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BYU senior guard Paisley Harding shoots a 3-pointer during the exhibition game against Westminster at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU sophomore forward Lauren Gustin looks to pass during the exhibition game against Westminster at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU head coach Jeff Judkins directs his team during the exhibition game against Westminster at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU sophomore guard Shaylee Gonzalez looks for an opening during the exhibition game against Westminster at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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BYU sophomore guard Kaylee Smiler drives to the basket during the exhibition game against Westminster at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. (Courtesy BYU Photo)

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Exhibition games for college basketball teams are chances to iron out some issues and start getting into the flow of facing opponents.

While those were definitely important things for the BYU women’s squad during Thursday’s 73-52 exhibition win over Westminster at the Marriott Center in Provo, the Cougars also picked up some useful things from the Griffins.

“I think what they did, which we have to maybe sometimes do a little better, is take advantage of who they’ve got the mismatch on,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “Their bigs can all shoot it so they spread you out and and make you have to have to guard them. We have to adjust.”

Cougar senior guard Paisley Harding said she liked how Westminster kept battling, no matter what the score was.

“We learned that you have to come out with the same mentality, no matter who you are playing,” Harding said. “We have to be prepared and can’t give anyone any edge. We were a little rusty today but this was a chance to get the jitters out. A lot of us were super-excited to play but also kind of nervous to start the season. This kind of gave us the opportunity to see how we play as a team.”

The Griffins stayed close through much of the first quarter, only trailing 15-14 at one point.

“I didn’t think we were ready to play today,” Judkins said. “Part of it is you are playing a team that you supposed to beat and you’re playing a game that doesn’t count. All those things have an effect but I told my girls they have got to mentally be ready for every game. There are not many games, so they’ve got to be ready.”

That was when BYU seized control, going on a 12-0 run including 3-pointers from freshman guard Nani Falatea and sophomore guard Shaylee Gonzalez.

The Cougars pulled out to a 45-28 halftime lead and a layup to start the third quarter had the home team up by 19 points.

But Westminster refused to crumble and came battling back with a 14-4 run of its own to cut BYU’s lead to single digits.

“We may have missed a lot of easy basket but we didn’t let it get us,” Judkins said. “We came back and defended and did some things there. We went on a run and I think that shows our potential.”

That was when Harding hit a big trey to stop the Griffin momentum and the Cougars pulled away to get the comfortable victory.

“I felt like we stuck together as a team,” BYU sophomore forward Lauren Gustin said. “A lot of shots weren’t falling for us and on the defensive end we weren’t playing the way we wanted to, but we kept fighting through even though it was rough for us at times.”

BYU was led by 15 points from Harding, while Gustin added 12 points and 18 rebounds.

Judkins is optimistic about the potential he sees on the floor for his Cougars but also knows the challenges will be tough.

“We’ve got a bullseye on our back and we’re going to have to play our best to beat people,” Judkins said. “They’ve got to be mentally and physically ready every day. I think they’ve got to love what the defense gives them. They’ve got to realize that they need to be the best defensive team in the league to win it. We have to be aggressive, both offensively and defensively.”

Harding said reaching the potential for this BYU team is going to come down to everyone doing the little things.

“Our potential is extraordinary,” Harding said. “We have so much that we can accomplish but it’s going to come down to doing the little things every single day. We have to be good teammates, work on our dribbling, work on our shooting, work on our defense, passing the ball, rebounding, everything.”

The Cougars will start the regular season when they hosts Lipscomb at the Marriott Center in Provo on Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. MT. That game will be broadcast on BYUtv.org.

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