BYU women host San Diego State in WNIT second round

After a 69-54 victory over Idaho State, the BYU women’s basketball team (22-10) advanced to the second round of the 2013 Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). The Cougars are set to host former Mountain West Conference foe San Diego State (27-6) Saturday at 2 p.m. MDT in the Marriott Center. The game will air live on BYUtv.

Ticket Prices
Adult General Admission: $6
All-Sport Pass Holder: Free
Student General Admission: $5 (elementary through college)
Courtside: $20
All tickets may be ordered at the Marriott Center Ticket Office, by calling 1-800-322-BYU1 or through http://www.byutickets.com/

BYU Capsule
•The Cougar team has outrebounded its opponents in 20 of the 32 games played.
•The BYU bench has outscored the opponent’s bench 557-430.
•When comparing points in the paint, the Cougars have scored 814 points to 666 from opponents.
•BYU has had a halftime lead in all but eight games to date (vs. Gonzaga at WCC semifinals, vs. Gonzaga, vs. SD, vs. SMC, at USF, at Gonzaga, vs. Seattle and at Washington State).
•In only six contests (vs. Gonzaga at WCC semifinals, vs. Gonzaga, at USF, at Gonzaga, at Boston College and at Washington State) the Cougars did not record more assists than their opponents.
•Balanced scoring has added to the team’s success this year. To date, three players have put up double figures in points in 13 games and four players finished with double-digit scoring in five games (at POR, at PEP, vs. PEP, vs. Tulsa, vs. UCSB)

• Head coach: Jeff Judkins (Utah, ‘78), is in his 12th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #5 Jennifer Hamson, 11.2 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #5 Hamson, 8.3 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #33 Steed, 7.5 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #33 Steed, 2.1 spg

BYU’S PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
#33 Haley Steed– (5-4 guard, GS.) 10.6 ppg; 4.1 rpg; 7.5 apg
#4 Kim Parker Beeston– (5-11 guard, Jr.) 9.8 ppg; 4.0 rpg; 2.3 apg
#12 Stephanie Vermunt Seaborn – (6-0 guard/forward, Jr.) 6.8 ppg; 2.8 rpg; 1.7 apg
#45 Keilani Unga– (6-2 forward, Sr.) 7.3 ppg; 4.6 rpg; 1.0 apg
#5 Jennifer Hamson– (6-7 center, Jr.) 11.2 ppg; 8.3 rpg; 0.7 apg

San Diego State Capsule
San Diego State finished the 2012-13 regular season with a 26-6 overall record including a 15-1 mark in the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs captured the league’s regular season crown. They lost 76-70 to Fresno State in the finals of the conference championship last week. In the 2013 WNIT, the Aztecs advanced to the second round with a 69-46 win over UC Santa Barbara. San Diego State returns nine letterwinners including four starters from last year’s squad that tallied a 25-7 record and a first place finish in the MWC with a 12-2 mark.

• Head coach: Beth Burns is in her 15th season at San Diego State
• Team’s leading scorer: #54 Courtney Clements, 17.9 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #1 Chelsea Hopkins, 8.1 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #1 Hopkins, 6.8 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #1 Hopkins, 2.2 spg

Series History
BYU leads the series 28-13.
In Provo, the Cougars are 16-3.
Coach Judkins is 16-5 against the Aztecs.

Last Meeting
These two former league foes last played twice during the 2010-11 season with BYU sweeping the series. In the game played  in Provo on Feb. 26, the Cougars narrowly defeated the Aztecs 56-52 battling back from a 16-point deficit. Senior Coriann Fraughton led the Cougar effort with 10 points and eight rebounds. Jennifer Hamson had five points, pulled down three boards, one block and one steal while Haley Steed contributed seven points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kim Parker Beeston came off the bench, scored eight points, grabbed three boards and dished out two assists. BYU shot 39 percent from the field, 19 percent from three-point range and 72 percent from the free throw line. The Aztecs were led by Jessika Bradley, who had game highs in points and rebounds with 17 and 11 respectively. Sajoyia Griffin contributed 11 points for San Diego State. Courtney Clements finished the game with five points and five rebounds. SDSU shot 31 percent from the field, 25 percent from the three-point line and 74 percent from the charity stripe.

Up Next
A win over San Diego State on Saturday would send the Cougar women to the third round of the 2013 WNIT. They would play the winner of the game between Saint Mary’s and Seattle and the winner of the game between Wyoming and Northern Colorado. The third round is scheduled to be played between March 27-29 at campus sites.