Conference Foes Come To Marriott Center This Week

The BYU's women's basketball team improved to 3-2 in conference action after their impressive 12-point victory over Utah on Saturday in Salt Lake City. This Week the Cougar women are at home hosting MWC foes SDSU and UNLV on Thurs. Jan. 31, 7 p.m. and Sat. Feb. 2., 4 p.m.

Tip off: BYU (12-6, 3-2) vs SDSU (9-9, 1-4), 7:00 p.m.(MST) Arena: Marriott Ctr

Tip off: BYU (12-6, 3-2) vs UNLV (16-3, 4-2), 4:00 p.m.(MST)Arena: Marriott Ctr

Both Games Live on BYU-TV

Thursday night's game against SDSU and Saturday afternoon's game against UNLV will both air live on BYU-TV through the Dish Network, 500 System, Direct TV and some AT&T cable outlets. The games will also air on KBYU-TV, Channel 11, locally on Jan. 31 at 10:30 p.m., and on Feb. 2 live at 4 p.m.

BYU's Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 21 Jennifer Leitner 6-1 Jr 11.4 8.1

F 31 Lisa Osguthorpe 6-0 Sr 5.6 3.6

F 51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 Fr 7.5 3.2

G 11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Jr 17.8 4.4

G 22 Stacy Jensen 5-6 Sr 10.3 3.1

Cougar Players Off The Bench

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F/G 12 Melanie Pearson 6-1 Sr 10.3 3.1

F 23 Chanell Rose 6-0 Jr 3.7 2.6

F 45 Lisa Hansen 6-5 Jr 3.3 2.6

G 25 Kali Taylor 5-11 Fr 1.5 0.4

F 20 Brittany Larson 6-0 Jr 1.9 0.9

G 05 Amy Lewis 5-6 Jr 0.8 0.6

Quickie BYU Stats

l Shooting from the field - .465 (483-1039)

l Shooting from the free-throw line - .728 (221-304)

l Shooting from the three-point arc - .452 (165-365)

l Averaged 75.1 points per game

Last Game Recap

Playing Utah at the Huntsman Center has not been kind to the Cougar women over the years, but last Saturday afternoon it proved very kind with BYU picking up the 77-65 win over instate rival Utah. The win improves BYU's record to 12-6 and 3-2 in the conference. Melanie Pearson came off the bench for one of her best performances of the year, scoring 28 points in 20 minutes. That's a season record for her and is just two shy of her career record while playing at UCLA. All-American Erin Thorn scored 15 points and had five assists and five rebounds in the game. The Cougars shot 49 percent from the field and 59 percent from behind the arc.

BYU Notes

The 2001-02 team returns four starters and eight letterwinners from last season.

After five games into conference play, the team has tallied a 3-2 record prior to this week's home games. All-American Erin Thorn continues to be the team's leading scorer with an average of 17.8 points a game. The team's leading rebounder is junior forward Jennifer Leitner who's averaging 8.1 boards a game. She's also averaging 11.4 points a game. Senior guard Stacy Jensen leads in the assist category tallying 81 to date for an average of 4.5 per game. Jensen is also scoring in double digits, contributing 10.2 points a game. Senior transfer Melanie Pearson comes off the bench to score in double digits as well. She's picking up 10.3 points a game and is averaging 3.1 rebounds a game.

Injury Update

Sophomore forward Heather Cheesman was hit in the head during practice on Jan. 24. She suffered a bruised spinal chord and remains in the hospital at Utah Valley Regional Medial Center in Provo.

2001-02 Season Highlights

TEAM

4 Points - 94 vs Washington State 11/24/01

4 Field Goals Made - 36 vs Washington State 11/24/01

4 3 PT Field Goals Made - 20 vs Arkansas Pine-Bluff 12/14/01

4 Free Throws Made - 21 @ USC 11/29/01

4 Rebounds - 43 @ SMU 12/8/01

4 Assists - 32 vs Washington State 11/24/01

4 Steals - 14 @ Weber State 12/01/01

INDIVIDUAL

4 Points - Erin Thorn, (29) vs Arkansas Pine-Bluff 12/14/01

4 Field Goals Made - Erin Thorn, (10) @ Weber State 12/01/01

4 3 PT Field Goals Made - Erin Thorn, (9) vs Arkansas PB 12/14/01

4 Free Throws Made - Melanie Pearson, (9) @ Utah, 1/26/02

4 Rebounds - Jennifer Leitner, (13) @ UCLA 11/27/01

4 Assists - Stacy Jensen, (8) vs Washington State 11/24/01

4 Steals - Erin Thorn, (5) vs Washington State 11/24/01

MWC Standings - As Of Jan. 28

School Conference Games All Games

Colorado St. 5-0 16-3

UNLV 4-2 16-3

New Mexico 4-2 15-5

BYU 3-2 12-6

Utah 2-3 9-8

Wyoming 2-3 9-8

San Diego St. 1-4 9-9

Air Force 0-5 4-14

Cougars In MWC Stats (Conf. Games Only)

Top Three Finishes - TEAM

2 1st - Scoring Offense (355 pts, 71.0)

21st - Field Goal Percentage (.454, 122-269)

21st - 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (.451, 46-102)

21st - Blocked Shots (20, 4.0 avg)

21st - Assists (83, 16.60 avg)

21st - 3-Point Field Goals Made (46, 9.20 avg)

21st - Assist/Turnover Ratio (83 Asst, 16.6 avg/82 Turn, 16.4 avg, Ratio - 1.01)

22nd - Free Throw Percentage (.765, 65-85)

Top Ten Finishes - INDIVIDUALS

2 1st - Erin Thorn - Assists (21, 4.20 avg)

2 1st - Erin Thorn - 3-PT Field Goals Made (18, 3.60)

2 2nd - Erin Thorn - Asst/Turn Ratio (21 asst, 4.2 avg/ 13 turn, 2.6 avg, 1.62 ratio)

2 4th - Erin Thorn - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.462, 18-39)

2 4th - Erin Thorn - Scoring (77 pts., 15.4 avg)

2 10th - Erin Thorn - Steals (8, 1.60)

2 2nd - Melanie Pearson - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.538, 7-13)

2 5th - Melanie Pearson - Field Goal Percentage (.533, 16-30)

2 9th - Melanie Pearson - 3-PT Field Goals Made (7, 1.40)

2 4th - Danielle Cheesman - Field Goal Percentage (.536, 15-28)

2 6th - Danielle Cheesman - Blocked Shots (4, .80)

2 3rd - Jennifer Leitner - Blocked Shots (6, 1.50)

2 4th - Jennifer Leitner - Rebounding (31, 7.8 avg)

2 3rd - Stacy Jensen - Asst/Turn Ratio (15 asst, 3.0 avg/ 10 turn, 2.0 avg, 1.50 ratio)

2 7th - Stacy Jensen - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.438, 7-16)

2 8th - Stacy Jensen - Assists (15, 3.00)

2 9th - Stacy Jensen - 3-PT Field Goals Made (7, 1.40)

2 4th - Lisa Osguthorpe - Assists (17, 3.40)

2 1st - Lisa Osguthorpe - Asst/Turn Ratio (17 asst, 3.4 avg/6 turn, 1.2 avg, 2.83 ratio) 2 1st - Heather Cheesman - 3-PT Field Goal Percentage (.900, 9-10)

2 5th - Heather Cheesman - 3-PT Field Goals Made (9, 2.25)

2 9th - Lisa Hansen - Blocked Shots (3, .60)

Scouting San Diego State

San Diego State comes to Provo with an 9-9, 1-4 record with their lone conference win against Air Force. Claire Swinbank is the Aztecs leading scorer with an average of 12.1 points and 3.7 rebounds a game. Atim Otti is also scoring in double figures, contributing 10.7 points and she's leading the team in rebounds grabbing an average of 6.2 boards per game. SDSU is shooting 41 percent from the field and 67 percent at the free throw line. The team scores 61.5 points a game and they hold opponents to 60.1 points a game.

SDSU Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 10 Ashonda Williams 6-0 Jr 8.3 4.2

F 34 Valencia Howard 6-1 Jr 4.7 5.0

F 55 Atim Otii 6-0 Sr 10.7 6.2

G 12 Claire Swinbank 5-8 Sr 12.1 3.7

G 20 Jamey Cox 5-7 Jr 9.6 2.0

Series Record: 12-9 favoring BYU. The MWC teams met twice during last year's league schedule with each team winning on their home courts. At Cox Arena the final score was 63-61 on Jan. 11 and at the Marriott Center ti was 76-53 on Feb. 10.

Scouting UNLV

The Rebels come to Provo after playing Utah on Thursday night. They currently have a 16-3, 4-2 record and are in second place in the most updated MWC standings. Senior forward and All-American Linda Frohlick leads UNLV with an impressive 22.1 points and a team high 11.1 rebounds a game. Constance Jinks is the other team player scoring in double digits. She's contributing 17.1 points and 4.6 boards a game. As a team, the Rebels are shooting 46 percent from the field, 64 percent from the free throw line and 33 percent from behind the arc. UNLV is scoring 75.7 points a game and are holding opponents to just 57.2 points a game.

UNLV Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 13 Linda Frohlick 6-2 Sr 22.1 11.1

F 15 Petra Glaser 6-6 So 9.7 4.4

F 03 Kinesha Davis 5-9 Sr 5.3 2.9

G 11 Julia Gray 5-6 Jr 4.1 1.6

G 23 Constance Jinks 5-7 Jr 17.1 4.6

Series Record: 10-5 in favor of the Cougars. During last year's MWC regular season schedule, each team won on its own home court. At the Thomas & Mack Center, the final was 50-61 on Jan. 13 and at the Marriott Center it was 89-83 on Feb. 8. Then the two teams met again on the first day of the MWC Championships with BYU winning that game 62-54. That game sent the Cougars into one of two semifinal games and then onto the final game against CSU.

Head Coach Jeff Judkins

Jeff Judkins, an assistant during the 2000-01 season is this year's head coach for the Cougar women. Judkins, a longtime University of Utah coach and player takes over the BYU program 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 Utah from 1974-78. While playing for the Utes, he helped the team win one conference championship and two berths in the NCAA Tournament. He was a second-team academic All-American and three-time first-team District VII academic selection. Judkins earned three first-team All-WAC honors and was a member of the 1977 United States World Games team that captured the gold medal.

He played five years in the NBA for the Boston Celtics, Portland Trailblazers, Detroit Pistons and the Utah Jazz. He was a second-round pick by the Celtics in 1978, the same year the Celtics selected Larry Bird with the sixth pick overall.

After his NBA career, he returned to the U of U in 1989, and remained with the men's program for 10 years. Judkins, a Salt Lake City native, graduated from Utah in 1978 with a degree in health and physical education. He is a member of the Utah Sports Hall of Fame and the Crimson Club Hall of Fame.

He and his wife Mary Kay, are the parents of five children: Jessica (20), Jordan (19), Jenna (16), Jaime (13), Jaxson (10).

Coach Judkins Quotes

(On Cougars) We played one of our better, more complete games against Utah last Saturday. We had really good bench play and I was happy with the intensity level we had for the entire game. I thought that our motion looked as good as it has looked for a long time. And, I'm pleased with our confidence. The team knew we had our backs against the wall in the conference and we knew we had to win at Utah. They played with a lot of confidence and proved they had confidence in each other and as a team.

(On SDSU and UNLV) Thursday's game against SDSU is another game we have to win. It's critical that we win at home. And we need to beat UNLV on Saturday as well. They are a team that has proven they can win on the road and I know they'll be up to the challenge.

BYU Practice Schedule At Home

The BYU team practices daily at the Marriott Center from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Coach Judkins' and or player interviews can be done prior to or after practice. No interviews are done 24-hours prior to a game. All interviews must be scheduled in advance through the Media Relations Office. The women's basketball SID is Norma Collett. She can be contacted by phone: 801-378-4908 during regular business hours or by e-mail norma_collett@byu.edu

Up Next

After the two home conference games, the Cougars take to the road for games at Wyoming and at Colorado State on Feb. 7 and 9. BYU is at home again on Feb. 14 and 16 hosting Air Force and New Mexico.

2001-02 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL - NUMERICAL ROSTER (Tentative)

No. Name Ht. Cl. Pos. Exp. Hometown/School

11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Jr. G 2V Orem, UT/Mountain View H.S.

12 Melanie Pearson 6-1 Sr. G 3V Irvine, CA/Woodbridge HS/UCLA

20 Brittany Larson 6-0 Jr. F 2V Chicago, IL/New Trier HS

21 Jennifer Leitner 6-1 Jr. F 2V Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley HS

22 Stacy Jensen 5-6 Sr. G 3V West Jordan, UT/West Jordan HS

23 Chanell Rose 6-0 Jr. F 2V Orem, UT/UVSC

25 Kali Taylor 5-11 Fr. G HS Lyman, UT/Wayne HS

31 Lisa Osguthorpe 6-0 Sr. F 3V Orem, UT/Mountain View HS

45 Lisa Hansen 6-5 Jr. C 2V/RS Bakersfield, CA/Centennial HS/UCSB

50 Heather Cheesman 6-1 So. F 1V Orem, UT/Mountain View HS

51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 Fr. F HS Orem, UT/Mountain View HS

HEAD COACH: Jeff Judkins (1st Year)

ASSISTANT COACHES: Alli Bills, Trent Shippen

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Jonas Chatterton

ATHLETIC TRAINER: Carolyn Billings

2001-02 Walk-On Players:

05 Amy Lewis 5-6 Jr. G Jefferson City, Montana/Jefferson City HS

24 Shauna Tuft 6-0 So. F 1V Mesa, Arizona/Highland HS

30 Melissa Brown 5-8 So. G 1V University Place, WA/Curtis HS

32 Aspen Casper 6-0 Jr. F 1V Central Point, Oregon/S. Medford HS