Eaton's sharp shooting leads BYU women's hoops to 1st win


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PROVO — A couple of days ago, with BYU women’s basketball reeling from its first two-game losing streak since 2013, head coach Jeff Judkins talked to junior shooting guard Lexi Eaton about a few things.

The conversation apparently held the key to success.

Eaton made a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 19 of her game-high 29 points in the first half Saturday night to help BYU collect its first win of the season with a 65-60 victory over Nevada at the Marriott Center.

“I told her she has to have fun and don’t worry about everything,” Judkins said of Eaton, who also had six rebounds and three steals. “Tonight, the way you saw her play is the way she practices. She hits shots, she drives, and she’s a very hard matchup for a lot of people.”

Morgan Bailey added 12 points and a career-high 17 rebounds for the Cougars, who got nine points from Makenzi Morrison and eight points from Ashley Garfield.

Eaton accounted for each of the Cougars’ first 14 points as BYU built a 14-8 lead over the Wolf Pack by the 13:48 mark of the first half. She opened the game shooting 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and her two assists to Garfield and Morrison each went for long threes.

The junior sharpshooter from Springville reached double-digit scoring with 13:17 left in the first on a 3-pointer, and her 19 first-half points were more than her first two games of the season combined.

(Photo: Todd Wakefield/BYU Photo)
(Photo: Todd Wakefield/BYU Photo)

“I felt a lot of fault on myself for the last two losses,” Eaton said. “I wasn’t pulling my weight. I was determined to do what it would take tonight to get the win for the team.

“I was determined, decisive and I tried to play hard until the end.”

The Cougars (1-2) rolled through the first half and didn’t slow down after the break. Morrison’s second 3-pointer of the game gave BYU a 47-35 lead with 17:49 left in the game.

Eaton made her career-best sixth three of the game with a swish from the right elbow with 15:21 to play that gave BYU a 50-39 lead.

“I was getting myself ready to shoot,” Eaton said of her career night from the 3-point line. “It all depends on the mentality. If you are second-guessing your shot, it’s not going to fall.”

BYU went cold midway through the second half, converting on just two of 11 field goals before Nevada’s Aja Johnson’s lay-up brought the Wolf Pack (1-2) within 52-46 with 12:55 to go. Eaton’s runner with 10:01 helped stop the bleeding, and dumping her 25th point after Morgan Bailey grabbed her 11th rebound and forced a quick transition play.

Eaton was forced to the bench after picking up her fourth foul following a steal with 9:05 left in the game. Garfield and Morrison each picked up a fourth foul shortly thereafter, and Bailey played much of the second half with three fouls.

“I’ve always believed you play your hand,” Judkins said. “(Eaton) is no good to me sitting on the bench with four fouls. If she fouls out, she fouls out and you move on. You have to do this early in the season. They’ve got to learn to play with four fouls.”

BYU struggled to stay ahead, missing as many as four-straight field-goal attempts, and Terilyn Moe scored on a bank shot with 3:02 left to bring Nevada within a point, 58-57. Morrison drew a foul on the shot, but Moe missed the free throw to help BYU cling to the lead.

Bailey saved some of her best for last. The veteran who led BYU in scoring the first two games of the year grabbed a rebound, then scored on a put-back with an accompanying free throw to put the Cougars up 62-58 with 1:18 left to help ice the win.

The Cougars will spend Thanksgiving break in Hawaii, where they will participate in the Tom Weston Invitation against Butler, Oregon State and host BYU-Hawaii on Nov. 26-29. Getting the season’s first win helps them roll into the tourney with confidence, Judkins said.

“It’s happiness,” Eaton said. “We weren’t worried about it, but that’s where relief comes in. It feels good to get the first win.”

BYU returns home for a Dec. 4 game against UNLV in the Smith Fieldhouse. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. MST on BYUtv.

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