LINCOLN -- Riding its best three-point shooting of the season, the BYU women's basketball team dominated a favored Nebraska squad to win, 81-57, Thursday night.
Though Nebraska led early, the Cougars (6-2) took over to lead, 24-23, with just under nine minutes left in the first half. The Cougars did not trail again en route to the 24-point win, handing Nebraksa its worst home loss in six seasons. BYU sank a season-best 14 three-pointers as a team, converting on a phenomenal 54 percent of its attempts from outside.
Senior forward Jill Adams led the Cougars with 21 points, 15 of which came from three-point shots, while forward Cady Williams was just behind with 19 points. Mountain West Conference Player of the Week freshman Erin Thorn also contributed 15 points, and guard Alisha Griffeth came off the bench to go three for three from outside to chalk up 11 points overall.
"This was an excellent team effort," BYU head coach Trent Shippen said. "We got to a great start in the second half and led the rest of the way. This was an awesome win. We're playing well on the road, and no question, this helps our confidence."
Nebraska (3-3) was ranked 24th in preseason polls before falling out of the top 25 after some
early-season losses. The Huskers were led by guard Brooke Schwartz, who tallied 14 points in defeat.
BYU outrebounded Nebraska, 44-41, and held the Huskers to just 34 percent shooting in the game to its 59 percent.
The Cougars will conclude their ten-day road trip Saturday afternoon at Northern Iowa.
The BYU women's basketball team continues playing on the road with its next opponent the Huskers from Lincoln, Nebraska Thursday, Dec. 9 at the Bob Devay Sports Center. Tip off is 7:05 p.m., CST.
BYU Probable Starters
l 31 Lisa Osguthorpe - 6-0 F, So (5.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
l 32 Lori Cuff - 6-1 F, Sr (1.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
l 33 Jill Adams - 6-3 C, Jr (16.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg)
l 35 Cady Williams - 5-11 F, Sr (14.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
l 11 Erin Thorn - 5-10 G, Fr (13.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
BYU Players Off The Bench
l 05 Alisha Griffeth - 6-0 F, Sr (5.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg)
l 04 Renae Hansen - 5-11 G, Sr (1.7ppg, 1.0 rpg)
l 00 April Hayes - 6-3 C, Jr (3.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
l 22 Stacy Jensen - 5-6 G, So (3.0 ppg, .8 rpg)
l 44 Caroline Beus - 6-1 C, Jr (2.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg)
l 21 Jennifer Leitner - 6-1 F, Fr (7.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
'99-00 Cougar Highlights
l BYU ended its four-game winning streak with the 58-74 loss to UC Santa Barbara on 12/03/99.
l The Cougars are led in scoring by senior Jill Adams who is getting 16.4 points per game and grabbing 8.4 rebounds. Teammate Cady Williams follows in scoring with 14.6 ppg .
l Freshman guard Erin Thorn from Orem, Utah was named this week's Mountain West Conference Player of the Week after the 25 points scored against Idaho State last Wednesday. Her season and career high points included seven three pointers which puts her in second place in the all- time BYU record for three-pointers in a single game. Former Cougar standout Kari Gallup holds the record with eight in a game against Air Force back in 1998. Thorn was also voted the pre-season Freshman of the Year by the Women's Basketball Writers Association.
l Senior forward Lori Cuff is back in the Cougars' line up after injuring her knee earlier this year.
l Starting guard, sophomore Stacy Jensen is still nursing a sprained ankle and has seen limited action in BYU's last two games.
Cougar Quickie Stats
l Shooting from the field - .469 (184-392)
l Shooting from the free-throw line - .755 (77-102)
l Shooting from the three-point arc - .340 (53-156)
l Averaging 71.1 points per game
BYU vs Nebraska Notes
The Huskers are coming off an 89-86 close game against Washington on Monday, Dec. 6 and currently have a 3-2 record. At home they are 2-2 this year. Brooke Schwartz. a 5-9 senior guard leads Nebraska's scoring offense averaging 17.4 ppg and 4.6 rebounds. Another senior on their team, center Charlie Rogers leads at the boards, grabbing 10.4 per game. The Huskers are averaging 86.8 points per game and are holding opponents to 80.2 points.
Nebraska Probable Starters
l 21 Brooke Schwartz - 5-9 G, Sr (17.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
l 32 Nicole Kubik - 5-10 G, Sr (15.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
l 33 Charlie Rogers - 6-2 F/C, Sr (12.8 ppg, 10.4 rpg)
l 55 Casey Leonhardt- 6-5 C, Jr (12.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg)
l 34 Naciska Gilmore - 6-0 F, Sr (7.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
Series Against Nebraska
The series: 2-3 in favor of the Huskers. The last time these two teams met was back in 1994 at the Nebraska Invitational with the hosts defeating the Cougars 59-71.
Practice Schedule At Devay Sports Center
The BYU team will practice at the Devay Sports Center from 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 7, and Wednesday, Dec. 8 from 10 a.m., to 12 p.m. The Cougar shoot around on game day at from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Coach Trent Shippen Quotes
(On the Cougars) We had our best performance of the year against Marquette last night. The team did an outstanding job and it was the best we've played so far this season. This is an extremely tough road trip we're on right now and yesterday the girls came out so hard, and I'm very proud of them. Right now we need a day to rest before preparing for our next game.
(On Nebraska) This will be another tough test for us. Nebraska is a very strong and athletic team and playing them on their home court will not be an easy task for us. They always play a tough schedule and play in a very strong women's basketball conference.
BYU Travel Itinerary
While in Nebraska, the Cougar team will be staying at the Fairfield Inn at 4221 Industrial Avenue in Lincoln, 402-476-6000. The team will depart Lincoln on Friday, December 10 and head to Cedar Falls, Iowa. BYU will stay at the Holiday Inn at 5826 University Avenue in Cedar Falls, 319-277-2230. The Cougars finally return to Provo on Saturday, Dec. 11 at 10 30 p.m.
Up Next For The Cougars
The BYU team concludes one of its two December road trips with a Saturday, Dec. 11 game against Northern Iowa. The team will return to the university for a short stay before leaving once again for games against Montana and Montana State on Dec. 18 and 20.
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.
