Cedar City, Utah (Nov. 28, 2000) Erin Thorn's final two-pointer and clutch free-throws from freshman Julie Whetten with just seconds remaining in the game, gave the BYU women a seven-point advantage and a 64-57 win over Southern Utah, Tuesday.

The victory over the Thunderbirds extends BYU's record to 2-1 while SUU falls to 2-4 on the year.

"It was our defense that won the game for us," said Cougar coach Trent Shippen on the bus traveling home from Cedar City. "This is a huge win for us on the road. Our defense and rebounding were also keys in the victory over a very talented, well-coached team."

Shippen also credited the Cougars' ability to take care of the ball, as the team tallied only eight turnovers to SUU's 14.

Thorn led all scores with 17-points and six rebounds. Senior center Caroline Beus had 10 points and toped the BYU list on the boards with nine. The Cougars shot 36 percent from the field and were 10 of 12 from the free-throw line.

For the Thunderbirds Sarah Mortensen had 16 points and ten rebounds with teammate Megan Woolston contributing 13 points and five rebounds. Southern Utah shot 39 percent from the field and 53 percent at the line.

BYU heads to the northwest for a game against the Cougars of Washington State on Thurs., Nov. 30.

The Cougar women conclude their first month of basketball action on the road with a game against Southern Utah on the 28th and at Washington State on the 30th. BYU vs SUU is set for a 7:35 p.m. tip off at the Centrum Arena with the Washington State game begins at 7 p.m. at Friel Court.

BYU Probable Starters- 2000 stats

l 31 Lisa Osguthorpe - 6-0 Jr, F (5.5 ppg, 4.5rpg)

l 44 Caroline Beus - 6-1 Sr, C/F (9.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg)

l 50 Heather Cheesman - 6-1 Fr, F(9.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg)

l 11 Erin Thorn - 5-10 So, G (22.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg)

l 22 Stacy Jensen - 5-6 Jr, G (8.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg)

BYU Players Off The Bench - 2000 stats

l 04 Kaly Gillette Shippen - 5-6 Sr, G (Ricks College/SDSU)

l 14 Julie Whetten - 5-8 Fr, G (2.0 ppg,)

l 15 Jorja Cox - 5-11 Sr, F (3.5 ppg, 3.0rpg)

l 20 Brittany Larson - 6-0 So, F (2.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg)

l 23 Chanell Rose - 6-0 So, F (4.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg)

Cougars Injury Report

Jennifer Lietner will be out for about eight weeks with torn ligaments to her left foot injured during conditioning

Quickie BYU Stats - 2000 Season

l Shooting from the field - .429 (48-112)

l Shooting from the free-throw line - .647(22-34)

l Shooting from the three-point arc - .368 (14-38)

l Averaged 66.0 points per game

Last Game Recap

BYU played its second Pac-10 opponent to date as it opened its home season against the Bruins from UCLA. Freshman redshirt Heather Cheesman scored a season and career high 16 points and eight rebounds to lead the Cougars to a 15-point 68-53 win over UCLA.

Game vs SUU on the internet

Cougar fans can hear the BYU vs SUU game on the internet by clicking on the Thunderbirds web site www.suu.edu/ksuu/

Scouting Southern Utah

The Thunderbirds have a 2-3 record to date that includes two straight losses. Two players are in double digits in points for SUU. Megan Woolston, a 5-9 junior forward from West Jordan, is at the top with 13.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. She's followed by Linsey Hille from Salt Lake City who is getting 11.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Senior forward Sarah Mortensen from Orem leads the team in the rebound category for the Thunderbirds with 7.4 boards a game. Southern Utah is averaging 64.8 points a game, shooting 45 percent from the field, 38 percent from three-point range and 81 percent at the free-throw line. The Thunderbird defense is only allowing 57.2 points a game.

SUU Probable Starters

#31 Sarah Mortensen - F 6-4, Sr (9.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg)

#11 Megan Woolston - F 5-9, Jr (13.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg)

#44 Julie Bellamy - C 6-3, Jr (7.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg

#12 Sally Johnson - G 5-7 Jr (4.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg)

#13 Lindsey Hille - G 5-9, So (11.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg)

Series Record: 11-2 favoring the Cougars. BYU has won the last three contests.

Last Meeting: In last year's outing in Provo, the Cougars rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second half to edge out the five-point 58-53 win.

Scouting Washington State

Washington State will host BYU after participating in the Coca-Cola Classic at Rutgers University. The Cougars have a 2-1 record and will be playing their first game at home against BYU. This season coach Przekwas returns eight letterwinners and three starters back. Junior center Brittney Hawks leads the Pullman Cougars in points and rebounds with 13.0 points and 7.0 boards per game. Senior Yvonne Volkman, a 6-0 forward is the team's assist leader with 4.0 per game. WSU is averaging 63.3 points per game, holding its opponents to 58.3 points a game. The Cougars shoot 41 percent from the field and 57 percent at the line.

Series Record: 3-2 in favor of the homestanding Cougars. The two Cougar teams have not met since 1989.

Last Meeting: Their last contest was on December 15 in Provo with WSU picking up the three-point 75-72 win. The Pullman Cougars have won the last two meetings.

WSU Probable Starters

#31 Yvonne Volkman - F 6-0, Sr (5.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg)

#41 Jessica Ottmar - G 6-0, So (1.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg)

#32 Kelley Berglund - C 6-3, So (5.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg

#20 Katie Nyseth - G 5-3 Sr (8.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg)

#14 Sarah Barrett - G 5-9, Jr (7.0 ppg, 1.3 rpg)

Did You Know....Cougar Family Connections

Kaly Gillette Shippen (#04) is coach Shippen's sister-in-law. She married his younger brother Ty Shippen who walked on to this year's men's basketball team.

Chanell Rose (#23) is BYU's men's assistant basketball coach Dave Rose's daughter. She transferred from playing one year at neighboring Utah Valley State College.

Coach Trent Shippen Quotes

(On the Cougars) I think we're playing good defense right now, offensively we're playing okay. We need to do a better job at the free-throw line. I'm also pleased with our inside game, we're playing getting better with each game.

(On SUU) I like the team they have this year with a good guard line-up and good experienced players in their inside play . They have a very good balanced team and it's always tough to beat them on their floor. We'll have a very tough team on our hands and we'll have to play very well to pick up the win.

(On Washington State) This is the first matchup with them. They're the third Pac-10 team we've played so far this year and are a team that's playing well early in the season. It's always tough to play on their home court, especially from a team that comes from a traditionally powerful women's basketball conference.

BYU Home Practices/Media Interviews

While at home the Cougars practice daily from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Marriott Center. Coach Shippen and players are available for interviews prior to or at the conclusion of practice. All interview requests must be done in advance by contacting the basketball media relations director, Norma Collett via phone or e-mail. Phone: 801-378-4908; e-mail: norma_collett@byu.edu. There are no interviews 24-hours prior to a game.

Cougars on the Road

BYU will stay in Cedar City on Monday, Nov. 27 at the Holiday Inn, 435-586-8888, 435-586-1010 fax.

Practice times:

Monday, 7 p.m. at the PE Gym on the SUU campus

Tuesday, 1 p.m. shoot around at Centrum Arena

The Cougars depart for Pullman, Washington on Wednesday, Nov. 29 on Delta flight #1772, arriving in Spokane at 3:45 p.m. and will drive to Pullman, checking in at the Hawthorne Inn Suites at 928 NW Olsen St. 509-332-0928, 509-334-5275 fax.

Practice schedule:

Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. @ Coliseum

Thursday, 1 p.m. shoot around @ Coliseum

Ahead for the Cougars

BYU heads into the month of December with two road games, against Gonzaga on Dec. 2 and at Arkansas on Dec. 4. The Cougars don't play at home until Dec. 7 when it hosts Northern Iowa.