Daily Herald | Posted: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 11:00 pm
RENO, Nev. -- Behind a career-high 27 points from sophomore guard Mindy Nielson, the BYU women's basketball team powered to a 81-63 win over the Nevada Wolfpack on Tuesday for its first win in the 2008-09 campaign.
"This is a great win for us," said BYU head coach Jeff Judkins. "We came out with a lot of energy and the first eight minutes were the best eight minutes of game I've seen this team play."
Led by Nielson and fellow guard Jazmine Foreman, the Cougars got off to a quick start, leading 17-8 at the 12:44 mark. Forward Kelani Moeaki scored 14 points and had three rebounds, while senior center Cassie King had 11 points and nine boards. BYU was also strong behind the 3-point arc, going 8-of-17 (47 percent). In all, five Cougars scored in double figures.
"We did a good job pushing the ball as well," Judkins said. "It was as a total team effort."
Nielson led all scorers and powered the Cougar offensive attack throughout the game, shooting 44 percent from the field and going 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
Portland was able to match the Cougars for much of the second half but wasn't able to overcome 31 percent shooting in the first half, which ended with BYU leading 48-31. The Cougars built the lead on 17-of-29 shooting (58 percent) in the first 20 minutes.
Senior guard Criner Dellena lead the Wolfpack with 20 points in 32 minutes, and forward Franklin Cherlanda had a team-high seven rebounds.
The Cougars now return to the Marriott Center for their 2008 home opener to play Pac-10 power Oregon on Friday, Nov. 21 at 3:30 p.m.