Enjoying a four-game winning streak and an overall 8-3 record, the Cougar women's basketball team prepares to host UC Riverside (5-5) on Wed. Dec. 20 at 7 p.m.
Complete Broadcast Plans
On the internet - a live audio stream of all of the women's basketball games will be available on BYU Radio. Veteran broadcaster Jay Monsen will call the action. To listen log on to: http://www.byuradio.org
Live stats - fans can follow the game action via stats by clicking on:
http://www.byucougars.com/Schedule.jsp?SP=112&YR=2006
BYU Probable Starters
Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG
G/F 15 Jennie Keele 5-10 Sr 7.0 3.5
G 30 Mallary Gillespie 5-10 Jr 13.0 4.2
G/F 35 Melinda Johnsen 5-10 Sr 5.8 3.0
C 45 Dani Kubik Wright 6-3 Sr 10.9 6.4
F 52 Lauren Riley 6-3 Jr 4.8 5.0
Reserve Players
Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG
G/F 32 Shawnee Slade 5-11 So 8.4 6.1
C 54 Cassie King 6-3 So 5.5 3.5
F 22 Brittany Faddis 6-0 So 1.1 1.5
F 05 Ashley Cheesman 6-0 Jr 1.4 1.9
G 13 Jaime Judkins 5-6 Fr 0.5 1.1
G 31 Rachel Aina 5-9 So 0.3 0.2
Team Stats --
-- Shooting from the field: (.424, 258-608)
-- Shooting from the free-throw line: (.626, 107-171)
-- Shooting from three-point line: (.339, 65-192)
-- Average points per game: 62.5
2006 Run In Preseason WNIT
The Cougar team ended their run in this year's Preseason WNIT with a disappointing 58-84 loss to No. 16 Baylor on Thurs. Nov. 16. BYU had advanced to the Final Four after a 73-50 home victory over Idaho State on Nov. 10 and then a come from behind 55-52 upset victory over No. 4 Stanford. Dani Kubik Wright was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Cougars Team Summary
After compiling the best season record in school history (26-6), making their seventh postseason NCAA Championships appearance and clinching the 2006 MWC Regular Season Champion crown, the BYU team looks to take that success and winning attitude into the 2006-07 year.
BYU returns a nucleus of four starters and five letterwinners that will make this year's squad tough to beat during its non-conference and league schedules.
Once again the Cougars should finish at the top of the MWC standings, leading the way to an eighth appearance in the NCAA Championships and advancing further in that national tournament.
-- 2006-07 Highlights --
-- The 79 points scored against Weber State are the most scored by BYU this year and the (13) three-point goals, are a new team high.
-- Five times this season, the Cougars had two players scoring in double figures with the most recent (vs. Weber St.).
-- BYU is 6-0 when leading at the half and 6-0 when outrebounding opponents.
-- The Cougars picked up season bests in 3-point field goal percentage .542 (13-24) in the Weber State game on 12/14/06.
-- In the wins over (vs. CSUN & UVSC), the Cougars had their best field goal percentage at 53.4 percent.
-- The Cougars have had four players score in double figures three times this year: (vs. SCU, @ Harvard, and @ UVSC).
-- MWC Player of the Week - Mallary Gillespie (Dec. 18, 2006)
-- MWC Player of the Week - Shawnee Slade (Nov. 12, 2006)
-- Preseason WNIT All-Tournament Team - Dani Kubik Wright
-- Team's assist leader - Melinda Johnsen (233), as of 12/18/06
-- In the game @ Stanford - Dani Wright played a total of 35 minutes, the most minutes played in her college career.
-- In the game at home vs. Santa Clara University on 11/22/06, the .839 (26-31) free throw percentage was the best for the team so far this season.
-- The 55 total rebounds grabbed in the game vs. CSUN on 12/09/06 are a new season high for the team.
Injury Update -
Freshman point guard Haley Hall is out for the rest of the season. She tore her ACL in her left knee at the New Mexico State game on 12/06/06.
2005-06 Season Review
-- Best record in school history 26-6
-- Tallied an impressive 13-1 record on the road
-- MWC Regular Season Crown with a 13-3 record
-- The squad advanced to the MWC Championship game before losing to Utah, 60-84
-- Made seventh appearance in NCAA Championships, seeded sev- enth, the highest seed for the Cougar program. The team advanced to the Round of 32 with 67-62 victory over Iowa, then lost to Oklahoma 70-86
-- Breaks into the national polls after going 15-1 to begin the season. Its first appearance came the week of Jan. 16 when both the AP Poll and the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll ranked the team at the No. 23 spot. The team moved as high as No. 16 in the USAToday/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll, the highest of the year and the highest ever in the program's history. BYU finished the season ranked 20th in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Coaches Poll.
2005-06 MWC Honors/All-America Citations
Co-Player of the Year
First Team All- Mountain West Conference
Second Team All- Mountain West Conference
Dani Kubik
Honorable Mention All- Mountain West Conference
Mallary Gillespie
Coach of the Year
Honorable Mention All- America Citations
Ambrosia Anderson - AP Women's All-America Basketball Team
Ambrosia Anderson - WBCA and Eastman Kodak Company
Head Coach - Jeff Judkins
Overall Record:111-55
2006-07: 8-3
2006 MWC Coach of the Year Jeff Judkins begins his sixth year as head coach of the women's basketball program. Prior to heading up the women's program, he served one year (1999-2000) as Director of Basketball Operations for the BYU men's team. In 2000 he became an assistant coach on the women's team.
Last season under Judkins, the Cougars compiled their best finish in school history with a 26-6 record, clinched their first MWC regular season title since 1992 and received a no. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, the highest seed for any BYU program.
For the first time since the 2002-03 season, the team and its 13-1 record to start the year broke into the women's basketball collegiate polls, ranked No. 23 by the AP Poll and the USA Today/Espn/WBCA Coaches Poll. They would rank as high as 18 and 16 in the two respective polls, finishing the year at No. 20. Last season Judkins picked up his 100th win, a 69-67 victory over CSU on Mar. 2, the same time the team clinched the league's regular season title.
Under Judkins tutelage, the women's basketball program has had consistent success with four postseason appearances including three NCAA Championships, guiding the team to its first ever Sweet Sixteen finish in 2002. In 2005, the 19-11 team played in the first round of the WNIT.
Judkins has also coached two All-Americans in Erin Thorn and Ambrosia Anderson. Both have gone on to play in the WNBA for the New York Liberty. Thorn has been with the team for the past four years while Anderson just completed her first year playing professionally.
The longtime University of Utah coach and player came to Provo with a proven record of success dating back to his high school days at Highland HS in Salt Lake City. An all-state selection in basketball, football and baseball, Judkins went on to play for the University of Utah from 1974-78.
While playing at Utah, Judkins helped lead the Utes to one conference championship and two berths in the NCAA tournament. He was a second-team academic All-American and three-time District VII academic selection. He also earned three first team All-WAC honors and was a member of the 1977 United States World Games team that captured the gold medal.
Judkins also played five years in the National Basketball Association for the Boston Celtics, Portland Trailblazers, Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz. He was a second-round pick of the Celtics in 1978, the same year the Celtics selected Larry Bird with the sixth pick overall.
After his NBA career, he returned to Utah in 1989 and was an instrumental part of that program's success during his 10 years, recruiting such players as Keith Van Horn, Andre Miller, Mike Doleac, Hanno Mottola, Alex Jensen, Trent Whiting, Garner Meads, Jeff Johnsen and Britton Johnsen.
Judkins, graduated from the University of Utah in 1978 with a degree in health and physical education. He and his wife Mary Kaye are the parents of five children: Jessica (26), (married to Paul), Jordan (24), Jenna (22), Jaime, who plays on the basketball team, (19), and Jaxson (16). Jenna plays on the volleyball team at BYU.
Hobbies: Waterskiing, horseback riding, hunting, golf, softball, and watching ESPN.
BYU Picked Second In MWC Preseason Media Poll
School (First-place votes) Points
1. New Mexico (8) 137
2. BYU (7) 134
3. TCU (4) 126
4. Utah 102
5. Wyoming 96
6. UNLV 71
7. San Diego State 41
8. Air Force 39
9. Colorado State 36
Preseason All-MWC Team
Dionne Marsh, Jr., F, New Mexico
Hanna Zavecz, Jr., F, Wyoming
Dani Kubik Wright, Sr., C, BYU
Adrianne Ross, Jr., G, TCU
Katie Montgomery, Sr., G, New Mexico
Top Returning Player
Dionne Marsh, Jr., F, New Mexico
Top Newcomer
Justyna Podziemska, Jr., F, Wyoming
ABOUT THIS WEEK'S BYU OPPONENT
UC RIVERSIDE - Provo, UT (12/20/06)
The Highlanders make a stop in Utah with a game at UVSC on Monday afternoon before the match up with the Cougars on Wednesday night. As of 12/18/06, UC Riverside have compiled a 5-5 record, and are on a three-game winning streak. The Highlanders return their entire starting lineup from last season's team that went 16-15 and finished third in the Big West Conference. Junior forward Kemie Nkele leads the way in scoring for the team with an average of 15.4 points and a team high 6.6 rebounds per game. A 5-10 sophomore guard, Seyram Gbewonyo is next with 9.7 points and 5.9 boards a game. John Margaritis enters his third season at the helm of the UC Riverside basketball program.
UC RIVERSIDE Probable Starters
Pos. # Name Ht Yr PPG RPG
F 11 Roney Friend 6-0 So 8.4 4.5
F 33 Kemie Nkele 6-1 Jr 15.4 6.6
C 14 Katerina Glyniadaki 6-5 So 2.1 1.6
G 02 Seyram Gbewonyo 5-10 So 9.7 5.9
G 42 Chanel Foster 5-7 So 4.3 2.0
Stat Comparisons BYU UCR
Field Goals: .424 .399
Free Throws: .626 .641
Three-Pointers: .339 .356
Points Per Game: 62.5 57.7
Rebounds Per Game: 40.6 32.7
Series Record
BYU has a 1-0 lead.
Last Meeting
The two teams played for the first time last season, at Riverside where BYU picked up the 67-53 victory.
Media Information
Team Practice Times
-- The team practices are held at the Marriott Center MWF from 11:30 a.m., to 1:30 p.m. On Tuesday's, practice is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m., and on Thursday's it is 12:30 to 3 p.m.
-- Coach Judkins and players are available for interviews prior to or after their practices. All interviews are scheduled in advance. Norma Collett is the Media Director for the team and can be contacted by phone or email. Office phone is 801-422-4908, cell phone is 801-372-0989 and email is norma_collett@byu.edu
Up Next
BYU rounds out the year on the road at Oregon on Dec. 30 in a 7 p.m., tip off from McArthur Court.