Women Cougars claim first league win

PROVO — It seemed like old times for the BYU women's basketball team, as the Cougars were breakin' and boardin' and bombin' away. Best of all, they were a-winnin' and a-grinnin' again.

One caveat: BYU's 78-59 victory Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center did come against Air Force, an opponent the Cougars haven't lost to in the 11-game series.

But a win is a win is a . . . well, a relief, since the Cougars started off Mountain West Conference play with three straight league losses.

"I'm going to enjoy this win because it's been a long time since we had one," said coach Jeff Judkins, whose Cougars improved to 11-7 overall and 1-3 in the conference.

"We're hoping it's a snowball effect," said junior forward Danielle Cheesman, adding, "We got a dirty taste out of our mouths."

And a whole week to savor the taste of success — and build upon it — because BYU's next game isn't until 4 p.m. Saturday at home against MWC preseason favorite Utah.

Cheesman led all scorers with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor and only 19 minutes of game time. Senior center Ashley Chamberlain came off the bench to add 12 points and seven boards against the smaller Falcons, while Ambrosia Anderson contributed 11 points.

Air Force (3-13, 0-3) was topped by Amoy Jackson's 12 points.

In a nutshell, BYU showed a different side than in its 58-52 home loss Thursday night to New Mexico, when the Cougars were outrebounded by 20, shot a meager 33 percent and missed their first 20 3-pointers before making their final two.

Against Air Force, BYU logged 26 assists, enjoyed a 48-41 rebounding margin, finished with eight treys, shot 48 percent overall and 33 percent behind the arc in both halves, and held the Falcons to just 27.9 percent shooting — the Cougars' second straight opponent under .300.

BYU led 35-21 at intermission and by as many as 27 — at 61-34 — midway in the foul-filled second half. The score was so lopsided that Judkins emptied his bench of all players — except daughter Jenna, BYU's redshirt freshman volleyball player who practices and suits up with the basketball team. But since the elder Judkins is awaiting formal assurance that Jenna's playing in a Division I basketball game won't count against her redshirt volleyball season, he held her back.

In order to get all players in, the Cougars actually gave up a pair of two-shot technical fouls. Since the official scorebook allows 15 listed players, BYU was penalized twice when walk-on juniors Laura Stratton and Lindsay Huffman checked in as Cougar players No. 16 and 17 late in the game.

GAME NOTES: After sending New Mexico to the line 33 times, the Cougars still allowed 34 Air Force free throws . . . Judkins shuffled his starting lineup, with Cheesman joined by super-subs Anderson and Julie Sullivan and freshman Hollie Hansen and Melinda Johnsen.

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E-mail: taylor@desnews.com