PORTLAND, OR--After a loss at Saint Mary’s, which snapped a 10-game winning streak, BYU was able to bounce back and secure its first win in the West Coast Conference on the road against the Portland Pilots on Monday, beating the Pilots 79-53.

“It was a good win on the road,” head coach Jeff Judkins said. “We’re not playing the kind of ball that we need to be playing, but we were able to finish and I’m happy for the win.

Again, Kristen Riley led the Cougars with 19 points, her season best, and nine rebounds and Haley Steed added five assists and three steals.

Lexi Eaton, after blocking Portland’s first shot attempt, scored the first points of the night for the Cougars with a 3-pointer, assisted by Haley Steed. Both teams went on a four-minute shooting drought, which was finally broken with a layup by Dani Peterson.

BYU then went on a 14-5 run, leading to a score of 19-5.  Although the Cougars had a considerable lead, Portland was able to inch its way back into the game, pulling within one by the end of the first half, 27-26.

The second half began with another Eaton 3-pointer, but the scoring from then was back and forth. The Cougars were eventually able to string a 5-0 run, which extended their lead to ten, 38-28.

The Cougars took control and dominated the game from there, finishing the game with a 26-point margin, their biggest lead of the game.

“It was very important for us to get this win,” Riley said. “After the Saint Mary’s loss, it was kind of do or die for us and we wanted to get that bad taste out of our mouth.”

As a team, BYU outrebounded Portland grabbing 45 boards to the Pilots 36.  BYU also dished out 16 assists to Portland's 12.  The Cougars have been able to tally more assists than their opponents in all but one game.

Eaton, a true freshman, added 11 points, picking up her ninth career double-digit performance and Peterson added five blocks.

Natalie Day led the Pilots with 16 points and seven rebounds.

The Cougars will return home to take on Loyola Marymount at the Marriott Center on Thursday at 5 p.m. MST.

Postgame Notes
Team
In their second game as a member of the West Coast Conference, the Cougars beat the Portland Pilots 79-53 picking up their first win in league play.

For the ninth time on the season, BYU outrebounded its opponents. The Cougars grabbed 45 boards to the Pilots 36.

BYU dished out 16 assists to Portland’s 12. The Cougars have had more assists than their opponents in all but one game.

Player
Haley Steed led the Cougars in both assists and in steals with five and three respectively.

With a total of 11 points, true freshman Lexi Eaton picked up her ninth career double-digit outing.

Senior co-captain Kristen Riley tallied 19 points recording her third straight double figure game, the fifth of the year and the 32^nd in her career. The total points are season bests.

Dani Peterson had five blocks in the game vs. Portland for new season and career highs in that category.

Competing in its first year as a West Coast Conference school, BYU takes its 10-game streak on the road to open up the 2012 league season. The Cougars (11-2, 0-0) play at St. Mary’s (9-4, 0-0) on New Year’s Eve at 2 p.m.

The team then travels to Portland (7-7, 0-0) for a matchup against the Portland Pilots on Monday, Jan. 2 in a 2 p.m. tip off. That game can be heard live on BYU Radio.

2011-12 Stats Summary
-- Shooting from field: (.440, 348-791)
-- Shooting from three-point line: (.347, 83-229)
-- Shooting from free-throw line: (.728, 179-246)
-- Average points per game: 73.7
-- Average rebounds per game: 40.6
-- Average assists per game: 20.0
-- Average steals per game: 11.2
-- Average blocks per game: 5.2
-- Average turnovers per game: 16.3

About BYU
--The Cougars leading scorer is sophomore guard Kim Parker who averages 12.5 points per game.
--Haley Steed and Kristen Riley are tied on the glass grabbing 6.1 rebounds a game each.
--Steed leads the way in assists and steals with 86 and 30 respectively.
--Jennifer Hamson tops the list in blocks with 27.
--Hamson has the team’s best field goal percentage (.580, 29-50).
--True freshman Lexi Eaton has the team’s best free throw percentage (.893, 25-28).

Cougs Receiving Votes
With a 11-2 overall record, the BYU women’s basketball is receiving (2) votes in this week’s (12/26/11) Associated Press Poll. They are also receiving one vote in this week’s USA Today ESPN Coaches Poll.

Win Streak
The Cougars have won 10 games in a row, which is the longest current winning streak in the West Coast Conference.
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.

SATURDAY OPPONENT
ST. MARY’S
St. Mary’s enters the first week of WCC action with a 9-4, 0-0 record and is scheduled to play at Loyola Marymount on Thursday, Dec. 29 before battling the Cougars on New Year’s Eve. The Gaels have won four straight including big victories over Pac-12 foes Oregon State and Oregon and are 4-2 at home. Senior point guard Jasmine Smith is one of two players putting up double digits in points with 17.5 while grabbing 2.6 rebounds per game. She’s followed by Jackie Nared who averages 12.2 points and ranks second in the rebound category, getting 7.1 boards a contest. Forward Danielle Mauldin tops the team on the glass grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game. St. Mary’s shoots 40 percent from the field and scores 67.9 points per game. Head coach Paul Thomas is in his sixth season with the Gaels women’s basketball program.

Series Breakdown
This will be the first meeting between these two new conference foes.

MONDAY OPPONENT
PORTLAND
The University of Portland has compiled a 7-7, 0-0 record to date winning their last two games with victories over Boise State and CS Northridge and have a 5-3 mark on its home court. They open up WCC action hosting Gonzaga on December 29. The Pilots have two players scoring in double figures with 18.6 points from Natalie Day and 10.9 points from ReZina TecleMariam. Day tops the list in the rebound category grabbing 7.6 boards per game. TechleMariam has the most assists and steals on the team with 71 and 32 respectively. Portland shoots 39 percent from the field and is scoring 62.8 points per game. Head coach Jim Sollars has been at the helm of the women’s basketball program for the past 25 years.

Series Breakdown
Overall Series Record: BYU leads the series 8-4
BYU Record in Provo: 3-2
BYU Record in Portland: 4-2
BYU Record in Neutral Sites: 1-0
BYU Record under coach Judkins: 4-0
BYU Record in Overtime Games: n/a

Travel Plans
Team Flight: Delta #1160 departs Salt Lake City on Fri., Dec. 30 at 11:20 a.m., arriving in Oakland at 12:25 p.m.
Team Flight: Alaska/Horizon Air #225 departs Oakland on Sat. Dec. 31 at 8:30 p.m., arriving in Portland at 10:12 p.m.
Team Flight: Delta #0952 departs Portland on Mon. Jan. 2 at 6:30 p.m., arriving in Salt Lake City at 9:15 p.m.
Team Hotel: Walnut Creek Marriott, 2355 N. Main Street, 925-934-2000, 925-934-6374, fax.
Team Hotel: Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, 1401 SW Naito Parkway, 503-226-7600, 503-221-1789, fax.

What’s Next
After the two WCC road games, BYU returns home for their first WCC contest in the Marriott Center hosting LMU on Jan. 5 at 5 p.m. Then it’s back on the road again to northern California for a game at San Francisco on Sat. Jan. 7.