Missoula, MT....Great shooting and rebounding by BYU's women's basketball team resulted in the Cougars first ever win over Montana, a 61-51 victory, Saturday.
The win extends BYU's record to 7-3 on the season, while Montana falls to 4-3.
Seniors Jill Adams and Cady Williams top the leader board for the Cougars with 14 points a piece. Adams also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Freshman Erin Thorn had 13 points on the night.
"This is such a huge win for us. It is so tough to win here in front of such huge screaming fans," said head coach Trent Shippen. "We stayed with them in the first half and then took over in the second half. Everyone played outstanding basketball, and it was good to have Stacy Jensen back in our line up" added Shippen.
At intermission Montana had a one-point 26-25 lead, but the Cougars shooting abilities quickly became apparent as BYU went on an 18 to 5 run to start the second half of action. Montana got within nine points 43-34 with eight minutes left in the game, but that was as close as they could get.
The Cougars great shooting on the night included 47 percent from the field, 53 from three-point range (8-15) and 78 percent at the line. BYU out rebounded Montana 34 to 24. The Lady Griz shot 36 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free-throw line.
BYU stays in Big Sky country traveling to Bozeman for a Monday night game against Montana State.
After a 10-day five game road swing, the BYU women's basketball team had a few days at home allowing the team to take their semester finals, and its' back on the road again for two games in Montana. The Cougars take on Montana on December 18 and Montana Sate on December 20.
BYU Probable Starters
l 31 Lisa Osguthorpe - 6-0 F, So (5.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
l 32 Lori Cuff - 6-1 F, Sr (2.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
l 33 Jill Adams - 6-3 C, Jr (15.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg)
l 35 Cady Williams - 5-11 F, Sr (13.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
l 11 Erin Thorn - 5-10 G, Fr (13.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
BYU Players Off The Bench
l 05 Alisha Griffeth - 6-0 F, Sr (6.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
l 04 Renae Hansen - 5-11 G, Sr (1.9ppg, 1.0 rpg)
l 00 April Hayes - 6-3 C, Jr (3.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
l 22 Stacy Jensen - 5-6 G, So (2.3 ppg, .7 rpg)
l 44 Caroline Beus - 6-1 C, Jr (1.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg)
l 21 Jennifer Leitner - 6-1 F, Fr (5.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
'99-00 Cougar Highlights
l In their 81-57 victory over Nebraska on December 9, BYU handed the Huskers their worst loss in the past three and a half years.
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 should be back in the starting line up this weekend after nursing a sprained ankle suffered in the Idaho State game.
Cougar Quickie Stats
l Shooting from the field - .458 (230-502)
l Shooting from the free-throw line - .704 (95-135)
l Shooting from the three-point arc - .356 (69-194)
l Averaging 69.3 points per game
BYU vs Montana Notes
The Lady Griz have compiled a 4-2 record to date with a most recent win against Portland (56-48) and a two-point loss, 41-43 at the hands of Gonzaga, both of those games played on the road. At home, Montana boasts the 16th largest home crowd in the country, averaging over 14,000 fans. The Lady Griz are led by junior forward Lauren Cooper, who's averaging 13.0 points per game and 4.8 rebounds. Senior forward Linda Weyler leads in rebounding, grabbing 7.8 per game. Montana is averaging 63.2 ppg and are holding opponents to 52.3 points per game.
Montana Probable Starters
l 12 Cheryl Keller - 5-8 G, So (6.5 ppg, 4.2rpg)
l 24 Megan Harrington - 5-7 G, Sr (4.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
l 25 Krista Redpath - 6-1 C, Sr (12.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
l 10 Lauren Cooper - 6-0 F, Jr (13.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
l 45 Linda Weyler - 6-1 F, Sr (8.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg)
Series Against Montana
The Lady Griz have a 7-2 advantage over the Cougars. In the last meeting between these two teams dating back to Dec. 7, 1995, Montana beat BYU 85-60 in Missoula.
BYU vs Montana State Notes
Montana State is 3-4 on the year with its most recent win over Carroll College 85-69 at home. The Bobcats have not yet traveled this season and are averaging 805 fans a game. The team's leading scorer is Amy Meckling, a 5-6 junior guard who's averaging 24.7 points per game and 5.3 rebounds. At the boards, Montana is led by Lindy Kirkland, a 5-10 freshman guard from Troy, Idaho. She's grabbing 6.7 rebounds per game. The Bobcats are averaging 66.0 points per game, allowing opponents 64.1 points in each game.
Montana State Probable Starters
l 10 Lezlee Weedin- 5-5 G, Sr (11.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
l 11 Amy Meckling - 5-6 G, Jr (24.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
l 23 Jennifer Curl - 5-8 G, So (9.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
l 40 Lindy Kirkland - 5-10 F, Fr (1.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
l 42 Karin Skarman - 6-2 F, Jr (4.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
BYU vs Montana State Series
The series stands at: 6-3 in favor of the Cougars. The last time the two teams met was on December 7, 1996 with the Bobcats picking up the 65-77 win in Provo.
Coach Trent Shippen Quotes
(On the Cougars) We just came back from one of our toughest and longest road trips of the year. We played excellent basketball, all except in that Northern Iowa game. Now we need the team to get through their finals and have some short practices in preparation for these two upcoming road games. The girls really needed some rest.
(On Montana and Montana State) This will be another extremely tough road trip. Both of these teams play extremely well at home are have good athletic abilities. Montana has some of its injured players this season so we anticipate them to be better than a year ago. Montana State is under a somewhat new coaching staff and they'll be prepared for us, so we'll have to play our very best to have a shot at picking up these two road wins.
BYU Travel Itinerary
The Cougar team will be leaving for Missoula on Friday, December 17 at 8:45 a.m., arriving at 11 a.m., at the Doubletree Hotel on 100 Madison, 406-728-3100, 406-728-2530 fax. On Sunday, December 19, BYU heads to Bozeman staying at the Best Western Grantree Inn on 1325 North 7th Avenue, 406-587-5261, 406-587-9437 fax. The Cougar squad returns to Provo on Tuesday, December 21 at about 9 a.m.
Up Next For The Cougars
The BYU team hosts Southern Utah, on December 29 at 7 p.m., and then travels to Ogden for a New Year's Eve Day meeting against Weber State, in a 2 p.m. tip off.
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.
