Women’s basketball rallies in second half, beats Colorado Mesa

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The women’s basketball team came alive in the second half and beat Colorado Mesa University with a final score of 70-66 in its match Nov. 1.

In the first five minutes of their first pre-season game, the Cougars could not make a basket, and it wasn’t until Morgan Bailey was able to work her way down low that she was able to score the easy basket.

Jennifer Hamson goes up for a shot against Idaho State. Photo courtesy Mark Philbrick/ BYU Photo
Jennifer Hamson goes up for a shot against Idaho State. Hamson finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks for the Cougars. (Photo courtesy Mark Philbrick/BYU Photo)

CMU’s Sharaya Selsor could not be stopped in the first half and led the Mavericks in scoring in the first half. Selsor went 2-3 from beyond the arch and finished the first half with 15 points and 3 assists.

At one point in the game, the Cougars were down by 15 points and looked completely flat.

“We just made a couple of defense mistakes, and we just let them have too many wide-open shots,” said starting center Jennifer Hamson.

Just before the end of the first half, Kylie Maeda hit a wide-open jumper to cut the lead to 28-35.

The Cougars would go into the locker room down 28-37.

The team finished the first half shooting 28% from the field and was 0-7 from the three point line.

During half time, head coach Jeff Juddkins told his players to stick to their game plan and focus on moving the ball more.

In the opening minute of the second half, Kim Beeston hit a three to bring the Cougars within six. However, the Mavericks would answer right back and scored seven unanswered points.

After the Maverick run, the Cougars decided to go on a run of their own, and they outscored CMU 17-5. The game was then tied 49-49, after Bailey made an easy layup with just over ten minutes left in the second half.

The Cougars were finally able to take the lead 57-55 with under seven minutes left in the game after Hamson pulled up and hit a jumper. This was the first time the Cougars had led in the entire game.

In her first collegiate start, Maeda came up huge for the team when she hit a key three with just two minutes left in the game. This gave the Cougars the 66-63 lead and sealed the win for the team.

The Cougars played much better in the second half, and they shot 59% from the field and were 3 for 6 from the beyond the arch.

“In the first half we weren’t really getting the ball in, and we were forcing stuff,” Maeda said. “In the second half when we were getting the ball into Jen and she was hitting shots, it opened shots for our guards.”

Hamson dominated tonight for the Cougars, and she is proving she is a force to be reckoned with. She finished the night with 25 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks.

“Jen did a great job letting the ball come to her,” Judkins said. “I think in the first half she followed it too much. She should let the ball come to her; that’s the way we need to do it.”

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