WCC women: BYU goes deep to bury Lions

LAS VEGAS – Brigham Young buried 3-pointer after 3-pointer and ended Loyola Marymount’s season.

The Cougars made 13 3-pointers, including seven from Stephanie Vermunt Seaborn, and defeated the Lions 69-57 in a West Coast Conference women’s basketball quarterfinal at the Orleans Arena.

Fourth-seeded BYU (21-9) advances to the semifinals today, taking on top-seeded Gonzaga at noon.

Seaborn led all players with 21 points, her career high. The seven 3-pointers were also a career high.

Also in double figures were teammates Jennifer Hamson and Kim Parker Beeston with 19 and 13, respectively. Hamson also contributed 13 rebounds for her third double-double this season.

Fifth-seeded LMU (13-18) was led by Alex Cowling with 17 points.

BYU led 35-26 at halftime and had made six 3-pointers while holding the Lions to 1-for-6 shooting from behind the arc. Seaborn accounted for four of the team’s 3-pointers to tie her career high.

The lead would reach 22 points before LMU finished the game on a 10-0 scoring run to slice into the deficit.

Saint Mary’s 54, Portland 51: The third-seeded Gaels overcame a tough outside shooting day with a solid defensive effort to defeat the Pilots and advance to the semifinals.

Saint Mary’s will face second-seeded San Diego in a 2:30 p.m. tipoff with the winner advancing to Monday’s championship final against Gonzaga or BYU.

The junior trio of Kate Gaze, Danielle Mauldin and Jackie Nared combined to score 37 of the team’s 54 points to lead the Gaels to their 20th win of the season and the third against the Pilots. The Gaels improved to 20-9, while Portland ended its season with a 11-20 record.

Four Saint Mary’s starters scored in double figures, led by Nared and Gaze with 13 points apiece. Nared’s 10 rebounds gave her a double-double, joining Mauldin, who scored 11 points to go with 10 boards. Morgan Hatten scored 11 points.