It was an even matchup between the BYU women’s basketball team and San Diego until the Cougars got down to business and took care of the Toreros, winning 62-53 on the road Saturday in a WCC matchup.
“I think San Diego is playing very well right now,” BYU coach Jeff Judkins said. “I think we’re not used to so many teams having fours who are quick and can drive it. And we just have to do a better job when we have leads on the road to milk it a little bit. But for some reason this team does a really good job at adjusting at halftime, so that helped us.”
BYU started the game slow, confused by the defensive schemes run by San Diego. The Toreros (12-4, 3-1) came out in a zone defense against the Cougars (16-3, 5-1), forcing the team to make shots on the perimeter.
BYU got back into the game in large part because of the play of true freshman Lexi Eaton. Eaton made a significant contribution to the final score, tying her career high with 16 points. She also shot 60 percent from the field while adding two blocks.
Winning this game marks one of the biggest accomplishments for the Cougars this season, some of the players said.
“This was a huge win for us, especially because they were undefeated in conference,” Eaton said. “It was great to win on the road. If we could keep this momentum during the season, we’ll be good to go.”
With only minutes to go in the first half, San Diego guard Dominique Conners, who scored 12 points, got her third foul and was put on the bench. USD fought back and by halftime the game was close, with the Cougars holding a slight one-point lead at 30-29.
Coming out hot in the second half the Cougars tore through the Toreros and had a 10-point run, keeping the Toreros scoreless. USD guard Amy Kame was a force to be reckoned with, putting up 19 points against the BYU defense.
The Cougars continued their strong play, as senior Dani Peterson showed her presence down at the block and ended with 10 points, 71.4 percent shooting and seven rebounds. Guard Kim Parker was a major player in the game as she ended with 10 points.
BYU finished the game on free throws as San Diego scrambled to gain possession of the ball. At the line the Cougars shot 68.8 percent in comparison to San Diego’s 81.3 percent. The team had 10 steals and nine blocks, leaving San Diego in the dust.
The Toreros were undefeated until at home until this game. Their home record now stands at 7-1.
