By Jacob Nielson
BYU sailed past in-state foe Weber State, 79-42, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006, at the Marriot Center.
With the win the Cougars move to 7-3 on the season, with UVSC coming up Saturday at 3 p.m. at the David O. McKay Events Center.
The Cougars jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first five minutes and eventually racked up a 40-point advantage against the inert Wildcat squad.
?Tonight was the first night where I think a lot of things clicked,? BYU coach Jeff Judkins said.
Cougar star Mallary Gillespie sank four three-pointers in the first half and poured in a total of 30 points in the game. Throughout the contest, three-pointers continued to drop for the junior point guard as she set a career high with eight conversions from downtown.
?It?s nice to see her get out of her shooting slump,? Judkins said. ?She?s been playing very well ? what you saw tonight is what I see in practice.?
For Gillespie, her performance was the result of a team effort.
?I?ve got to seriously give all the credit to my team because they were the ones who got me open and got me the ball,? she said.
In an act of mercy for the Wildcats, Judkins benched Gillespie with 5 minutes to go.
?I didn?t want to rub it in,? he said.
Even while raining in 13 three-pointers throughout the game, BYU also performed well in post play, dismantling the Weber State defense.
Taking their time on a play late in the first half, the BYU offense worked the ball around the court until Melinda Johnsen was wide open under the basket to convert for the easy lay-up.
On the other end of the court, Weber State exhibited few threats against the Cougar defense.
As the game rolled into the latter part of the second half, BYU?s lead climbed up to a full-on blowout.
Cougar forward Jennie Keele scored 13 points against the Wildcat defense.
?I thought Jennie Keele had a great night tonight,? Judkins said.
Despite BYU?s insurmountable lead, fans remained in the Marriot Center to the end.
