First road game of the year

With one regular season game under its belt, the BYU women’s basketball team takes its 1-0 record on the road. The Cougar women head to Las Vegas to take on former Mountain West Conference foe UNLV (1-0) Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. PST. The game can be heard live on BYU Radio.

About BYU 
The team picked up its first win of the season defeating South Dakota State 81-53 last Friday in Provo. In the victory, four players scored in double figures led by Lexi Eaton and Kim Beeston who scored 18 points each. Jennifer Hamson recorded her first double double of the year with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Morgan Bailey rounded out the scoring output with 13 points.

This year’s squad returns nine letterwinners and two starters from a team that compiled a 23-11 record, finished tied for third in the West Coast Conference and competed for the second straight year in the postseason WNIT.

Last month, the Cougar women were picked to finish fourth in the West Coast Conference regular season race behind San Diego and Saint Mary’s. Gonzaga was selected to repeat as regular season champs. Senior center Jennifer Hamson was named to the preseason poll, her second such honor. 

• Head coach: Jeff Judkins (Utah, ‘78) enters his 13th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #21 Lexi Eaton & #4 Kim Beeston, 18.0 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #5 Jennifer Hamson, 10.0 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #4 Beeston, 5.0 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #4 Beeston & #41 Morgan Bailey, 3.0 spg 

About UNLV 
UNLV opened up the 2013-14 campaign at home defeating Santa Clara 77-70 last Friday afternoon. Three players scored in double digits in the win. The Rebels, who return five starters from last season, were picked to finish fifth in the 2013-14 Mountain West preseason poll. Last season UNLV concluded the year tied in fourth place in the league race.

• Head coach: Kathy Olivier (UNLV, ‘82), 6th season
• Team’s leading scorer: #42 D. Miller & #24 A. Cesarz, 16.0 ppg
• Team’s leading rebounder: #10 R. Verin & #14 A. Rohde, 9.0 rpg
• Team’s assists leader: #30 Mia Bell, 8.0 apg
• Team’s steals leader: #22 R. Haynes, 5.0 spg 

Series History 
BYU leads the series 27-12 

Last Meeting 
These two former conference foes played last during the 2010-11 season when the Cougars swept the series over the Rebels. BYU beat UNLV 75-64 in Provo on Jan. 5, 2011 and then picked up a 79-44 road win at the Cox Pavilion on Feb. 5, 2011. In the game at the Cox Pavilion, the only current player who saw action in that contest was Kim Beeston. She came off the bench scoring 10 points in 17 minutes of playing time. Heading into that second meeting with the Rebels, the Cougars were on a four-game winning streak. The victory lifted BYU to a first place standing in MWC action at that time and extended its win streak to five games. For UNLV, Mia Bell and Amanda Anderson played in the game on Feb. 5. Bell scored three points, dished out two assists and had one steal. Anderson came off the bench, played 12 minutes and grabbed three rebounds. 

What’s Next 
The Cougar women return to the Marriott Center on Nov. 16 when they host Boston College, who is making its first trip to Provo. The game vs. the Eagles tips off at 4 p.m.