BYU went 2-1 at the Tom Weston Invitational tournament on the campus of BYU—Hawaii this past week, bringing the Cougars’ overall record to 3-3.
The Cougars started out the tournament Wednesday with a 81-62 victory over the Butler Bulldogs. BYU shot 55 percent from the floor to crush a reeling Bulldog team, with four Cougars scoring in double digits. Makenzi Morrison led the squad with 16 points (a career high). Morgan Bailey added 14 points and eight rebounds, while managing three assists as well. Lexi Eaton also dropped 14 points while totaling five rebounds. After a slow start to the season, starting point guard Kylie Madea put in 13 points for a personal season high.
“We played a really balanced game today, and that’s what we wanted to see,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said in a press release after the game. “Ashley (Garfield) played well for us, and it was good to see Kylie (Maeda) shoot the ball better today. Makenzi came in and gave us a huge lift in the second half.”
BYU moved on to its Thanksgiving Day game, where it beat the hometown BYU—Hawaii Seasiders in a 73-52 victory and pushed its win streak to three games. BYU jumped out to a quick lead that the Seasiders were never able to overcome. Eaton, Bailey and Morrison again led the team, with each scoring in double figures for the second game in a row. Eaton totaled 17 points, with a quick 14 coming in the first half. Bailey had 13 points, barely missing a double-double with nine rebounds on the contest. Morrison stepped up big for a second consecutive game by coming up with 10 points for the Cougars.
“We did a good job defensively today because they threw a lot of different stuff at us,” Judkins said after the matchup. “Makenzi (Morrison) once again played well and got some big shots for us.”
The Cougars dropped their final game of the tournament to No. 19 Oregon State 71-61. BYU kept the game close but was never able to overcome the deficit or capitalize on Oregon State turnovers. Bailey scored a career-high 26 points on the game and also totaled a team-high nine rebounds.
“I thought we had some moments when we played really well,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “Morgan had a great game for us today. We just need to get more production from other players. We did a good job defensively. They are a very good team. We need to make better choices and decisions when the game is on the line. ”
BYU looks to rebound this week on Thursday when the Cougars take on UNLV at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo. BYUtv and BYU Radio will both broadcast the game, starting at 7 p.m. (MST).
