Provo, Utah (February 1, 2003)--The Cougars home winning streak came to end with a 67-50 loss to Utah on Saturday. BYU record is now 12-6 on the season and 3-2 in conference play, while Utah improve to 15-3, 5-0.
Head coach Jeff Judkins said, "Utah out played us today. They made the big plays when they had to."
With four minutes remaining in the first half, BYU went cold and gave up a 20-14 lead on a 8-0 Utah run led by freshman Kim Smith, who ended with a game high 19 points. Utah continued to extend its lead in the second half by shooting 65 percent from the floor and 5-8 from behind the arc.
Without the play of all-conference senior forward Jennifer Leitner, who was suspended indefinitely for violating team rules, caused the team problems and left the team shorthanded, Judkins said.
Sophomore forward Danielle Cheesman said the loss of Leitner caused the team to become more united, "Players have had to step up to different challenges throughout the year, this was just another obstacle for us."
Cheesman contributed the team high 17 points followed by All-American Erin Thorn who scored 13 points with a game high seven assists. Freshman guard Jen Overdiek came off the bench to give the team 30 minutes of play and pulled down a career high seven rebounds.
The Cougars finished the game with a 35 percent field goal percentage, while the Utes shot 50 percent.
BYU hosts conference opponents New Mexico on Thursday at 7 p.m. and Air Force on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Official Basketball Box ScoreUniversity of Utah vs BRIGHAM YOUNG Cougars
02/01/03 4:00 PM at Brigham Young University
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VISITORS: University of Utah 15-3, 5-0
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
04 SMITH, Kim.......... * 7-14 1-4 4-6 2 8 10 0 19 0 1 1 1 37
10 THORBURN, Shona..... * 3-11 1-3 5-6 3 8 11 1 12 4 5 0 1 39
14 STIREMAN, Kelsy..... * 2-2 0-0 1-2 0 1 1 4 5 2 3 0 2 21
30 LITTLE, Mandie...... * 1-3 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 2 2 0 1 0 1 21
45 MARSHALL, Carley.... * 2-6 0-2 4-4 0 3 3 3 8 2 3 0 0 33
05 WOBBE, Sarah........ 3-3 1-1 1-1 0 0 0 0 8 1 1 0 2 16
21 WOOD, Julie......... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
31 GREEN, Hanna........ 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 6
32 SITTERUD, Lana...... 5-7 3-4 0-0 0 2 2 4 13 1 0 0 1 22
TEAM................ 3 3
Totals.............. 23-46 6-14 15-19 6 27 33 14 67 11 16 1 8 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 8-23 34.8% 2nd Half: 15-23 65.2% Game: 50.0% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-6 16.7% 2nd Half: 5-8 62.5% Game: 42.9% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 5-6 83.3% 2nd Half: 10-13 76.9% Game: 78.9% 0
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HOME TEAM: BRIGHAM YOUNG Cougars 12-6, 3-2
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
04 NELSON, Kestlee..... * 2-6 1-3 0-0 0 2 2 3 5 1 0 0 1 36
11 THORN, Erin......... * 4-13 3-5 2-2 0 3 3 3 13 7 4 1 3 39
25 TAYLOR, Kali........ * 1-4 1-2 0-0 1 2 3 4 3 1 2 0 1 21
45 HANSEN, Lisa........ * 2-4 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 1 5 0 3 0 0 14
51 CHEESMAN, Danielle.. * 6-9 0-0 5-7 2 3 5 3 17 0 4 0 1 33
01 SELJAAS, Nancy...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
14 SULLIVAN, Julie..... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
15 OVERDIEK, Jen....... 1-5 0-2 2-3 3 4 7 2 4 1 1 1 1 30
20 LARSON, Brittany.... 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 7
32 KOZLOWSKI, Kristen.. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
33 ANDERSON, Ambrosia.. 1-5 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 1 14
40 CHAMBERLAIN, A...... 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 3 0 0 2 0 0 4
TEAM................ 4 4
Totals.............. 17-48 6-13 10-14 7 21 28 21 50 12 18 2 8 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 7-23 30.4% 2nd Half: 10-25 40.0% Game: 35.4% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 3-6 50.0% 2nd Half: 3-7 42.9% Game: 46.2% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 3-4 75.0% 2nd Half: 7-10 70.0% Game: 71.4% 1
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Officials: SUE KENNEDY, RICK RUBALID, LES WILLIAMS
Technical fouls: University of Utah-None. BRIGHAM YOUNG Cougars-None.
Attendance: 1934
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
University of Utah............ 22 45 - 67
BRIGHAM YOUNG Cougars......... 20 30 - 50
FIRST HALF OFFICIAL
GAME OFFICIAL
The first half of the MWC schedule is on tap this week for BYU's women's basketball team. The Cougars (12-6, 3-2) host New Mexico on Feb. 6 and Air Force on Feb. 8.
Tip off: BYU (12-6, 3-2) vs Univ. of New Mexico (13-5, 3-2, ) 7 p.m., MST Arena: Marriott Ctr.
Tip off: BYU (12-6, 3-2) vs Air Force (7-11, 1-4 ) 1 p.m., MST Arena: Marriott Center
live webcast
All of BYU's women's basketball games can be heard live via the internet at byu radio. org BYU radio can also be heard on the Dish Network and on Direct TV. Veteran BYU broadcaster Jay Monsen is the play-by-play announcer for all games.
BYU's Probable Starters
Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG
F 45 Lisa Hansen 6-5 Sr 4.3 3.0
F 24 Kali Taylor 5-11 So 4.3 2.1
C 51 Danielle Cheesman 6-2 So 11.1 5.6
G 11 Erin Thorn 5-10 Sr 18.5 4.5
G 04 Kestlee Nelson 5-8 Jr 3.3 1.6
Cougar Players Off The Bench
Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG
G 15 Jen Overdiek 5-10 Fr 3.3 2.3
F 33 Ambrosia Anderson 6-2 Fr 3.0 2.1
F 40 Ashleigh Chamberlain 6-4 Jr 2.6 1.5
G/F 01 Nancy Seljaas 6-0 Fr 1.4 0.5
F 20 Brittany Larson 6-0 Sr 0.8 1.6
Player Updates/injuries
Senior forward Jennifer Leitner has been dismissed from the team indefinitely for breaking team rules. Sophomore guard Julie Sullivan injured her knee (torn ACL) during practice on Jan. 13. She is out for the rest of the season.
Cougar Review
Nearing the end of the first half of MWC play, the Cougars are 3-2 after losing the last two league games, 69-73 to UNLV on 1/25/03 and 50-67 on 2/1/03 against Utah. To date the Cougars, who are the defending MWC tournament champions have compiled a 12-6, 3-2 record. At home the Cougars have a 7-1 record.
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.
All-American and MWC MVP Erin Thorn leads the Cougar offense with an average of 18.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. Sophomore forward Danielle Cheesman follows in scoring and is averaging 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
This season's roster has seen the return of MWC's 1999-2000 Newcomer of the Year Julie Whetten Sullivan who redshirted last year. She reclaimed her starting point-guard spot contributing 6.7 points and 3.1 rebounds, but as of Jan. 13 will not continue to play suffering a torn ACL. UVSC junior transfer Kestlee Nelson has not replaced Sullivan at the point guard spot. Nelson contributes 3.3 points and 1.6 rebounds a game.
Sophomore Kali Taylor has started in eight games to date and she's contributing with 4.3 and 2.1 rebounds per game.
UCSB transfer and senior Lisa Hansen who came off the bench in every game last year, has gotten the starting nod once again after the dismissal to Leitner. Hansen is tallying 4.3points and 3.0 boards a game. Kanab, Utah native Ashleigh Chamberlain comes off the bench at the forward and center spots. She's averaging just over nine minutes of playing time and is contributing 3.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. She tallied her first start vs Wyoming on 1/18/03. Senior forward Brittany Larson has played in all games and contributes 0.8 points and 1.6 rebounds.
Utah high school standouts Jen Overdiek, Nancy Seljaas and Ambrosia Anderson from Colorado Springs, Colorado are also contributing to this year's Cougar effort. Overdiek had a career high 15 points vs UNLV on 1/25/03 and a career high seven rebounds against Utah on 2/1/03.
2002-03 Cougar Stats
u Shooting from the field: (.434, 431-994)
u Shooting from the free-throw line: (.723, 217-300)
u Shooting from three-point line: (.376, 118-314)
u Average points per game: 66.5
A look at this week's opponents
University of New Mexico
The Lobos will be visiting the Marriott Center with a 13-5, 3-2 record. UNM's league losses were to CSU and Wyoming on the road. Senior center Jordan Adams tops the leader board in scoring for the Lobos with an average of 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Chelsea Grear follows in scoring with12.2 points and she's the category leader in rebounds with a team high 6.4 boards a game. Sophomore guard Mandi Moore follows with 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. New Mexico is shooting 43 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free throw line. The team shoots 36 percent from behind the arc and they're averaging 70.9 points per game while holding opponents to 58.0 points.
University of New Mexico Probable Starters
Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG
F 30 Chelsea Greer 5-10 Sr 12.2 6.4
F 42 Lindsey Arndt 6-1 So 6.1 4.0
C 40 Jordan Adams 6-3 Sr 15.6 6.2
G 21 Mandi Moore 5-7 So 9.2 5.1
G 31 Cristal Garcia 5-5 Sr 7.3 2.4
Last meeting
During last year's MWC race, the Lobos defeated the Cougars in the regular season, but BYU was able to pick up a win at the MWC Tournament.
Series record
Record: 33-14 for BYU. At the Marriott Center, UNM is 19-3.
Air Force Academy
The Air Force Falcons have compiled a 7-11, 1-4 record with their lone conference win over UNLV, 73-72 in Colorado Springs. Two Falcons are scoring in double figures for their team. They are LaToya Howell who's averaging 17.4 points and Shawna Neff with 11.9 points per game. Howell is also the team's leading rebounder. She's averaging 4.7 boards per game. Air Force is shooting 41 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free throw line. They shoot 33 percent from three point range.
Air Force Academy Probable Starters
Pos. # Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG
F 33 Briana Thomas 5-10 Fr 6.3 4.5
F 40 Shawna Neff 5-10 Jr 11.9 3.6
C 40 Wendy Stillman 6-1 Sr 4.6 4.0
G 21 Gwen Grove 5-7 So 5.4 2.9
G 31 Jennifer Roesch 6-0 So 5.7 2.6
Last meeting
BYU was able to pick up both wins during last year's MWC season.
Series record
Record: 8-0 for BYU.
Last Game Recap
BYU suffered its second consecutive MWC loss, this time it was at home against instate rival Utah. The Cougars fell to the Utes 50-67. Sophomore forward Danielle Cheesman led the BYU effort with 17 points and five rebounds. All-American Erin Thorn tallied 15 points, seven assists, and three rebounds. Freshman Jen Overdiek grabbed a season-high seven boards in the game
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 a season high 34 points (just two shy of her career high 36 points) against Montana State on Dec. 30. She continues to be the team's leading scorer with an average of 18.5 points, is third on the list in rebounds with 5.1 boards a game and has tallied a team high 92 assists to date, that's an average of 5.1 per game. Thorn had 21 straight free throws before missing one against the University of Denver on 1/4/03.
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 ( as of feb. 3, 2003, conf games only)
TEAM (All Games)
Category Place Avg/G
pScoring Offense 3rd 63.6
pScoring Defense 4th 60.2
pScoring Margin 3rd 63.6 off/60.2 deff, +3.4
pFree Throw % 4th 47-69, .681
pField Goal % 1st 116-253, .458
p3-Pt FG % 1st 39-86, .453
pRebounding Offense 6th 32.4
pRebounding Defense 1st 30.4
pBlocked Shots 2nd 4.20
pAssists 1st 17.40
pSteals 7th 7.20
p3-PT FG Made 1st 7.80
INDIVIDUAL
Category Place Avg/G
pScoring: Erin Thorn 1st 18.6
pRebounding: D. Cheesman 11th 5.4
pAssists: Erin Thorn 2nd 6.20
pAssists: Kestlee Nelson 7th 3.40
pField Goal %: Erin Thorn 4th .500 (31-62)
pFree Throw%: Erin Thorn 4thT .882 (15-17)
pSteals: Erin Thorn 8th 2.00
p3-PT FG%: Erin Thorn 3rdT .500 (16-32)
p3-PT FG%: Kestlee Nelson 7th .462 (6-13)
p3-PT FG%: Kali Taylor 8th .455 (5-11)
p3-PT FG Made: Erin Thorn 1st 3.20 (16)
p3-PT FG Made: Kestlee Nelson 11th 1.20 (6)
pBlocked Shots: Lisa Hansen 6th 1.00 (5)
pOffensive Rebounds: J. Overdiek 9thT 1.80 (9)
pDefensive Reb: D. Cheesman 6th 4.00 (20)
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.
cougars practice schedule
The women practice daily at the Marriott Center on the BYU campus. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday's the team practices from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Cougars practice from 1 to 3:30 p.m. BYU head coach Jeff Judkins and his staff are available for media interviews prior to or immediately after the daily practices. Cougar players will be available for interviews prior to or immediately after practice. All media interviews must be scheduled in advance through the women's basketball contact, Norma Collett. She can be contacted by phone at 801-422-4908 or via e-mail at norma_collett@byu.edu No media interviews will be granted 24 hours prior to any scheduled game.
Up Next for byu
The team will again take to the road in MWC action, traveling to Wyoming on Feb. 13 and at CSU on Feb. 15.
2002-03 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL - NUMERICAL ROSTER
No. Name Pos. Ht. Cl. Exp. Hometown/School
01 Nancy Seljaas G/F 6-0 Fr. HS Bountiful, UT/Bountiful HS
03 Maria Chiara G 5-8 Jr 2V Hamilton, New Zealand Casper JC
04 Kestlee Nelson G 5-8 Jr 2V Sandy, UT/Alta HS/UVSC
05 Amy Lewis G 5-6 Sr 3V Jefferson City, MT/No. Idaho College
10 Marianne Miller* G 5-6 Jr HS Middleton, ID/Middleton HS
11 Erin Thorn G 5-10 Sr 3V Orem, UT/Mountain View HS
12 Angie Gatten G 5-6 Jr 2V Jefferson City, MT/No.Idaho College
13 Laura Stratton* G 5-6 So HS Missoula, MT/Sentinel HS/BYU Idaho
14 Julie Sullivan G 5-8 So 1V Silver City, NM/Silver City HS
15 Jen Overdiek G 5-10 Fr HS Syracuse, UT/Clearfield HS
20 Brittany Larson F 6-0 Sr 3V Chicago, IL/New Trier HS
21 Jennifer Leitner F 6-1 Sr 3V Chico, CA/Pleasant Valley HS
25 Kali Taylor G 5-11 So 1V Lyman, UT/Wayne HS
30 Melissa Brown * G 5-8 So HS University Place, WA/Curtis HS
32 Kristen Kozlowski F 6-2 So 1V Centerville, UT/Boise State
33 Ambrosia Anderson F 6-2 Fr HS Colorado Springs, CO/Doherty HS
40 Ashleigh Chamberlain C 6-4 Jr 2V Kanab, UT/UVSC
42 Angie Wallace# F 6-0 Fr HS Cleburne, TX/Cleburne HS
45 Lisa Hansen C 6-5 Sr 3V Bakersfield, CA /Centennial/UCSB
51 Danielle Cheesman F 6-2 So 1V Orem, 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
