The BYU women's basketball team finished off the regular season with another win in today's home game against San Diego, 71-58, guaranteeing BYU a No. 2 seed in the WCC tournament.
'I couldn't be more happy for this team,' said head coach Jeff Judkins. 'To come in second place and only lose four games, and one of them we didn't have one of our best players. I'm really happy.'
Stephanie Rovetti takes the ball down the court in the game against San Diego. (Photo by Ari Davis)
Sophomore Lexi Eaton started the points rolling for the Cougars with a 3-pointer at 16:26. BYU was off to a rocky start in the beginning of the game, with San Diego at a 6-3 lead.
BYU didn't stay behind for long, following up with a 13-point run. The Cougars went 5-for-9 in the first half led by Eaton and senior Kim Beeston, both already at 11 points.
The run continued for another five minutes, escalating to 22-4, and wrapped up with three 3-point shots from Beeston to finish the first half.
San Diego started catching up in the beginning of the second half with a 6-0 run, but BYU still had a 13-point lead. The run progressed to 13-4, cutting the lead down to 10, the closest San Diego would get throughout the game.
Another three-point shot from Beeston brought the Cougars up to a 19-point advantage with only 2:06 left in the game.
This being the last home game of the season, the team's two seniors, Hamson and Beeston, were recognized following the game for their accomplishments at BYU.
Hamson has led the Cougars this season and tops the lists in scoring, blocked shots and rebounding. She leads the nation in blocked shots, ranks 11th in double doubles and 13th in rebounds per game.
'You're lucky as a coach to have a player like Jen maybe once every ten years,' Judkins said. 'If she doesn't win MVP of this league it'll be a shame.'
BYU will continue on to the 2014 WCC women's basketball championships in Las Vegas beginning March 6. The coach and team are confident in their chances at winning the tournament and continuing on to the NCAA championships and representing the WCC.
'I think we're where we need to be, especially winning tonight we put ourselves in a good place,' Hamson said. 'We're excited about the tournament. The key will be to play together and play hard and aggressive and the way we know how to play. I think we'll do well.'