LAWRENCE -- The BYU women's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, 74-58, to ninth-ranked UC-Santa Barbara Friday in the first round of the Jayhawk Classic.
Senior forward Jill Adams led the Cougar effort with 15 points while forward Cady Williams tacked on 13 of her own. Freshman standout Erin Thorn, playing point guard for an injured Stacy Jensen, contributed 10 points and nine assists.
"We did some good things," BYU head coach Trent Shippen said. "The final score is actually not a reflection of the game. With five minutes left to go we had a tied ball game and they hit some free throws, and then with under a minute left we were still within ten, but had to foul and they hit their
free throws to extend the lead."
The Cougars (4-1) trailed by just four at the half, 31-27, but were plagued by turnover woes and a lacking presence on the boards. BYU committed 25 turnovers in the loss, and were outrebounded, 41-29. Senior Lori Cuff was BYU's leading rebounder in her second game back from a knee injury with seven.
"What hurt us most were our rebounds and transition turnovers," Shippen said. "If we had taken care of the ball we would have been right in the game. They had a lot of easy baskets out of turnovers."
UC-Santa Barbara is currently ranked ninth in the USA Today basketball poll. The Gauchos were led by the efforts of forward Kayte Christensen, who scored a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Next up for the Cougars is Loyola-Marymount, who lost to undefeated Kansas Friday as well.
After it's fourth straight win of the season, the BYU women's basketball team takes what's been called one of its toughest road swings of the year. The Cougars are one of four teams participating in the KU Credit Union Jayhawk Classic, Dec. 3-4. BYU's first opponent is no. 15 UC Santa Barbara. Tip off is at 5 p.m., CST. The next game pits hosts Kansas against Loyola Marrymount. That game begins at 7 p.m.
BYU Probable Starters
l 33 Jill Adams - 6-3 F, Sr (14.5 ppg, 10.2 rpg)
l 35 Cady Williams - 5-11 F, Sr (16.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
l 00 April Hayes - 6-3 C, Jr (5.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
l 22 Stacy Jensen - 5-6 G, So (5.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg)
l 11 Erin Thorn - 5-10 G, Fr (13.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg)
BYU Players Off The Bench
l 05 Alisha Griffeth - 6-0 F, Sr (5.0 ppg)
l 04 Renae Hansen - 5-11 G, Sr (3.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg)
l 31 Lisa Osguthorpe - 6-0 F, So (6.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
l 44 Caroline Beus - 6-1 C, Jr (3.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
l 15 Jorja Cox - 5-11 G, Jr (RS, Othello, WA/Columbia Basin CC)
l 21 Jennifer Leitner - 6-1 F, Fr (9.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
'99-00 Cougar Highlights
l BYU is on a four-game winning streak and is out scoring its opponents 77.5 to 45.5.
l The Cougars are led in scoring by senior Cady Williams s who is picking up 16.5 points per game. Teammate Jill Adams follows in scoring with 14.5 ppg and also leads the team in rebounds, averaging 10.2 per game.
l Freshman guard Erin Thorn from Orem, Utah has been voted the pre-season Freshman Of The Year by the Women's Basketball Writers Association. Thorn had a season and career high seven three pointers in Wednesday's Idaho State game. She's now in second place in all-time three point scoring in a single game. Former standout Kari Gallup holds the record with eight in a game against Air Force back in 1998.
Cougar Quickie Stats
l Shooting from the field - .496 (116-234)
l Shooting from the free-throw line - .743 (55-74)
l Shooting from the three-point arc - .274 (23.84)
At KU Credit Union Jayhawk Classic - First Opponent
BYU vs UC Santa Barbara Notes
UC Santa Barbara is 3-2 on the year and ranked 15th in the latest AP poll. Their wins were over UNLV, TCU and the University of Illinois. Both of their losses to date have been on the road against Georgia and Arizona.
Erin Buescher is the team's leading scorer with 17.8 points per game. Kayte Christensen leads the team in rebounds averaging 8.2 per game. UCSB is averaging 74.5 points per game while opponents are allowed 65.8 points per game. The other teams that the Cougars could face in the Jayhawk Classic include Loyola Marymount and hosts Kansas. The Jayhwaks are 3-0 on the year and are ranked 18th in this week's AP poll.
UC Santa Barbara Probable Starters
l 11 Eron Buescher - 6-3 G, Jr (17.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg)
l 25 Stacy Clinesmith - 5-5 G, Sr (10.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
l 21 Tawnee Cooper - 5-9 G, Sr (7.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
l 04 Kristi Rohr - 6-1 F, Sr (13.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
l 20 Kayte Christensen - 6-3 F, So (8.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg)
Series Against UC Santa Barbara
The series: 1-2 in favor of the Gauchos. In last year's contest, BYU fell to UCSB 49-97 before over 1,200 basketball fans in Santa Barbara.
At KU Credit Union Jayhawk Classic - Other Opponents
The Cougars could also play hosts Kansas and/or Loyola Marrymount depending on the outcome of BYU's first game against UCSB. Hosts Kansas are ranked
18th in the latest AP poll and has compiled a 3-0 record to date. Loyola Marrymount is 2-1 on the year.
Coach Trent Shippen Quotes
(On the Cougars) We're playing pretty well right now. The win over Washington in Seattle was a great confidence boost for our team. We need to continue taking care of business at home and play with that same intensity on the road as well as do a better job rebounding. We hope that will have Stacy and Lori back this week. (Stacy Jensen is nursing a sprained ankle and Lori Cuff is recovering from a knee injury).
(On Jayhawk Classic) This is a great opportunity for us to play in this tournament. It will be our toughest road trip of the year. The competition will be tough and it will be a real test for us to compete against top -20 ranked teams and see how we matchup especially early on this season.
BYU Travel Itinerary
After Wednesday's game against Idaho State, the Cougar team travels to Lawrence, Kansas arriving there on Thurs., Dec. 2 at about 1 p.m. The team will stay at the Holiday Inn-Holidome on 200 McDonald Drive, 785-841-7077, fax 785-841-2799. On Sunday, Dec. 5, BYU heads for Milwaukee arriving at 12:20 p.m., staying at the Milwaukee Hilton 414-271-7250, fax 414-271-1039.
Up Next For The Cougars
The BYU team stays on the road after the Kansas tournament, playing Marquette on Monday, Dec. 6 and Nebraska on December 9.
BYU Media Information/Home Practice Schedule
At home, the Cougars practice at the Marriott Center. Practice schedule is Mon-Wed-Fri from 1 to 3:30 p.m., and from 3:30 to 5 p.m., on Tu-Th. Player and/or coach Shippen interviews may be done in advance by contacting the women's basketball SID Norma Collett at 801-378-4908 or via e-mail at norma_collett@byu.edu There are no player interviews 24 hours prior to games.
