The no. 20 Cougar women are making their 7th appearance in the NCAA Women's Championships. On Sat., Mar. 18 the (25-5) BYU team seeded no. 7 will play the no. 11 seed Iowa (17-11) at 1:30 p.m., at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo.
2006 NCAA Women's Basketball Championships
First & Second Round Schedule - Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
Session I (Sat. Mar.18)
#15 Pepperdine vs. #2 Oklahoma, 11 a.m.
# 10 Iowa vs. #7 BYU, 1:30 p.m.
SESSION II (Sat. Mar. 18)
#11 Louisiana Tech vs. #6 Florida State, 6 p.m.
#14 Southeast Missouri State vs. #3 Stanford, 8:30 p.m.
SESSION III (Mon. Mar. 20)
Winners play either at 5 p.m., or 7:30 p.m.
Follow the women's basketball action on BYU Radio
BYU Radio via the internet at www.byuradio.org will air the games live
1984-85
BYU made its second-straight appearance to the NCAA Tournament in 1985, facing Long Beach State on March 16. Playing in front of a large 49ers crowd, the Cougars lost 112-85 and finished 17th in the tournament. BYU compiled a 19-9 record over the season.
1992-93
After a seven-year absence from the NCAA Tournament, the Cougars went to the Big Dance in 1993, losing to UC Santa Barbara, 88-19. The March 17 loss gave BYU a 33rd-place finish in the tournament. The Cougars finished with a 24-5 record, the best in the program's history.
1999-00
Despite a strong, hard fought effort and 13 three pointers, BYU suffered a disappointing 86-81 loss to 18th ranked Oklahoma on March 18 in the first round of the tournament. Senior Cady Williams led the BYU effort with 27 points and a career-high six three pointers. The Cougars took a one-point, 33-32, lead at half time, but an early run by the Sooners at the start of second-half action gave them a 12-point lead with 13 minutes to go in the game and was the key to their victory. The loss put BYU's record at 22-9.
2001-02
This was the Cougars' year. They had their best finish in school history, going to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time.
Florida: All-American Erin Thorn's 28-point stellar performance lifted BYU to a huge 90-52 upset victory, and its first NCAA Tournament win, over No. 6 seed Florida on March 16. The Cougars offensive play and tough defense smothered the Florida team who only scored 18 points in the first half and were held to just 15 percent shooting in the first 20 minutes of play. Just five minutes into the second half, BYU had extended its lead 31, 52-21.
Iowa State: Two days later BYU overcame a 13-point deficit to pull off its second-straight upset, beating the No. 3 seed Iowa State Cyclones, 75-69, to earn its first trip to the Sweet 16. Iowa State built a 13-point lead eight minutes into the second half, but the Cougars turned up the defensive pressure to draw even with 5:12 remaining. The second half featured three ties and six lead changes, most coming in the final five minutes as the Cougars and Cyclones traded shots and free throws.
Tennessee: On March 23, the Cougars put a scare into the Tennessee Volunteers through most of the first half but couldn't hold on as Tennessee took over to win, 68-57. BYU dominated the first half, leading by as many as nine points before the Tennessee offense came alive. The Vols went on a 15-1 run in the closing minutes of the first half to take a 35-30 lead into the break. BYU kept fighting and were within six points with 3:05 left in the game, but the Vols proved too tough, hitting six free throws in the closing minutes. BYU finished 9th in the tournament and compiled a 24-9 overall record.
2002-03
The Cougars were no match for the Buffalos on March 22, who cruised by shooting 60 percent from behind the arc and 50 percent from the field on their way to an 84-45 rout over BYU. Four minutes passed in the game before Erin Thorn put BYU on the scoreboard with a jumper. The Cougars were outscored 26-10 in the first 10 minutes of the game. Colorado came out in the second half unconscious, going 3-for-3 from three-point land and 5-for-5 shooting, leaving BYU behind on the scoreboard, 21-56. The 2002-03 campaign ended with a 19-12 record.
BYU And The Mountain West Conference
This year has been one of the conference's best showing in the postseason tournament. The four teams (BYU, New Mexico, Utah and TCU) tie the most in MWC history. In 2002, BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico and UNLV all made appearances with the Cougars going on to the Sweet Sixteen.
Cougars Are Mountain West Conference Regular Season Champions
With a 13-3 record in league play, the Cougars clinched their first MWC regular season title since the 1992-93 season. BYU had a perfect 9-0 record in the conference before suffering its first loss at the hands of instate rival Utah 52-70. The team bounced back with a 55-51 win at UNLV to sweep that series before picking up their second conference loss, a one-point 56-57 decision to Wyoming on Feb. 18. The team's final loss was at New Mexico on Mar. 4 where they dropped a disappointing 49-74 loss to the Lobos to finish 13-3. The team had clinched the regular season title the Thursday before with a 69-67 victory at CSU.
MWC PreSeason Poll
Cougars Picked To Finish 6th In PreSeason Poll
Rk. Team (1st-place votes) Points
1. Utah (23) 214
2. New Mexico (2) 180
3. TCU (1) 164
4. UNLV 137
5. Colorado State 117
6. BYU 107
7. Wyoming 90
8. San Diego State 45
9. Air Force 31
Anderson Leads Cougar Honors In 2005-06 MWC All- Conference Team
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
Jeff Judkins
Cougar MWC Regular Season Honors
Ambrosia Anderson was named the MWC Player of the Week on Nov. 28, 2005.
BYU In 2006 MWC Championships - Pepsi Center, Mar. 7-11, 2006
Colorado State: The No. 19 BYU women's basketball team opened up the Mountain West Conference Tournament in fine fashion, defeating eighth-seeded Colorado State 65-45 to move into the semifinals. BYU went on a 9-1 toward then end of the second half to take a 29-26 lead into the half, despite shooting just 27 percent.
The Cougars came out hot in the second half, making their first three shots to spark a 13-0 run and extend their lead to 42-26. The Rams scored their first points of the half at the 14:06 mark but BYU came right back with another 8-0 run, all from Ambrosia Anderson, to take a commanding 50-28 lead. The Cougars outscored the Rams 21-2 in the first nine minutes of the second half. MWC Co-Player of the Year Anderson, who recorded 20 points and nine rebounds, led the Cougars.
TCU: Junior Dani Kubik had a career night for BYU, in a 63-53 win, with 24 points while pulling down 10 rebounds. Anderson also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. Sophomore Mallary Gillespie posted 18 points for the Cougars on 3-for-6 shooting from three-point range.
The Cougars got off to a quick start, putting together a 10-0 run to build an early 12-3 advantage. The Horned Frogs fought hard, but still trailed 36-24 to the league leaders at the break. BYU opened up the second period with an 11-2 run to take their largest lead of the half at 56-42. BYU cruised from there, earning the 63-53 win.
Utah: No. 19 BYU fell 84-60 to No. 21 Utah in the MWC Championship game. Kubik once again led the way for BYU with 12 points and nine rebounds. Anderson joined her in double figures with 11 points. Both Anderson and Kubik were named to the MWC All-Tournament Team.
Utah's Heidi Carlson started the game hot, draining her first two three-point attempts for an early 6-0 lead. The shots kept falling for the Utes as they made five of their first seven to take a 13-4 lead. After trading baskets with the Utes for several minutes, the Cougars put together an 8-0 run to cut the Utah lead to one point at 26-25 with 4:59 left in the first half, but the Utes again extended their lead off an 18-7 run. The Cougars continued their cold field-goal shooting in the second half as they did not score from the floor for the first 3:40, allowing Utah to open up a 52-34 lead.
Head Coach - Jeff Judkins
Overall Record: 102-51
Jeff Judkins is in his fifth year as head coach after serving one year as the Director of Basketball Operations at BYU. He was also the scheduling coordinator. He has been involved in coaching for 16 years.
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 High School 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. He made second-team all-rookie in 1979 with the Boston Celtics.
After his NBA career, he returned to Utah in 1989 and was an instrumental part of the program's success during his 10 years with the program, 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 (25), Jordan (23), Jenna (21), Jaime (18), and Jaxson (15).
Reaches 100 Wins Mark
With the 69-67 win @ CSU on Thurs. Mar. 2, 2006, Head Coach Jeff Judkins recorded his 100th win in his fifth season as head coach of BYU. In that same game, the team clinched the 2005-06 MWC Regular Season Title. The Cougars last regular season title was during the 1992-93 season.
Judkins Record vs. MWC Schools
SchoolRecordIn 2006
Air Force8-02-0
CSU3-52-0
New Mexico4-71-1
San Diego State8-02-0
UNLV7-42-0
Utah3-61-1
Wyoming 5-41-1
TCU1-12-0
BYU's 2006 NCAA Championships Opponents
University of Iowa
No. 10 seed Iowa Hawkeyes will be the Cougars first round opponent. This season the team has compiled an 17-11, and 10-6 record and are members of the Big Ten Conference. Two players top the leader board in scoring for the Hawkeyes with senior guard Crystal Smith's 17.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Teammate Megan Skouby, a 6-6 freshman center follows with 14.1 points and 5.0 boards a game. Sophomore forward Krisa VandeVenter tops the rebound category, grabbing an average of 8.2 boards per game. The Hawkeyes are shooting 46 percent from the field, an impressive 77 percent from the charity stripe and 36 percent from three-point range. Iowa is averaging 72.7 points per game and is holding opponents to 65.9 points per contest. On a neutral court, the team has compiled a 1-2 record on the season.
Series Record: 2-0 in favor of BYU
Last Meeting: These two teams have not met since the 1981 season at the Montana Invitational where the Cougars won the game by two points, 87-85. The previous time was during the 1980 season in Provo on Jan. 3, 1980 with BYU getting the 103-79 victory.
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University comes to the NCAA First Round games with a 14-16, 8-6 record on the year. They are the no. 15 seed in the region. The Waves clinched the West Coast Conference Championship with impressive wins over St. Mary's, Loyola Marymount, and Santa Clara. On the year, Daphanie Kennedy, a 5-7 sophomore guard, has led the team in scoring with an average of 12.0 points and 4.8 boards per game. Junior forward/center Jasmane Clarendon also scores in double figures contributing 11.5 points and a team high 6.9 rebounds a game. The team is shooting 39 percent from the field, 66 percent at the line and 29 percent from behind the arc. Pepperdine is tallying 63.3 points and allowing opponents 65.1 points per game. When playing on a neutral court, the Waves have tallied a perfect 3-0 record.
Series Record: 1-1
Last Meeting: BYU and Pepperdine have not played each other since 1983 when they participate in the LBS Tournament. On Dec. 9, 1983 the Cougars defeated the Waves 98-78 on a neutral court. They also played at Pepperdine on Dec. 29, 1979 where the home team beat BYU by one point, 67-66.
University of Oklahoma
The Sooners are the no. 2 top seed in the region. They come into the NCAA tournament as the Big 12 regular conference winners and clinched the Big 12 postseason championship. To date, Oklahoma has compiled a
29-4, 16-0 record and are on a 17-game winning streak. Two players are scoring in double digits with 21.4 points and 15.1 rebounds from 6-4 freshman center Courtney Paris. Leah Rush, a 6-1 junior forward is next with 10.0 points and she grabs 5.1 boards per game. The team is shooting 47 percent from the field, 64 percent at the free throw line and 35 percent from three-point range. Oklahoma is picking up 76.1 points per game while holding opponents to just 63.9 points per contest.
Series Record: 1-2 in favor of Oklahoma
Last Meeting: These two teams met in the 2000 NCAA tournament first round at Purdue where the Sooners won the game 86-81 to end the Cougars run in the tournament. They also met twice during the 1989 season with each team winning on their home courts.