Riley was also in double digits with 10 points. Nevada enjoyed a 28-25 advantage at the break and 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.

What’s Next
The team takes a short break for the Christmas holidays then prepares to compete in its first season in the West Coast Conference. BYU opens up league play with two road games, at St. Mary’s on Dec. 31 and at Portland on Jan. 2. The Cougars return home for their first WCC contest in the Marriott Center hosting LMU on Jan. 5 at 5 p.m.