After playing a grueling three-week December schedule on the road, the Cougar women come home to end the year hosting Montana State, Dec. 30.
Tip off: BYU (6-3) vs Montana State (7-1) 3 p.m. Arena: Marriott Center
live webacast
BYU's women's basketball game vs Montana State can be heard live via the internet at byuradio. org BYU radio can also be heard on the Dish Network and on Direct TV. Veteran BYU broadcaster Jay Monsen will call the action.
BYU's Probable Starters
Pos.#NameHt.Yr.PPGRPG
F33Ambrosia Anderson6-2Fr15.89.7
F51Danielle Cheesman6-2So10.45.8
C45Lisa Hansen 6-5Sr4.93.7
G11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Sr18.44.4
G14 Julie Sullivan 5-8 So7.43.3
Cougar Players Off The Bench
Pos.#NameHt.Yr.PPGRPG
G25Kali Taylor5-11So3.92.6
F20Brittany Larson6-0Sr1.62.2
G/F01Nancy Seljaas6-0 Fr1.60.8
G04Kestlee Nelson5-8 Jr2.01.6
G15Jen Overdiek5-10Fr2.02.1
Player Updates/injuries
#40 Ashleigh Chamberlain is academically eligible to play in January
#32 Kristen Kozlowski, a transfer from Boise State will be eligible to play for BYU for the Dec. 30 game vs. Montana State
#21 Jennifer Leitner is questionable for Monday's game due to a knee injury suffered in game vs Alabama on Dec. 21.
Cougar Review
The BYU team has posted a 6-3 record to date with all three of their losses suffered on the road, vs Oregon (77-80) at George Washington (58-82) and vs Alabama (59-70).
BYU returns three starters from last season's 24-9, 10-4 team who made history by winning their first-ever NCAA Tournament game, going on to the "Sweet Sixteen" in the Midwest Regional.
After nine games played, All-American and MWC MVP Erin Thorn leads the Cougar offense with an average of 18.4 points and 4.4 rebounds a game. Senior teammate Jennifer Leitner is the second leading scorer on the team as well as the leading rebounder. Leitner averages 15.3 points and 9.1 boards a game. Sophomore forward Danielle Cheesman is averaging10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
This season's roster will see the return of MWC's 1999-2000 Newcomer of the Year Julie Whetten Sullivan who redshirted last year. She's contributing 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds and has started in all nine games to date. UVSC junior transfer Kestlee Nelson comes off the bench for Sullivan with her 2.0 points and 1.6 rebounds a game. Another Cougar guard is Maria Chiara from Hamilton, New Zealand who played two season at Casper Junior College before serving an 18-month LDS mission to Florida. She has yet to play this season as she has been plagued with illnesses.
Senior guard Amy Lewis will finish her college career joined by her twin sister Angie Gatten who redshirted last year. The sister duo walked on the Cougar roster last year. Both sisters have played in four games so far this year.
UCSB transfer and senior Lisa Hansen who came off the bench in every game last year is the team's starting center. She's tallying 4.9 points and 3.7 boards.
Senior Brittany Larson along with Kali Taylor a sophomore guard from Lyman, Utah continue to be major contributors to the team. They've played in every game to date, with Larson's1.6 points and 2.2 rebounds and Taylor's 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds a game.
Utah high school standouts Jen Overdiek, Nancy Seljaas and Ambrosia Anderson from Colorado Springs, Colorado are also contributing to this year's Cougar effort with Anderson getting the starting nod at forward the last three contests.
2002-03 Cougar Stats
u Shooting from the field: (.425, 211-496)
u Shooting from the free-throw line: (.762, 125-164)
u Shooting from three-point line: (.369, 55-149)
u Average points per game: 66.9
A look at this week's opponent
Montana State
The Bobcats will making their fifth overall appearance at the Marriott Center, but the team has not been in Provo since 1996. Montana State currently has a 7-1 record and will play Southern Utah on Dec. 28 prior to facing the Cougars on the 30th.
Center Isabel Stubbs is the Bobcats leading scorer with an average of 20.1 points and a team high 9.1 rebounds a game. Kati Burrows is the other players scoring in double digits with 13.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Montana State is shooting 44 percent from the field and 67 percent from the free throw line and just 28 percent from behind the arc. They tally 74.9 points and allow opponents just 63.6 points a game. As a team, Montana State is also averaging 42.2 rebounds to opponents 38.0 boards and also averaged 2.3 blocks per game.
The team's lone lost to date was at DePaul where the Bobcats fell 55-85 on Dec. 7th.
Montana State Probable Starters
Pos.#NameHt.Yr.PPGRPG
F32Kati Burrows5-10So13.95.3
F/G33Sheila Hutchison5-9Jr6.85.4
C25Isabel Stubbs6-2Sr20.19.1
G23Candis Wilcox5-8Sr8.54.1
G24Brandi Lewis5-6So8.41.8
Last meeting
These two teams previous game was in Bozeman on Dec. 18, 1999 where the Cougars cam away with a 10-point 61-51 victory.
Series record
Record: 7-3 favoring BYU, at the Marriott Center the Cougars are 4-1 vs the Bobcats
Last Game Recap
BYU suffered its third loss of the season, a 59-70 decision in favor of the University of Alabama. The two teams met at "The Pit" in Albuquerque in this year's Triple Crown Classic. The game was close for the first 10 minutes of the game as the two teams combined for 13 three-pointers in the first half of action. But the Cougars were unable to continue shooting from outside, missing all 12 of their 15 three point efforts in the second half. BYU could get no closer than 10 points with under 10 minutes left in the game. All-American Erin Thorn led the Cougar effort with 16 points followed by a season-high 15 points from sophomore guard Julie Sullivan. For the game, BYU shot 35 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free throw line.
In the Polls
After last week's disappointing loss to Alabama in this year's Triple Crown Classic, hosted by the University of New Mexico, the Cougar women fell out of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, and also out of the Associated Press Top 25.
Thorn watch
Erin Thorn - 5-10 Senior Guard, Orem, Utah/Mountain View HS
u Senior Erin Thorn was picked as a 2002-03 Pre-Season College All-America Second Team honoree.
u Thorn was also named to the "Players to Watch" list for the 2003 Senior CLASS Award.
u Stats to date include scoring in double figures in all games, tallying 20 points in four of the last six games, and shooting 48 percent from the field and 93 percent from the free throw line.
Media Picks Cougars MWC Champs
During this year's MWC Basketball Media Day, the media picked BYU to win this year's regular season title capturing eight of the 15 first-place votes.
Senior guard and All-American Erin Thorn earned Top Returning Player honors. She was joined on the squad by five additional seniors, including teammate Jennifer Leitner. Colorado State's Ashley Augspurger, New Mexico's Jordan Adams, UNLV's Constance Jinks and Wyoming's Carrie Bacon.
2002-03 Mountain West Conference Preseason Media Poll
Rk. Team (1st-place votes) Pts
1. BYU (8) 110
2. Colorado State (7) 103
3. New Mexico (1)91
4. Utah 70
5. UNLV 69
6. Wyoming 49
7. San Diego State 31
8. Air Force 17
2002-03 MWC Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
Jennifer Leitner, Sr., F BYU
Erin Thorn, Sr., G BYU
Ashley Augspurger, Sr., F Colorado State
Jordan Adams, Sr., C New Mexico
Constance Jinks, Sr., G UNLV
Carrie Bacon, Sr., F Wyoming
2002-03 MWC Women's Basketball Preseason Top Returning Player
Erin Thorn, Sr., G BYU
COUGARS IN THE MWC
TEAM
CategoryPlaceAvg/G
Scoring Offense6th66.9
Scoring Defense4th62.2
Scoring Margin5th66.9 off/62.2 deff, +4.7
Free Throw %2nd125-164, .762
Field Goal %5th211-496, .425
3-Pt FG %3rd55-149, .369
Rebounding Offense 2nd39.4
Rebounding Defense4th36.1
Blocked Shots2nd4.22
Assists5th14.22
Steals7th7.22
INDIVIDUAL
CategoryPlaceAvg/G
Scoring: Erin Thorn2nd18.4
Scoring: Jennifer Leitner7th15.3
Scoring: Danielle Cheesman 16th10.4
Assists: Erin Thorn5th4.44
Assists: Julie Sullivan7th3.67
Free Throw%: Erin Thorn2nd.929 (26-28)
Free Throw%: Jennifer Leitner8th.778 (21-27)
Steals: Erin Thorn5th1.89
3-PT FG%: Erin Thorn4th.457 (32-70)
3-PT FG Made: Erin Thorn1st3.56 (32)
Blocked Shots: Lisa Hansen5th1.33 (12)
Defensive Rebounds: J.Leitner1st6.57 (46)
The Judkins file
Jeff Judkins, begins his second season at the helm of the Cougar women's program. Judkins, a longtime University of Utah coach and player has 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 (21), Jordan (20), Jenna (17), Jaime (14), Jaxson (11).
Returning player bios
51 Danielle Chessman ---- (6-2 Sophomore Forward, Orem, UT/Mountain View HS)
2002-03: Tallied a season and career high 20 points vs NC State on 12/14/02...had her third double-double of her career and second this season with 10 points and 10 rebounds against George Washington on 12/11/02...picked up her second double-double of her career with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the game against Oregon on 12/07/02...fouled out in the game against Weber State on 11/30/02 with over 8 minutes to go in the contest..she tallied 10 points and seven rebounds against SUU on 12/3/02.
2001-2002: Played in all 33 games, starting in the last 19 of the season...averaged 8.6 points and 4.4 rebounds....was team's second leading rebounder...named to the MWC Academic All-Conference Team with a GPA of 3.00 in an undeclared major...picked up a season high 16 points and 12 rebounds vs New Mexico on 2/16/02.
45 Lisa Hansen ---- (6-5 Senior Center, Bakersfield, CA/Centennial HS/UCSB)
2002-03: Lisa picked up a season and career high six blocks in the game against Boise State on 11/27/02..has started in all games
2001-2002: Played in all 33 games for the season...averaging 2.5 points and 2.3 rebounds a game...named to the MWC Academic All-Conference Team with a GPA of 3.31 in History...tallied a season high 10 points and six rebounds at Weber State on 12/01/01.
2000-01: Redshirt.
20 Brittany Larson ---- (6-0 Senior Forward, Chicago, IL/New Trier HS)
2002-03: Has played in all games
2001-2002: Played in 27 games with an average of 1.6 points and 0.9 rebounds per game...also had an average of 6.5 minutes of playing time per game...tallied a season high eight points vs. Washington State on 11/24/01 and a year high four rebounds per game.
2000-2001: Played in 17 games...averaged 1.6 points a game and 1.1 rebounds a game.
1999-2000: Played in 10 games during her first season with BYU...averaged 4.5 minutes of playing time...tallied five points and two assists.
21 Jennifer Leitner ---- (6-1 Senior Forward, Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley HS)
2002-03: Had her 13th career double-double in the game vs University of San Francisco where she tallied 28 points and 11 points...her 28 points in the game were also a career and season high... picked up her 12th career double double and her first of this season with 18 points and 17 rebounds against Boise State..tallied 11 rebounds against SUU on 12/3/02.
2001-02: Played in 30 games, starting in 29 compiling a total of 357 points for an average of 11.9 per game...second leading scorer and leading rebounder on the team averaging 8.7 boards a game...named to the 2002 MWC All --Tournament Team...and to the MWC All-Conference Second Team...also honored as an MWC Academic All-Conference with a GPA of 3.12 in physical education... named Cougar Club Scholar Athlete.... was named MWC Player of the Week on Feb. 25 after her stellar performance against the University of Utah that included her eighth double-double of the year with a team high 18 points and 12 rebounds...tallied a total of 11 double-doubles for the season ...had a season high 18 points vs UNLV on 2/28/02 and a season high 17 rebounds vs Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on 3/16/02.
2000-2001: Played in 20 games with an average of 6.5 ppg and 5.4 rpg....finished the season as the team's second leading rebounder...had season and career high 21 points against Hawai'i in the second round of the WNIT on 3/19/01...in that game she picked up a double-double with 10 rebounds...also had a career and season high four assists in the game against Utah at the MWC Championships on 3/9/01.
1999-2000: Played in all 31 games, starting in one....averaged 7.5 ppg and 5.6 rpg...finished the year as the second leading rebounder with a total of 174, 113 of them defensive boards.
1998-99: Redshirt.
05 Amy Lewis ---- (5-6 Senior Guard, Jefferson City, MT/Jefferson City Hs/No. Idaho College)
2002-03: Has played in four games to date.
2001-02: Played in eighteen games averaging 3.4 minutes of playing time...tallied 14 points, four assists and nine rebounds per game.
25 Kali Taylor ---- (5-11 Sophomore Guard, Lyman, UT/Wayne HS)
2002-03: Tallied a season high 10 points in the game against Oregon on Dec. 7, 2002... has played in all games to date.
2001-2002: Played in 28 of 33 games averaging 5.6 minutes of playing time per game...tallied 1.2 points and 0.4 rebounds...had a season high 11 points vs. Washington State on 11/24/01 and six assists vs Arkansas Pine-Bluff at the Denver Pioneer Classic on 12/14/01.
11 Erin Thorn ---- (5-10 Senior Guard, Orem, UT/Mountain View HS)
2002-03: Had a season high 24 points, 21 of which came from behind the arc against SUU on 12/3/02...tallied a season high eight three pointers in the same game...continues to led the team in scoring in all games to date...was named MWC Player of the Week on Nov. 25, 2002 after her 19 points and six rebounds vs. ,11th ranked Texas. The honor was the third overall for Thorn.
2001-02: Started in all 33 games...averaging 17.3 points and 4.0 rebounds a game....was team's leading scorer for the third consecutive year...picked up the MWC MVP trophy for her performance at the 2002 MWC Championships in Las Vegas where she tallied eight treys in a game vs Wyoming on 3/6/02 and 13 3-pt field goal attempts in that same game...also tallied a total of 60 points for the 2002 tournament in three games...named to the MWC All-Tournament Team and the MWC All-Conference First Team....garnered MWC Player of the Week for the Dec. 17, 2001 week after her strong performance in the University of Denver Pioneer Classic...at that tournament she picked up a season and career record high nine-three pointers in the game against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, the nine treys set a new BYU record for treys in a game for both the men's and women's team....had a season high 29 points against Arkansas Pine-Bluff on 12/14/01...eight rebounds at Boise State on 11/16/01 and season high nine assists vs Colorado State on 1/10/02.
2000-2001: Started in all games...finished the season as the team's leading scorer with an average of 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game...had career and season high 36 points and eight three-pointers against Arizona on 11/18/00...those eight three-pointers tie her with Kari Gallup for record three-pointers in a game...named to the MWC All Conference First Team and to the MWC All-Tournament Team.
1999-2000: Started in all 31 games...averaged 13.2 ppg and 3.5 rpg...finishing the year as the team's leading scorer...led the team in assists with a total of 114 and an average of 3.7 per game...also led the team in steals with 61 her first season with BYU...scored in double digits in 24 games...was the MWC Player of the Week on December 6 after picking up a career and season high 25 points against Idaho State on December 1, netting 7-of-9 three-pointers which also put her in second place on the BYU chart for treys in a game....named to the Women's Basketball News Service National All-Freshman All-America team...also named Second Team All MWC and Freshman of the Year...named to the MWC All Tournament Team.
Returning redshirt player BIOS
03 Maria Chiara ---- (5-8 Junior Guard, Hamilton, New Zealand/Casper Junior College)
2002-03: Has yet to play this season.
2001-2002: Redshirt
40 Ashleigh Chamberlain ---- (6-4 Junior Center, Kanab, UT/Kanab HS/UVSC)
2002-03: Eligible to play beginning Jan. 2, 2003
2001-2002: Redshirt
12 Angy Gatten ---- (5-6 Senior Junior, Jefferson City, MT/Jefferson City
HS/No. Idaho College)
2002-03: Has played in four games to date.
2001-02: Redshirt
32 Kristin Kozlowski ---- (6-2 Sophomore Forward, Centerville, UT/Centerville HS/Boise State)
2002-03: Is eligible to play on Dec. 30 vs Montana State
2001-2002: Redshirt
14 Julie Sullivan ---- (5-8 Sophomore Guard, Silver City, NM/Silver City HS)
2002-03: Has starter all games to date...had a season high 15 points against Alabama on Dec. 21...tallied 10 points, five assists and five rebounds vs NC State on 12/14/02...did not play in the second half of the game vs. Oregon due to a pulled muscle...picked up a season high 12 points in the game on Dec. 5 vs. USF...had season high seven assists vs Boise State on 11/27/02.
2001-2002: Redshirt
2000-2001: Played in all games...contributing 5.2 points and 1.8 rebounds a game...had season and career high 15 points against Wyoming on 2/17/01...had a season and career high eight assists against Air Force on 3/3/01 named MWC Newcomer of the Year.
newcomer player bios
33 Ambrosia Anderson ---- (6-2 Freshman Forward, Colorado Springs, CO/Doherty HS)
2002-03: Started in last three games to date and has played in all games to date.
Before BYU: Two-time All-State, All-Area, All-Star in basketball...named Top 70 Blue Chip Player...named in the Top 25 Street & Smith Basketball team.
04 Kestlee Nelson ---- (5-8 Junior Guard, Sandy, Utah
Alta HS/UVSC)
2002-03: Has played in all games to date.
At UVSC: Female Athlete of the Year in 2002...Team MVP in 2002...First Team All-Region...All-America Honorable Mention...averaged 12.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game...athletic honor roll.
Before BYU: Team MVP in 2000...three-time All-Region honoree...Academic All-Region....All-State in 2000.
15 Jen Overdiek ---- (5-10 Freshman Guard, Syracuse, Utah
Clearfield HS/UVSC)
2002-03: Has played in all games to date.
Before BYU: Academic All-State... graduated top three percent of class with honors...three-time basketball team MVP...led team in rebounds for four straight years...was team scoring leader three season...four-year letterwinner in women's basketball...named Region I MVP twice...made the All-State First Team three times and Second Team All State once.... named Utah Gatorade Player of the Year in 2002...was also an All-State performer in soccer...lettered two years in soccer and one in volleyball.
01 Nancy Seljaas ---- (6-0 Freshman Guard/Forward, Bountiful, Utah/Bountiful HS)
2002-03: Has played in all games to date.
Before BYU: Three-time honor roll student...three-time basketball MVP...team captain twice...UWBCA 2002 4A Region Five Player of the Year ...Clipper Newspaper District MVP in 2002...two-time Clipper First Team All-District honoree...two-time UWBCA 4A Region Five First Team...Deseret News Ms. Basketball of Utah in 2002...Salt Lake Tribune 4A MVP in 2002...two-time Deseret News First Team All-State...two-time Salt Lake Tribune First Team All-State...in her senior year averaged 23.3 points a game...six rebounds per game...2.2 steals and 3.6 assists per game... also lettered in volleyball.
Up Next for byu
The start of 2003 will see the Cougar team at UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 2 and at home on Jan. 4 hosting the University of Denver.
2002-03 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL - NUMERICAL ROSTER
No. Name Pos.Ht.Cl.Exp. Hometown/School
01 Nancy SeljaasG/F6-0Fr.HSBountiful, UT/Bountiful HS
03Maria ChiaraG5-8Jr2VHamilton, New Zealand Casper JC
04Kestlee NelsonG5-8Jr2VSandy, UT/Alta HS/UVSC
05Amy LewisG5-6Sr3VJefferson City, MT/No. Idaho College
10Marianne Miller*G5-6JrHSMiddleton, ID/Middleton HS
11Erin ThornG5-10Sr3VOrem, UT/Mountain View HS
12Angie GattenG5-6Jr2VJefferson City, MT/No.Idaho College
13Laura Stratton*G5-6SoHSMissoula, MT/Sentinel HS/BYU Idaho 14Julie SullivanG5-8So1VSilver City, NM/Silver City HS
15Jen OverdiekG5-10FrHSSyracuse, UT/Clearfield HS
20Brittany LarsonF6-0Sr3VChicago, IL/New Trier HS
21Jennifer LeitnerF6-1Sr3VChico, CA/Pleasant Valley HS
25Kali TaylorG5-11So1VLyman, UT/Wayne HS
30Melissa Brown *G5-8SoHSUniversity Place, WA/Curtis HS
32Kristen KozlowskiF6-2So1VCenterville, UT/Boise State
33Ambrosia AndersonF6-2FrHSColorado Springs, CO/Doherty HS
40Ashleigh Chamberlain C6-4Jr2VKanab, UT/UVSC
42Angie Wallace#F6-0FrHSCleburne, TX/Cleburne HS
45Lisa HansenC6-5Sr3VBakersfield, CA /Centennial/UCSB
51Danielle CheesmanF6-2So1VOrem, UT/Mountain View HS
* 2002-03 WalkOn/# 2002-03 Redshirt
HEAD COACH: Jeff Judkins (2nd Year)
ASSISTANT COACHES: Alli Bills, Jonas Chatterton
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Stacy Jensen
ATHLETIC TRAINER: Carolyn Billings
NICKNAME: Cougars
COLORS: Blue, White and Tan