LAS VEGAS -- The BYU women's basketball team passed its first test in the new Mountain West Conference, dealing UNLV an 84-75 loss Thursday to win its fifth straight game and first of the season against a conference opponent.
BYU (11-3, 1-0) was led by the hot hand of senior forward Jill Adams, who went 10-16 from the field and 3-5 from 3-point territory to finish with a game-high and career-best 28 points. Adams was aided by freshman guard Erin Thorn, who scored 15, and forward Cady Williams who chipped in an additional 14 points. Freshman Jennifer Leitner also came off the bench to score 10.
Constance Jinks led the Rebels (8-6, 0-1) with 20 points, followed closely behind by forward Linda Frohlich, who posted a double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds. With the win, BYU dealt the Rebels just their second loss at home this year. The last time BYU won five straight was during the 1997-1998 season. The Cougars are off to their best start since 1992-1993, when the team finished 24-5 to claim the regular season WAC title.
"This was a big win for us," said BYU head coach Trent Shippen. "We played well and are excited to get off to a good start in the conference."
The Cougars jumped out to an early lead, with a halftime edge of 36 to UNLV's 22. Though UNLV pulled to within seven with less than a minute to play, the Cougars held on to grab the win.
BYU will conclude its first conference road trip against San Diego State Saturday at 7 p.m. The Cougars will then return to Provo for home games against Colorado State and Wyoming.
Enjoying a four-game winning streak, BYU's women's basketball team opens the inaugural MWC Season with road action against UNLV and SDSU on January 13 and 15.
BYU Probable Starters
l 32 Lori Cuff - 6-1 F, Sr (5.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
l 35 Cady Williams - 5-11 F, Sr (12.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
l 33 Jill Adams - 6-3 C, Jr (14.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg)
l 11 Erin Thorn - 5-10 G, Fr (12.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
l 22 Stacy Jensen - 5-6 G, So (3.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
BYU Players Off The Bench
l 05 Alisha Griffeth - 6-0 F, Sr (4.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
l 04 Renae Hansen - 5-11 G, Sr (2.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
l 00 April Hayes - 6-3 C, Jr (2.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
l 44 Caroline Beus - 6-1 C, Jr (2.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg)
l 31 Lisa Osguthorpe - 6-0 F, So (5.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
l 21 Jennifer Leitner - 6-1 F, Fr (5.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
'99-00 Cougar Highlights
l BYU is enjoying a four-game winning streak which includes victories at Montana, Montana State and at Weber State.
l Three Cougars are scoring in double figures. Senior Jill Adams tops the list with 14.4 points and 7.5 rebounds also a team leader in that category. Freshman Erin Thorn follows with 12.7 points and 3.8 rebounds. Senior forward Cady Williams is tallying 12.3 points a game and grabbing 3.6 rebounds.
l Freshman guard Erin Thorn from Orem, Utah was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 6 after she scored 25 points against Idaho State on Dec. 1. 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 The 10-point road victory over Montana on 12/18 was the first for BYU in Missoula in the team's 3-7 series which favors the Lady Griz.
Cougar Quickie Stats - After 13 games
l Shooting from the field - .461 (322-699)
l Shooting from the free-throw line - .715 (148-207)
l Shooting from the three-point arc - .369 (96-260)
l Averaging 68.3 points per game
l The Cougars have a 1-0 record when playing on Thursday and a 3-1 record when BYU plays on Saturday
BYU Player Quick Facts - After 13 games
l Cady Williams and Jill Adams have scored in double figures in 10 of 13 games
l Erin Thorn has scored in double figures in nine games to date
l Jill Adams has rebounded in double figures in four games
l Jill Adams had had three games in which she's had double-doubles (vs Washington, Gonzaga and Montana)
Scouting UNLV
UNLV opens conference play against the Cougars this Thursday night. The Lady Rebels have an 8-5 record and are 5-1 at home. UNLV is coming off two home wins against Navy and Valparaiso. Sophomore Linda Frohlich leads the team in scoring. She averages 22.9 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. The only other Lady Rebel in double digit scoring is Kineshe Davis who scores 16.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. UNLV is scoring 71.5 points allowing only 66.7 points for opponents.
UNLV Probable Starters
l 13 Linda Frohlich - 6-2 F, So (22.9 ppg, 12.1 rpg)
l 32 Carlesa Dixon - 6-1 F, Fr (5.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
l 03 Kinesha Davis - 5-10 G, So (16.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg)
l 22 Dayna Gambill - 5-6 G , Jr (6.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
l 24 Erin Johansson - 6-1 G, So (6.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
Series Against UNLV
BYU vs UNLV: 6-4 in favor of the Cougars. The two teams met during the 1997-98 WAC season with BYU picking up both wins. In Provo the final score was 66-54 on 1/22/98 and in Las Vegas it was 65-62 on 2/21/98.
Scouting San Diego State
The Aztecs open MWC play with a 4-8 record. San Diego State will host Utah in its first conference game Thursday, before hosting the Cougars on Saturday night. Senior center/forward Mary Apiafi leads the SDSU offense averaging 14.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Two other Aztecs also score in double figures. Jamey Cox, a freshman guard is picking up 13.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game with teammate Atim Otii tallying 10.1 points and 5.7 rebounds. San Diego State is averaging 59.3 points to opponents 62.1 points per game. The Aztecs shoot .406 from the field and .706 at the free-throw line. From three-point range SDSU has a .340 percentage off of 36-106 attempts. At Cox Arena, the Aztecs are averaging 592 fans and have a 3-3 record.
San Diego State Probable Starters
l 53 Anita Bundago - 5-11 F, Jr (9.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
l 55 Atim Otii - 6-0 F , So (10.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
l 23 Mary Apiafi - 6-2 F/C , Sr (14.0 ppg, 10.3 rpg)
l 15 Shannon Lee - 5-9 G, Jr (5.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
l 20 Jamey Cox - 5-7 G, Fr (13.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
BYU vs SDSU Series
The series: Tied at 8-8. During the 1998-99 season these two teams met twice home and away with the Cougars picking up both wins. The final on 1/16 in Provo was 72-71 in ot, and on 2/13 in San Diego it was 66-53.
Coach Trent Shippen Quotes
(On the Cougars) We've had a week off and that can be either an advantage or disadvantage. We may not be as sharp without playing for an extended time. We've also had some flu bugs going around the team, so we should have everybody back healthy this week. We've got two tough conference games ahead of us.
(On UNLV) - Linda Frohlich is one of the top scores in the country, she's tough and can do it all. We'll have to defend her well. Our defense will not only need to be tough on Frohlich buy on the rest of their team as well. They are a good team and are playing very well right now.
(On SDSU) - They had a nice win over Montana and they also got TCU so both of those are good wins for them. San Diego State is a very balanced team that is able to score from the inside and the outside. We're going to have to play very well on the road in order to get both wins. We have to come prepared and ready to go and play a full forty minutes.
BYU Travel Itinerary
The Cougar team departs for UNLV on Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 11:45 a.m. arriving in Las Vegas at 12:00 p.m. BYU will be staying at the Doubletree Hotel and Suites, 7250 Pollock Drive, 702-943-4000, 702-948-4100 fax. On Friday, Jan. 14 BYU leaves for San Diego arriving there at 12:30 p.m. and staying at the San Diego Marriott on 333 West Harbor Drive, 619-234-1500, 619-234-8678, fax. The team arrives in Provo on Sunday, Jan. 16 at 10:30 a.m.
Practice Schedule On The Road
Wed, Jan. 12: 3- 5p.m.
Thurs., Jan. 13: 12 - 1p.m., shoot around at Thomas and Mack Center
Friday, Jan. 14: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at Cox Arena
Sat. January 15: 12-1 p.m. shoot around at Cox Arena
Up Next For The Cougars
The BYU team hosts three MWC opponents. Colorado State and Wyoming make their appearance at the Marriott Center on Jan. 20 and 22. Then it's instate rival Utah on Friday, Jan. 28 in a 7 p.m. tip off.
BYU Media Information/Home Practice Schedule
At home, the Cougars practice at the Marriott Center. Practice schedule is Mon-Fri from 1 to 3:30 p.m. 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.
