PROVO -- In their opening home game of the 2001-2002 season, BYU had the bigger growl as they pounced Washington State 94-67, Saturday afternoon. The victory improves the Cougars to 2-1 while Washington State remains winless at 0-3.

BYU jumped out to a 18-6 lead in the first seven minutes of the game and never looked back. The WSU Cougars never came within 10 points after that point. BYU led 49-26 going into the half.

BYU shot an amazing 68 percent from behind the arc for the game, making 13 of 19 shots. BYU also shot 56 percent from the field. BYU finished with 32 team assist while only committing 16 turnovers.

"It's always good to play teams from the PAC-10," said head coach Jeff Judkins. "We need to keep playing like this all year."

All-American Erin Thorn led the scoring attack with 21 points, making nine of 13 shots, and contributed five assists and five steals. She also committed zero turnovers and had no fouls. Freshman standout Danielle Cheesman scored 15 points in only 16 minutes of action off the bench.

"Thorn is our leading scorer, but what really impresses me is her defense," said Judkins. "With her and senior Stacey Jensen, I still believe we have the best backcourt in the conference."

Backup freshman point guard Kali Taylor scored 11 points, making all three of her three-point shots. Jensen scored eight points and dished out eight assists.

BYU will travel to southern California to start a long road trip as they face UCLA on Nov. 27 and USC on Nov. 29. The next home game for the Cougars will be against Oregon on December. 12. Tip-off will be at 4 p.m.

After a two-game road swing through Idaho and Texas, BYU's women's basketball team opens its season at home with a game against the Washington State Cougars.

Tip off: BYU (1-1) vs WSU (0-2) , 1:00 p.m. (MST) Arena: Marriott Center

BYU's Probable Starters - Stats After 2 Games

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 31 Lisa Osguthorpe 6-0 Sr 13.0 4.0

F 23 Chanell Rose 6-0 Jr 4.0 2.0

C 21 Jennifer Leitner* 6-5 Jr 0.0 0.0

G 11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Jr 26.0 6.0

G 22 Stacy Jensen 5-6 Sr 11.5 4.5

* Jennifer Leitner has not yet played due to an injury - (Freshman Danielle Chessman has started in her place - Her Stats: 5.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg)

Washington State Probable Starters

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

G/F 12 Whitney Martindale 5-10 Sr 7.0 1.5

G 21 Lindsey Egeland 5-9 So 10.5 4.5

G 32 Francine McCurtain 5-9 Fr 7.5 4.5

C 33 Britney Hawks 6-2 Sr 11.5 12.0

G/F 41 Jessica Ottmar 6-0 Jr 4.5 1.0

BYU Players Off The Bench - Stats After 2 Games

Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG

F 20 Brittany Larson 6-0 Jr 2.5 1.0

F 45 Lisa Hansen 6-5 Jr 2.5 2.0

F 50 Heather Cheesman 6-1 So 0.0 1.5

G 05 Amy Lewis 5-6 Jr 0.0 1.0

G 25 Kali Taylor 5-11 Fr 0.0 0.0

Quickie BYU Stats - Stats After 2 Games

l Shooting from the field - .509 (56-110)

l Shooting from the free-throw line - .714 (30-42)

l Shooting from the three-point arc - .515 (17-33)

l Averaged 79.5 points per game

Scouting Washington State

The Cougars from Pullman, Washington are 0-2 on the season after competing in this year's Wahine Basketball Classic. WSU lost to Hawai'i and to Texas A&M in the tournament. Senior Brittney Hawks was named to the All-Tournament Team with an average of 11.5 points and 12 rebounds in the two games from Hawai'i. Hawks is the Cougars leading scorer and rebounder. WSU is shooting 33 percent from the field and 61 percent at the free throw line. As a team, they average 53 points a game and are allowing opponents an average of 68 points a game.

Series Record: 3-3. The two teams met last season after a 10 year deletion from each others schedules. In the Nov. 30, 2000 contest played in Pullman, the BYU Cougars defeated the WSU Cougars 90-58.

Last Games Review

BYU opened the 2001-02 season with two tough road games and tallied a 1-1 record. The Cougars defeated Boise State in Boise 85-72, then traveled to Austin to take on the Texas Longhorns in a 74-90 loss. All-American junior guard Erin Thorn led BYU in scoring with 26 points in each of the two games. Thorn had a team high eight rebounds against Boise State and grabbed four boards against Texas. In Austin, the Cougars were down by two 38-36 at half time in a very evenly played first half. With 10 minutes left in the game and down by just eight points Texas elevated its game and was able to extend its lead the rest of the contest for the final 16 point win. Senior guard Stacy Jensen had a season high six rebounds and dished out a team high five assist against the Longhorns. BYU tallied 20 turnovers which led to 23 points for Texas.

BYU Notes

All-American Erin Thorn has started the 2001-02 season with two strong performances to make her the team's leading scorer with an average of 26 points a game. Thorn also leads in the rebound category with an average of six boards in the two games played to date. Senior transfer Melanie Pearson from UCLA is the Cougars second leading scorer with an average of 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. Two other BYU seniors are also scoring in double digits. Lisa Osguthorpe is averaging 13.0 and teammate Stacy Jensen is contributing 11.5. Jensen is also the team's assist leader with an average of 6.0 a game. The Cougars are shooting 51 percent from the field, 71 percent at the free throw line are at at 52 percent from behind the arc. In the previous two games, the team is averaging 79.5 points to opponents 81.0.

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 that dates 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 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 National Basketball Association 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 the University of Utah in 1989, and was an integral part of the program's success during his 10 year tenure.

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 (18), Jenna (16), Jaime (13) and Jaxson (10).

Cougars Practice Schedule

BYU practices are Mon., Wed., and Fri., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Tues., and Thurs., they practice form 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. All coach and player interviews must be scheduled in advance through the women's basketball SID Norma Collett. She can be contacted via phone or e-mail. Office phone: 801-378-4908, e-mail: norma_collett@byu.edu No coach or player interviews will be scheduled 24 hours prior to a game.

Up Next

The Cougar team will take its second road trip in November, this time to southern California. Its two opponents are Pac-10 powerhouses UCLA on Nov. 27 and USC Nov. 29. BYU does not play again at home until Dec. 12 as they host the University of Oregon in a 4 p.m. tip off.

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: Trent Shippen, Alli Bills

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Jonas Chatterton

ATHLETIC TRAINER: Carolyn Billings

NICKNAME: COUGARS

COLORS: BLUE AND WHITE

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