The BYU women's basketball team turned in a solid performance on Thursday, sweeping a host of statistical categories in a 72-48 win over Loyola Marymount.
The Cougars (16-3, 5-1) shot 50.9 percent from the field, 73.3 percent from the free-throw line and scored 40 points in the paint — all while notching 11 steals.
Senior Kristen Riley scored a career-high 22 points, had 10 rebounds, shot 9-for-13 from the field and had 4 assists.
BYU played a full-court press, which proved to be effective as the Cougars held LMU(4-13, 0-5) to a scoreless drought for eight minutes. The Cougars really took care of the ball and didn't stop attacking offensively.
“I’m really happy with the win,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said in a news release. “It was a great team effort and a good win on the road. These guys are tough to play here. I think Riley played another great game. Defensively she did a great job on their top player. In the second half, I thought Lexi Eaton and Jennifer Hamson really gave us a big lift. Jen played very aggressive in the post.”
Eaton once again put double digits on the board. She had 16 points, including a key 3-pointer that started a 17-0 scoring streak for the team.
LMU came back defensively in the second half, forcing BYU to take shots the Cougars weren't comfortable with. The Lions pulled in closing the gap to 4 points.
The Cougars answered to the challenge and pulled ahead.