Bell helps Pepperdine women upset No. 22 BYU

MALIBU, Calif. – Lauren Bell scored a career-high 26 points, Kelsey Patrick had 13 and Pepperdine used a strong second half to upset No. 22 BYU 61-49 on Thursday night, ending the Lady Cougars' nine-game winning streak.

Jazmine Jackson added 10 points for the Waves (11-10, 6-4 WCC), who shot 55 percent after halftime and harassed the Cougars into 23 total turnovers.

Kristen Riley had 15 points and 13 rebounds and Haley Steed added 10 points to lead BYU (20-4, 8-2). The loss dropped the Lady Cougars out of a tie with Gonzaga for first place in the West Coast Conference.

Bell hit back-to-back 3-pointers from the same spot near the top of the key to push the lead to 53-36 with 3½ minutes remaining.

The Lady Cougars made a late push, getting as close as 56-49 with just over a minute to play. Bell was then intentionally fouled and made both free throws to preserve the win.

Pepperdine trailed by one at the half but quickly went ahead with eight straight points.

Bell stole the ball on the Cougars' opening possession and raced down for a layup. Shay Cooney-Williams hit a jumper, Jackson made a pair of free throws and Bell capped the spurt with a steal, going the length of the floor for a layup that resulted in a 30-23 lead.

BYU went scoreless for nearly five minutes, missing its first four shots of the half and turning it over four times. Jennifer Hamson broke the drought and Riley hit a free throw to get back within 30-26.

The Waves extended the advantage moments later when Patrick accounted for six points during an 8-0 run. She had a jumper, two free throws and a layup to make it 38-26 midway through the half.